Paxar Monarch TCMPCL2PR User manual

©2001 Paxar Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
TCMPCL2PR Rev. BA 06/00
Packet Reference Manual
II
CONTROL LANGUAGE
MONARCH PRINTER

Each product and program carries a respective written warranty, the only warranty on which the
customer can rely. Monarch reserves the right to make changes in the product and the programs
and their availability at any time and without notice. Although Monarch has made every effort to
provide complete and accurate information in this manual, Monarch shall not be liable for any
omissions or inaccuracies. Any update will be incorporated in a later edition of this manual.
1994 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form,
by any means, without the written permission of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.
Trademarks
Monarch is a registered trademark of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.
Paxar is a trademark of Paxar Corporation.
1460, 6030, 9446, 9490, and 9494 are trademarks of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.
Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.
170 Monarch Lane
Miamisburg, Ohio 45342

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Overview of Printer Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Creating an MPCLII ormat Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Daily Startup Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Chapter 2. Designing a Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Starting with a Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Determining ormat Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Determining the Print Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Drawing Rough Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Using Supply Layout Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Considering ield Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Considering onts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
ormat Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
illing in the ormat Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Chapter 3. Configuring the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Setting Communication Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Using Autobaud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Using MPCLII Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
MPCLII Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Standard Syntax Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Using Online Configuration Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Configuration Packet Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Configuration Syntax Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Defining the System Setup Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
i

Defining the Supply Setup Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Defining the Print Control Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Defining the Monetary ormatting Packet. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Defining the Control Characters Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Resetting Control Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Defining the Communication Settings Packet . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Defining the Memory Configuration Packet. . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Checking Current Buffer Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
About Memory Buffers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Buffer Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Buffer Allocation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Optional RAM Buffer Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Using Immediate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Enabling Immediate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Sending Immediate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Clearing Packets from Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Using the ont Packet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Using Configuration Upload Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
or the 9494 printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
or the 9490 printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
or the 9446 printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
or the 1460 printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Chapter 4. Defining Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Defining the ormat Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Defining Text ields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Defining Bar Code ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Defining Non-Printable Text ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Defining Constant Text ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Defining Line ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Line Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
ii

Defining Box ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Chapter 5. Defining Field Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Applying ield Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Combining ield Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Option 1 ( ixed Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Option 4 (Copy Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Merging ields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Sub- ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Option 30 (Padding Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Sample Use for Padding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Option 31 (Calculate Check Digit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Option 42 (Price ield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Option 50 (Bar Code Density). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Option 51 (PD 417 Security/Truncation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Option 52 (PD 417 Width/Length) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Option 60 (Incrementing/Decrementing ields) . . . . . . . . 5-12
ixing the irst Number in the
Incrementing Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Option 61 (Reimage ield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Using Check Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Sum of Products Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Sum of Digits Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Chapter 6. Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Defining the Batch Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Defining the Batch Control ield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Defining Batch Data ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Using Special Characters in Batch Data . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Merged or Sub- ields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Incrementing ields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Tabl e of Cont ents
iii

Downloading Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Sequential Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Batch Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Batch Quantity Zero Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Modifying ormats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Optional Entry Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Creating DOS Batch iles for Downloading . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Chapter . Status Polling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Inquiry Request (ENQ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Inquiry Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Job Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Job Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Job Status 0, 1, 2 Response Table
(Status 1 Codes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Chapter 8. Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Printing a Test Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Using the 9494 or 9490 printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Using a 9446 or 1460 printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Using Data Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Troubleshooting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
If You Receive an Error Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
If the PC and Printer Aren’t Communicating . . . . . . 8-5
Calling Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Additional Diagnostics Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Chapter 9. Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Data Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Communication ailures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Data ormatting ailures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Machine aults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Hard Printer ailures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
iv

Chapter 10. Printer Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Adjusting the Print Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Reducing Imaging Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
General ormat Tips and Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Advanced Use of the Optional Entry Method . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Standard ormat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Optimized ormat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Appendix A. Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Sample UPCA ormat Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Sample MaxiCode Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Mode 0 (Obsolete) Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Mode 2 Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Mode 3 Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5
Sample Compliance Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6
Sample Zero Batch Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9
Sample ixed Character ormat Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-11
Appendix B. Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Standard onts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Monospaced ont Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
Proportional ont Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
CG Triumvirate Bold (9 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
CG Triumvirate (6 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7
CG Triumvirate Bold (9 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8
CG Triumvirate (6 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8
Scalable ont Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8
Additional onts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10
Using ont Numbers in ormats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10
Locating the ont Number in a ont Packet . . . . . . . . . . . B-10
Tabl e of Cont ents
v

Appendix C. Symbol Sets/Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Supported Symbol Sets and Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Selecting a Symbol Set or Code Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Selecting the Internal Symbol Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Selecting the ANSI Symbol Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Selecting the 437 or 850 Code Page . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Entering Extended Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2
Internal Symbol Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3
ANSI Symbol Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4
Bold Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5
OCRA Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6
Code Page 437 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7
Code Page 850 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8
ASCII to Hexadecimal Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9
Appendix D. Format Design Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Online Configuration Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2
Batch Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3
Check Digit Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4
Appendix E. Addressing a 9490 Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
Addressing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
Step 1. Define the Printer Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
Step 2. Select a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-3
Step 3. Select the Battery Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-3
Using Non-Addressed Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-4
Returning to Addressed Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
Switching Between Addressed Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-6
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
vi

Chapter 1. Getting Started
This manual provides the necessary information to design,
write and print a Monarch® Printer Control Language II
(MPCLII) format The following printers support this type of
format:
✦9494 (V 1 0 or greater)
✦9490 (V 3 0 or greater)
✦9446 (V 5 2 or greater)
✦1460 (V 3 0 or greater)
This chapter
✦describes the significant differences between the four
printers
✦creates a sample MPCLII packet
✦shows how to download a sample packet
✦gives a list of daily procedures for operators
Audience ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
You do not have to be a programmer to use this manual, but
you must be familiar with creating text files and executing
basic MS-DOS® commands
1-1

Overview of Printer Differences ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
While all four of these printers are very similar, some
differences in operation and available options exist
Feature 9494 9490 9446 1460
Maximum print
speed
2 0 IPS 2 0 IPS 10 0 IPS 7 0 IPS
Maximum print
area
4 0 in x 6 0 in 4 0 in x 6 0 in 4 0 in x 8 0 in 4 0 in x 8 0 in
Location of
Print Area
Center Center Left Left
Supply Width 2 0 in x 4 0 in 2 0 in x 4 0 in 1 2 in x 4 2 in 1 2 in x 4 2 in
Supply Length 1 0 in x 6 0 in 1 0 in x 6 0 in 75 in x 8 0 in 75 in x 8 0 in
Power Up Mode Online/Offline Online Online/Offline Online
On demand
/Continuous
On demand
/Continuous
On demand
/Continuous
On demand
/Continuous
/Internal
Rewind
On demand
only
Supply Types Black Mark
/Non-indexed
Black Mark Black Mark
/Die Cut
Black Mark
/Die cut
Print a
Separator
Ye s Ye s Ye s N o
Use High
Energy Ribbon
No No Yes No
Scalable Font
Standard
Ye s Ye s N o N o
Black to White
Print Ratio
30% 20% 30% 30%
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
1-2

Before You Begin ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
1. Connect the printer to the host Refer to your printer’s
documentation for more information
2. Load supplies in the printer Refer to your printer’s
documentation for more information
3. Turn on the printer
4. Set the communication parameters and configure the
printer The communication parameters at the printer must
match those at the host See Chapter 3, "Configuring the
Printer," for more information
5. Design your format See "Starting with a Design" in
Chapter 2 for more information
6. Download your format to the printer See Chapter 6,
"Printing," for more information
Creating an MPCLII Format Packet –––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A format defines which fields appear and where the fields are
printed on the label The printer requires this information in a
special form, using MPCLII This section describes how to
create a sample MPCLII format packet
Make sure supplies are loaded, the printer is connected to the
host and is ready to receive data Refer your printer’s
documentation for more information
For detailed information about the format header, text,
constant text, and bar code fields, see Chapter 4, "Defining
Fields " For information about batch packets, see Chapter 6,
"Printing "
1. Type the following format header, in any text editor:
{F,25,A,R,M,508,508,"FMT-25" p
2. Type the following constant text field:
C,250,80,0,1,1,1,W,C,0,0,"MONARCH MARKING:",0 p
Chapter 1. Getting Started
1-3

3. Type the following bar code field:
B,1,12,F,110,115,1,2,120,5,L,0 p
4. Type the following text field:
T,2,18,V,30,30,1,1,1,1,B,C,0,0,0 p}
You have created a format packet for your MPCLII printer
Now, a batch packet must be created before you can print the
format
5. Type the following batch header, after the text field line:
{B,25,N,1 p
6. Type the following bar code data:
1,"12345678901" p
7. Type the following text field data:
2,"DAYTON, OHIO" p}
8. Save your file as SAMPLE FMT
9. Type MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1 at the DOS prompt if you
are using serial communications This sets the
communication parameters at your host These
communication parameters must match those at your
printer See "Setting Communication Parameters" in
Chapter 3 for more information
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
1-4

10. Type COPY SAMPLE FMT COM1 The following 2 inch by
2 inch label prints:
{
F,25,A,R,M,508,508,"Fmt 25" p
C,250,80,0,1,2,1,W,C,0,0,"MONARCH MARKING" p
B,1,12,F,110,115,1,2,120,5,L,0 p
T,2,18,V,30,30,1,1,1,1,B,C,0,0 p
}
Sample Batch Packet
{
B,25,N,1 p
1,"12345678901" p
2,"DAYTON, OHIO" p
}
Dail Startup Procedures ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
You may want to design a checklist for operators to follow
each day Here are a few suggested items: Turn on the
printer and host, make sure ribbon and supplies are loaded,
make sure communication parameters are set, and download
packets from the host to the printer
You may want to keep records of supplies that have been
printed A good way to do this is to design a print log for
operators to complete at the end of the day Here are some
suggestions for types of information to include in a print log:
date, operator’s name, format name, supply size, quantity
printed, evaluation of print quality, and problems/comments
Keep backup copies of your format, batch data, check digit,
and graphic packets
Chapter 1. Getting Started
1-5

MPCLII Packet Reference Manual
1-

Chapter 2. Designing a Format
This chapter describes how to
✦determine what kind of information to use in your
format.
✦use the Supply Layout Grid and Format Worksheet.
✦categorize data into field types.
✦select fonts to use in your format.
Starting with a Design–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Before you create a format packet you must design your
label. There are several steps to designing a custom label:
1. Decide which fields should appear on your label. See
"Determining Format Contents" for more information.
2. Determine your label size. Supplies are available from
Monarch in a wide variety of sizes. Your application and
the amount of data you need to print determines the
supply size. Contact your Account Manager or Technical
Support for more information.
3. Draw a rough sketch of your label. You may want to draw
several variations to see what works best. See "Drawing
Rough Sketches" for more information.
4. Identify the field types that appear on your label. See
"Considering Field Types" for more information.
5. Decide which fonts you want to use. See "Considering
Fonts" for more information.
6. Fill out your Format Worksheet. See "Using the Format
Worksheet" for more information.
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At this point you are ready to send your design to the printer.
To do this:
7. Create a format packet based on how you filled out your
worksheet. See Chapter 4 "Defining Fields " for more
information.
8. Download your format packet to the printer. See Chapter
6 "Printing " for more information.
Determining Format Contents ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Before you lay out your format you need to make a few
decisions. For example:
✦How large is your supply?
✦Which fonts do you want to use?
✦Do you want to include a bar code?
✦Do you want to include graphics?
Determining the Print Area ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The "bottom" is the edge that exits the printer first. For the
9490 and 9494 printers the print area is in the center of the
supply and it begins 0.16 inches from the bottom and 0.05
inches from the left edge of the supply. For the 9446 and
1460 printers the print area begins on the bottom edge and
0.06 inches from the left edge of the supply. The table below
lists the maximum print area for a four-inch wide label.
Unit of Measure Supply Size
(Width Length)
Ma imum Print Area
(Width Length)
Printer
English (1/100
inch)
416 x 620
406 x 800
385 x 580
380 x 799
9494/9490
9446/1460
Metric (1/10 mm) 1055 x 1575
1031 x 2032
978 x 1473
965 x 2031
9494/9490
9446/1460
Dots (1/192 dots) 797 x 1190
779 x 1536
739 x 1114
730 x 1535
9494/9490
9446/1460
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The following table lists the non-print zones for each printer.
Printer Top Bottom Left Right
9490/9494 .04 inches
1.01 mm
7.7 dots
.16 - .19 inches
4.1 - 4.8 mm
31 - 36.5 dots
.05 - .11 inches
1.3 - 2.8 mm
9.6 - 21.1 dots
.05 - .11 inches
1.3 - 2.8 mm
9.6 - 21.1 dots
9446/1460 none none .06 inches
1.5 mm
11.5 dots
.14 inches
3.6 mm
26.9 dots
nThe standard supply length for the 9490 and 9494 printers is
six inches. The standard supply length for the 9446 and 1460
printers is eight inches.
Use the following formulas to convert inches to dots and
metric:
Dots = inches x 192
Metric (1/10mm) = inches x 254
English (1/100 inch) = 100 x (dots/192)
Dots = Metric (1/10 mm) x 756/1000
Drawing Rough Sketches–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
After you decide what information you want to
print sketch how you want the information to
appear on the label. Note any areas that are
preprinted on the label such as a logo.
As soon as you know what information to
include on the label and you have a rough
sketch you can use a supply layout grid to
help you layout and size your label. If you do
not want to use a grid go to "Considering
Field Types" to choose what information you
want on your label.
Chapter 2. Designing a Format
2-3

Using Supply Layout Grids ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A supply layout grid contains measurement markers. These
markers help you accurately position information on your label.
Decide whether you want to design formats using English
Metric or Dot measurements. Choose from the following grids:
✦English
The English grid shown to the
right is measured in 1/100
inches.
✦Metric
The Metric grid is measured in
1/10 millimeters (mm).
✦Graphic
The printer uses dots to print
images on a label. The
printhead has 192 dots per
inch (DPI).
If you want to use supply layout grids a copy of each is in
Appendix D "Format Design Tools."
Considering Field ypes––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
After you select a supply size the next step in designing a
format is to decide what information you want to print on the
label. For example you may want to print your company
name price of an item and a bar code that combines
information from other places. Everything you want to print
falls into one of the following categories.
Supply Layout
(Inches)
8.0
7.5
7.0
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.2
.06 4.06
Printable area
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Field Type Description E amples
Text Contains letters numbers or
symbols you want to print.
item number item description
department number price date
Non-Printable
Te x t
Holds batch data for use later
such as for merging into
another field. The printer does
not print non-printable text
fields.
city state and zip code to be
included in a bar code
Bar Code Used for printing bar codes that
can be scanned.
item or serial numbers zip
codes information you don’t
want to have visible to
customers product codes
Constant Text Fixed characters that print
without changing.
company name company
address
Line or Box Highlight or separate items. line marking out the regular
price border around the supply
Graphic Contains a bitmap image or a
compliance label overlay.
logos
nAll of the above field types except graphics are discussed in
Chapter 4. Refer to the MPCLII Graphics Manual for
information on including graphic fields in your format.
Considering Fonts –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Your printer has monospaced and proportionally spaced fonts
along with one scalable font CG Triumvirate Bold. The
scalable font is smooth at any point size. See Appendix B
"Fonts " for a sample of CG Triumvirate Bold and more
information about it.
nThe scalable font must be purchased separately for the 9446
and 1460 printers. The scalable font is standard on the 9490
printer.
When working with fonts you have three considerations:
✦font appearance
✦font size (scalable or bitmapped)
✦font spacing (monospaced or proportional)
Chapter 2. Designing a Format
2-5

Choosing the appropriate font appearance is up to the user.
See Appendix B "Fonts " for samples of each font. Choosing
the appropriate font size and spacing depends on how much
space is available on your supply. Monospaced characters
occupy the same amount of space within a magnification
making it easy to predict the field size. Use monospaced fonts
for price fields and data you want to list in a column.
Proportionally spaced characters vary in height and width
making it difficult to predict the field size. However you may
be able to place more characters on a line.
Monarch offers software to convert TrueType fonts into
printer fonts that can be interpreted by Monarch® MPCLII
printers. Optional font ROMs are also available for these
printers. Call your Monarch Representative for more
information.
Format Worksheet ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Format Worksheet is divided into sections that list the
field types. Each section has boxes to fill in with parameters
that define your format. A format worksheet is included in
Appendix D "Format Design Tools." Keep the worksheet as a
hard copy backup of your format.
Filling in the Format Worksheet
Decide what type of field to use for each piece of information
on your label.
1. Make a copy of the Format Worksheet.
2. Define the Format Header.
3. Define all non-printable text fields before you define the
ones you want to print. See "Defining Non-Printable Text
Fields" in Chapter 4 for more information.
4. Define the rest of your fields. Apply options as you
require them. See Chapter 5 "Defining Field Options " for
more information.
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