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13991L-002
ZebraDesigner™ for XML
User Guide
2
© 2009 ZIH Corp.
The copyrights in this manual and the software and/or firmware in the printer described therein are owned by ZIH Corp. and Zebra’s licensors. Unauthorized reproduction of this manual or the software and/or firmware in the printer may result in imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to $10,000
(17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to civil liability.
This product may contain ZPL
®
, ZPL II
®
, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy Equalizer
™
Circuit; E
3™
; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software © ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.
ZebraLink, Element Energy Equalizer, E
3
and all product names and numbers are trademarks, and Zebra, the Zebra head graphic, ZPL and ZPL II are registered trademarks of ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.
All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. For additional trademark information, please see “Trademarks” on the product CD.
Proprietary Statement
This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the equipment described herein. Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other purpose without the express, written permission of Zebra Technologies Corporation.
Product Improvements
Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies Corporation.
All specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.
Liability Disclaimer
Zebra Technologies Corporation takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies Corporation reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall Zebra Technologies Corporation or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra Technologies Corporation has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
Contents
Install Printer Driver from within the ZebraDesigner Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
Contents 5
10/08/2009 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002
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Notes •
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13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
1
Introduction
Contents
10/08/2009 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002
8 Introduction
Welcome
Welcome
ZebraDesigner software is a family of labeling software products that brings a complete bar code printing solution to desktop users. ZebraDesigner offers an easy-to-use interface and meets any label design and printing requirement for efficient label printing solutions to users in retail, logistics, health care, chemical, automotive, and other industries.
ZebraDesigner can be used with any of the following 32-bit or 64-bit Windows® operating systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows
Server 2008.
ZebraDesigner for XML software is a label designer application. You can use ZebraDesigner for XML to design your label templates, export the templates and parse them through the
Format Generation Wizard. The resulting label template is used for the off-line label printing with data from different applications.
The latest software is available for download on the Zebra web site at www.zebra.com/software .
Contents of the package
The latest software is available for download on the Zebra web site at www.zebra.com/software
Before starting the installation of ZebraDesigner for XML software, check the contents of the package to ensure it is complete. The package includes:
• ZebraDesigner for XML CD
• Software Activation key, located on label inside of CD case, or delivered via email if purchased via www.zebrasoftware.com
If any of the mentioned items are missing, please contact your software vendor immediately for package replacement.
13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
Introduction
About this Manual
9
About this Manual
About this Manual
The ZebraDesigner for XML User Guide helps you design and print labels quickly.
The User Guide contains the following sections:
Introduction: This chapter will introduce you to ZebraDesigner for XML.
Installation and Activation: This chapter will show you how to install and activate the
labeling software.
Set up the ZebraDesigner software: This chapter will show you how to set up and
customize software to your preferences.
Design Labels: This chapter will show you how to create labels. You should refer to this
chapter regularly while designing labels, until you have completely familiarized yourself with the commands. By using the information contained in this chapter, you will able to use labeling software quickly and efficiently.
Export Labels: This chapter will show you how to print and preview labels.
Technical Support: This chapter provides information on how to contact technical support.
Glossary of Terms: This chapter describes some of the technical terms used in the
document.
Typographical Conventions
• Text that appears in bold refers to menu names, file names (SETUP.EXE), interface buttons (OK), PC keyboard keys (Alt), and menu flows; menu flows have a > that separates one menu to the next menu (Start > Programs > Zebra Technologies >
ZebraDesigner for XML).
• Text that appears in italic refers to confirming actions, identifies graphic captions, identifies text that you need to type, and locations such as Folder.
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10 Introduction
About this Manual
Notes •
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Installation and Activation
Contents
Install Printer Driver from within the ZebraDesigner Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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12 Installation and Activation
System and Software Requirements
System and Software Requirements
ZebraDesigner for XML
To run the program, you need at least the following:
• Pentium-based computer with at least 64 MB of RAM.
• One of these 32-bit or 64-bit Windows operating systems: Microsoft® Windows® 2000,
XP, Vista, Server 2003, or Server 2008.
• Hard disk with 75 MB of free disk space.
• CD-ROM drive.
• Administrator rights to the local computer during installation.
Install ZebraDesigner for XML
Install Overview for ZebraDesigner for XML
When you put the ZebraDesigner for XML CD in your CD-ROM drive, the installation/demonstration program automatically starts. You can browse the directory of the
CD and look at the brochures, technical documentation, sample files, and other documents.
Note •
You must be logged on with operating system Administrator rights perform the installation.
Close All Software Applications
To ensure complete installation of ZebraDesigner for XML, close all open software applications before you start installing ZebraDesigner for XML.
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Installation and Activation
Install ZebraDesigner for XML
13
Run Installation
Use the installation wizard to install ZebraDesigner for XML on your desktop PC.
To install the software, do the following:
1.
Put the ZebraDesigner for XML CD in your CD-ROM drive. An installation window automatically opens.
Note •
If the installation wizard does not start automatically, go to the main CD directory of your ZebraDesigner for XML CD and double-click the file START.EXE.
2.
Click Install. A new window opens showing all ZebraDesigner editions
3.
Click on the version of ZebraDesigner that you want to install, and follow the prompts.
Define Setup Options
To continue installation, do the following:
1.
Click the Next button.
2.
Specify the program group you want to use for ZebraDesigner for XML.
3.
Specify if shortcuts to ZebraDesigner for XML should be created on the desktop or in the
Quick Launch area.
4.
To finish installation, click the Install button.
After installation you will be asked to install a printer driver. It is necessary to install a
ZebraDesigner driver. If you do not install a printer driver while installing the software, you will be asked to install one the first time you run the program.
5.
Once the installation is complete, the Start menu in Windows shows a new program group for Zebra Technologies that contains shortcuts for all ZebraDesigner for XML applications.
Install Printer Driver from within the ZebraDesigner Environment
To install the ZebraDesigner printer driver on your computer, do the following:
1.
In ZebraDesigner environment, open the File Menu and click on Install Printer.
2.
The printer installation wizard starts.
3.
Follow the onscreen instructions.
The driver not only allows you to use all supported Zebra printers with the ZebraDesigner software, but also provides a handy way of sending settings and commands straight to the printer through the driver.
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14 Installation and Activation
Activate ZebraDesigner for XML
Activate ZebraDesigner for XML
Activate ZebraDesigner for XML to obtain all features. If you do not complete the activation process, ZebraDesigner for XML only runs in DEMO mode.
To activate the software, do the following:
1.
Start ZebraDesigner for XML.
The Warning dialog box appears.
2.
Click the
Activate
button.
3.
Enter the License Number.
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Set Up the ZebraDesigner
Software
Contents
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16 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
User Interface
User Interface
Main Window
Start the software by clicking on the desktop icon or selecting it from the Start menu:
Start >
All Programs > Zebra Technologies > ZebraDesigner for XML 2 > ZebraDesigner for
XML 2
This is the ZebraDesigner for XML main window.
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17
Using the Keyboard and Mouse Effectively
• When selecting objects, you can use the
Ctrl
key to adjust object’s anchoring point by clicking the object placeholders.
• If you have a Wheel Mouse, you can use the wheel to scroll the label up and down.
Holding
Ctrl
when rotating the wheel adjusts zoom factor, and
Shift
scrolls the label left or right.
• Double-click on printer’s name in status bar to open printer properties dialog box in which you can set various options for currently selected printer.
• You can quickly move objects from one open label to another by dragging the desired object to another window while holding
Alt
. If you want to copy objects instead, hold both
Alt
and
Ctrl
. Note that you must have both label windows visible to do that.
• You can select different objects on a label using the
Tab
and
Shift
+
Tab
keys.
• Pressing the cursor keys while holding the
Ctrl
key can move the selected object. You can use this to fine-tune the position of the object. Holding
Shift
while pressing cursor keys will resize the object.
• You can use the right mouse button almost anywhere on the label to access the most common options for that area/object. For example, if you click an object with the right mouse button, a pop-up menu appears that contains options and actions that can be performed on the selected object. Similarly clicking other parts of the label produces pop-up menus with options for that part of the label.
• You can select multiple objects by holding
Shift
while clicking them.
• Use the element shortcuts in toolbars whenever possible. Each label element that can be connected to some Contents Provider has a shortcut enabled to quickly access existing variables or define new ones. Click the element’s shortcut handle, shown as a small arrow by the side of some toolbox icons.
Interface Reference
Mouse Wheel support
If you have a mouse that has a wheel in place of the middle button, you can use it to speed up zooming and scrolling:
• Turning the wheel scrolls the label up or down.
• Holding
Shift
and turning the wheel scrolls the label left or right.
• Holding
Ctrl
and turning the wheel zooms the label in or out.
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18 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
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Shortcuts
13991L-002
Delete
Ctrl + X
Ctrl + C
Ctrl + V
Alt + Backspace
+ (on numeric pad)
- (on numeric pad)
Alt + Shift + Backspace
Ctrl + T
Ctrl + A
Deletes selected object
Cut
Copy
Paste
Undo
Zoom In
Zoom Out
Redo
Rotate 90°
Align
Ctrl + Z
Ctrl + Y
Ctrl + N
Ctrl + O
Ctrl + S
Ctrl + P
Ctrl + R
Ctrl + move the object with mouse
Alt + move the object with mouse
Ctrl + move the object with cursor keys
Undo
Redo
New
Open
Save
Print preview
Parallel moving of the object by main axes only
Objects snap to grid even if it is off
Fine tuning the position of the object
Shift + cursor keys
Fine tuning the dimensions of the object, resize width and height in very small steps
Right-clicking the object
Opens pop-up menu with shortcuts to commands. The content of the pop-up menu depends on where you clicked your mouse button and what was selected at that time
Opens properties dialog box of the selected element
Enter F2 or double-click
Shift + resizing of the variable text object
Allows you to resize the frame text container
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19
File Menu
New Label
To create a new label and clear the application work area, select
New Label
command from
File
menu. Clicking the button has the same effect.
The software supports opening multiple documents and they are named with the increasing numbers: Document1, Document2... unless you save them to different filename.
The Label Setup Wizard dialog box will appear on your screen.
Label Setup Wizard
offers defining dimensions of the label and changing printer setup.
Open
This command opens an existing label. You can also click the toolbar.
button in the standard
The default label folder is
My Labels from My Documents
. This folder also includes shortcuts to folder with sample labels. When you need to open a label file, which has been saved on a different folder or drive, you can use Windows browse function to access it.
When searching the existing label, the
Preview
option can help you. Using it, the label design of an existing saved label can be seen on the left-bottom frame, accompanied with the label details: its title and description.
Once you have found the appropriate label, you can open it by double clicking its name, or by clicking the
Open
button.
Close
This command closes the active document. When you have made changes in the document and have not saved them, the program will prompt you to save the label.
If the document has not been named yet, the software will also prompt you for the name (
command will be executed).
Save
This command saves the active label in the current label file. If no file name has been defined yet, you will enter the
The
Save
command can also be accessed directly by click the button.
Save As
Select this command when you want to name a new label or when you want to copy an existing label under the new name or to another folder or drive.
The default folder to save the labels is
My Label in My Documents
. When you need to save the label to a different folder or drive, you can use Windows browse function to define the target folder.
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Export to Printer
Export the label to the printer so it is available for the stand-alone printing. During the exporting process Format Generation Wizard dialog box will be shown allowing you to define the properties of exported label.
Label Setup
Should you want to change the label parameters, such as dimensions or print orientation, use the
Label setup
command from the
File
menu or double click the label. The Label Setup
Install Printer
Select this command when you want to run the printer installation wizard. After completing the wizard, the printer becomes available, and Zebra Designer does not need to be restarted.
Remove Printer
Select this command when you want to remove one of your installed printers.
The printers that are currently used by the application are shown as disabled and cannot be removed. The removal of the printer does not require a restart of the application.
Printer Settings
Specific printer settings are set here. The shortcut to this dialog is to double click the printer name in a status bar in the bottom of the working window.
Note that all printer settings are saved with the label and are restored every time the label is opened. Each label will store its own custom printer settings. In case you want to print the label with a different printer, this other printer will have to be setup again to suit your needs.
When changing the printer used on the label, every custom setting is lost and have to be re-configured.
When you change the printer on the label or when you create a new label the default printer settings are used. These default settings can be set for each printer in
Control Panel
.
Test Print
The
Test
print command will print the current contents to the printer as defined on the label.
All variable fields on the label are automatically filled with the default values.
The label will be printed in one copy. The purpose of this command is to quickly print the label, so you can verify if the label objects are positioned on the right place and aligned to each other correctly.
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21
Recently Used Files
At the bottom of the pull down menu, the file names of the four most recently edited labels are shown, available for quick selection.
Selecting the file here is the same as choosing the
Open
command from the
File
menu and selecting the file there.
Exit
Use this command to leave the labeling application. When using the keyboard, the shortcut to this command can be invoked by pressing the
Alt
and
F4
keys simultaneously. If the opened labels haven’t been saved yet, you will be prompted to do so.
Edit Menu
Undo
The
Undo
command cancels up to 10 of the most recently carried out commands or actions. If you do not like the results of a command, or accidentally delete some elements, choose the
Undo
command as the next action to restore the previous mistake.
The
Undo
command can also be activated by clicking the pressing the
Alt
and
Backspace
key simultaneously.
button on the toolbar, or
Redo
The
Redo
command is used when you need to restore the last Undo action. It also has the capability to store (and restore) up to 10 previously made steps.
The
Redo
command can be activated by clicking the
Shift
,
Alt
, and
Backspace
keys simultaneously.
button on the toolbar, or pressing
Cut
This command is used when you want to remove selected element(s) from the label. Note that the first element is selected by clicking it. When you want to select additional elements, you must press and hold down, the
Shift
key while clicking each additional element.
The cut elements are stored in the internal clipboard and can be re-inserted on the label with the
Paste
command. The combination of
Cut
and
Paste
commands can be used to speed-up label editing and designing.
The Cut command can be also activated by clicking the button on the toolbar, or by pressing the
Shift
and
Del
keys or
Ctrl
and
X
keys simultaneously.
Copy
This command copies the selected elements to the Windows clipboard.
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22 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
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Clicking the button or pressing
Ctrl
and
Ins
keys or
Ctrl
and
C
keys simultaneously can also activate the
Copy
command.
Paste
The
Paste
command is used to paste the contents of the clipboard to a label. This command can be used to paste the same information more than once.
It is very useful when you need to have multiple copies of the same element on the label.
Once the element has been designed, it can be copied to the clipboard and pasted on to the label, in different places and multiple times.
You can also design objects in other Windows applications, copy them to the clipboard, and place them on the label with the
Paste
command.
Clicking the button or pressing the
Shift
and
Ins
keys or
Ctrl
and
V
keys simultaneously can also activate the Paste command.
Paste Link
Using the
Paste link
command establishes a link between labeling application and the source application for the contents of the clipboard.
The link information is saved in the source file; only the location of the information in the source file is saved. The link data shows in the graphic form.
Double clicking a Paste-link object will place you into the original source Windows application for that object. The object is then edited in the application.
Delete
The command is used to delete selected elements. Deleted elements are not stored in the
clipboard. To restore deleted elements, the Undo command must be used before any further
actions.
Delete
command can also be activated using the
Del
button.
Select
This command allows you to select different objects on the label.
You can select all objects on the label, or selectively mark only objects from the same group
(i.e. all text objects, all bar code objects, all picture objects, etc).
Links
On the screen this command shows a list of all links between the active label and other applications in your working environment. When you insert an object on the label with the
Paste Link
command, you will see this link in the list.
The links can be interrupted. This means that the changes made in the source document will not be made on the label.
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View Menu
Normal View
Selects normal label view.
In this view type, variables are shown on screen as a series of question marks (?). The number of question marks corresponds to the variable length. Use this view to precisely position the elements on the label as you know their maximal possible length.
Data View
Selects the data label view.
The variable elements are shown as they will appear when printed. For example, counters will show numbers.
Zoom In
Zoom in
command shows a smaller section of the label. The
+
key of the numeric keypad can also be used. Each time
Zoom in
is selected, the displayed picture becomes 10% bigger.
Zoom Out
Zoom out
command shows a wider view of the label. The
-
key of the numeric keypad can also be used. Each time
Zoom out
is selected, the displayed picture becomes 10% smaller.
Zoom
When using the
Zoom
command, you can define the optional zoom factor you need. You can choose any zoom factor from 5 to 3000.
10/08/2009
Figure 1 • Zoom dialog box
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24 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
User Interface
In the Zoom dialog box you can select the different ways of zoom.
Factor
100%
To page
To label
To objects
You can define your own factor of zoom (in %).
The size of the document on screen will be the same as the size of the document on the label.
You will see the entire page on the screen.
You will see the entire label on the screen.
You will see all the objects on the screen.Useful for displaying any objects not on the printable area of a label.
Snap to Grid
Selecting this option enables the positioning of the objects to be based on the grid settings.
When you move the objects, they are placed on a grid position. De-selecting this option allows elements to be freely moved on the label.
Upper left corner of the object is used for starting point of the grid.
Grid size cannot be modified.
Display Grid
Selecting this option makes the grid visible on the label. De-selecting the option hides the grid.
Toolbars
Standard Toolbar
Buttons in the standard toolbar provide shortcuts to frequently used commands for working with the software.
Design Toolbar
The design toolbar provides you with the shortcuts to the frequently used design actions on the label.
By default, the design toolbar is docked on the right side of the design window.
You can use the design toolbar to:
• Change the color of label objects.
• Align the objects relatively to each other or to the label.
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• Rotate the objects.
• Change the order of the objects.
Text Toolbar
Shortcuts in the text toolbar enable you to format text objects with a single mouse click. You can change font selection and style.
Variable Toolbar
Shortcuts in the variable toolbar enable you to work with variables on the label easier. You can add new variables, edit and delete existing ones and also work with functions.
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Toolbox
Select
Use this tool to enable the select tool.
Text
Use this tool to define the text object.
Click on the small arrow button for additional options.
Bar code
Use this tool to define the bar code object.
Click on the small arrow button for additional options.
Picture
Use this tool to define the picture object.
Rectangle
Use this tool to define the rectangle object.
Line
Use this tool to define the line object.
Ellipse
Use this tool to define the ellipse or circle object.
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26 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
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Inverse
Use this tool to define the inverse object.
RFID Tag
Use this tool to program the RFID tag embedded in the label.
Object Properties
Printer Objects
Select this option to distinguish printer internal objects from other (graphical) objects on the label. The printer internal objects are framed with the green dotted rectangle.
Printer Counters
Select this option to distinguish printer counters from other (graphical) objects on the label.
The printer counters are framed with the green dotted rectangle.
Object Menu
Select
After you select the
Select
command in the
Object
menu or click the button in the
Toolbox
, the arrow cursor appears.
Use this command to select objects on the label.
Text
After you select the
Text
command in the
Object
menu or click the in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the bar text appears.
Use this command to place text objects on the label.
button
Bar Code
After you select the
Bar Code
command in the
Object
menu or click the button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the bar code symbol appears.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired position of the label and click to enter the Bar Code
Picture
After you select the
Picture
command in the
Object
menu or click the button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the picture symbol appears.
Select this command to place a picture on the label.
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27
Rectangle
After selecting the
Rectangle
command in the
Object
menu or clicking the
button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the rectangle symbol appears.
Thickness:
Defines the width of the object borders.
Note •
The valid values for thickness depend greatly on the printer being used on the label.
Not all values are acceptable for all printers.
Print as Graphics:
This option lets you print the object as internal printer element, or as graphic elements.
Note •
Printing will be faster if you do not check this option. However, if you have selected some line or fill style options that your printer does not natively support, the printing will be auto-set to
Print as Graphics
and you will not be able to disable it.
Rounded Rectangle:
With this option you can define rounded corners of the rectangle. You can select thickness and radius for the object.
Line
After you select the
Line
command in the
Object
menu or click the
button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the line symbol appears.
Use this command to draw lines on the label.
Ellipse
After you select the
Ellipse
command in the
Object
menu or click the button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the ellipse symbol appears.
Thickness:
Defines the width of the object borders.
Note •
The valid values for thickness depend greatly on the printer being used on the label.
Not all values are acceptable for all printers.
Print as Graphics:
The option lets you print the object as internal printer element, or as graphics element.
Note •
Printing will be faster if you do not click this option. However if you have selected some line or fill style options that your printer does not natively support, the printing will be auto-set to
Print as Graphics
and you will not be able to disable it.
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Inverse
After you select the
Inverse
command in the
Object
menu or click the button in the
Toolbox
, the cursor with the inverse symbol appears.
Adds an inverted box to the label. The inverted box turns inverses the color of all underlying objects.
Note •
The command Inverse is not available for all printers. If the printer does not support
Inverse functionally internally, the command cannot be selected.
RFID tag
The into the labels.
button is used to enable programming of RFID tags embedded
Tools Menu
Edit Memory Card
Select this command to start the application
ZebraDesigner Font and Graphics
Downloader
. Use the Downloader to store frequently used TrueType fonts and pictures into the printer memory or memory cards for faster printing. Because the data is already pre-loaded in the printer you need to send less data to the printer during printing, resulting in faster printed labels.
Note •
For more information please refer to the user guide or help file for the ZebraDesigner
Font and Graphics Downloader.
User Interface
Toolbox
Bar codes
Display toolbar with bar codes for easier access to the available bar code types.
Captions
Display captions next to the icons in the Toolbox .
Large Icons
Use large icons in the toolbars.
Small Icons
Use small icons in the toolbars.
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Menus Show Recently Used Commands First
Enable this option to show only recently used commands in the menus.
All other commands are hidden to minimize the length of the menus.
Printer Tools
Printer Tools allow you to send specific commands directly to the printer. These commands are simply pre-programmed strings of commands that you would be able to enter in the
Direct
Communication
interface. The Printer Tools interface provides a user-friendly tool which allows the sending common commands to the printer, without the need for the printer to provide a reply to the user. The commands are divided into the following two categories:
•
– includes commands which trigger printing
•
Action
– includes commands which alter a setting in the printer and do not trigger printing
Language
10/08/2009
Figure 2 • Language dialog box
You can change the language used in the application with this option. For changes to take effect application must be restarted.
Store Pictures into Label
This option allows you to store the images used in the label into the label file. This enables you to transfer the label to a different computer by simply transferring the label file. If this option is not selected, images are lost when the label file is transferred to a different computer.
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30 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
User Interface
Windows Menu
Cascade
Use this command to cascade all open windows.
Note •
Make sure all the windows you want to display are open. Minimized windows cannot be displayed.
Tile
Use this command to tile all open windows in working space.
Note •
Make sure all the windows you want to display are open. Minimized windows cannot be displayed.
Arrange Icons
Use this command to arrange icons (minimized windows) in working space - to the bottom of it. This has effect only if icons are not already arranged.
Close All
This command closes all open windows (documents) with prompting for all unsaved documents. Use it to quickly close all windows with one command (otherwise you have to use
Close command in File menu for each window).
Window List
When one or more windows (documents) are open, they are all listed. You can quickly switch between windows by selecting an appropriate one. If more than nine windows are opened, more are accessible by choosing option
More windows
…
Help Menu
Contents
This command opens the contents file for this help.
About
This command displays the application version information and name of the user that has installed and registered the application.
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Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
System Folder
31
System Folder
The labeling application uses its system folder for storing files needed to run the program. The location of the folder varies depending on the Windows operating system used.
The location is
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Zebra
Technologies\ZebraDesigner for XML 2
.
It is important to own
the write/modify access
to this folder on your computer system.
In these files, user data and user rights are stored, as well as custom settings, variable trace logs, label usage logs, variable definition files
*.LVR
, stock file database and bar code standards.
Welcome Wizard
When you start the labeling software, a Welcome Wizard will appear. It provides a quick access to most-used commands when starting working on a label layout.
Create a new label
Open recently used label
Open some other existing label
A blank label will appear and Label Setup Wizard will start. You can then design a new label from a scratch.
A list of recently used labels will appear to provide a quick access to commonly used labels.
A common Windows dialog box opens to let you browse for the appropriate label file.
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32 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
Welcome Wizard
Notes •
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4
Design Labels
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Contents
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34 Design Labels
Contents (Continued)
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Use Label Setup Wizard
Use Label Setup Wizard
With the Label Setup Wizard you can define the dimensions of the label and change printer setup. It consists of a few simple steps.
Select a Printer
Design Labels
Use Label Setup Wizard
35
10/08/2009
Figure 3 • Label Setup Wizard - Selecting printer
If you want to set the printer parameters, select the desired printer, and click the Properties button . The printer properties dialog box appears, allowing you to set the printer parameters such as print speed, print darkness, and print direction.
Note •
This is a standard Windows printer properties dialog box and its options may differ from printer to printer because it is based on the printer driver.
To continue, click
Next
.
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36 Design Labels
Select the Label Stock
Select the Label Stock
Figure 4 • Label Setup Wizard - Selecting label stock
If you use one of the standard predefined label formats, you can specify it here.
Stock Type:
Select the type of stock.
Stock name:
Select the stock from the list.
Stock information:
The information about label dimensions, printer settings, and background images as defined by the selected stock.
Label linked to stock:
If you enable this option, you cannot change the dimensions of the label, because the stocks locks the dimensions.
Note •
Using pre-defined stocks simplifies the process of label creation because you do not have to define the label dimensions manually.
To continue, click the
Next
button.
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Define the Page Size
Design Labels
Define the Page Size
37
Figure 5 • Label Setup Wizard - Choosing label dimensions
Select the page size for your labels.
Automatically set from label dimensions:
ZebraDesigner printer drivers will automatically size the label dimensions.
Select page size:
You can also manually define the page size.
To continue, click
Next
.
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38 Design Labels
Define the Page Size
Select the Label Layout
Figure 6 • Selecting label layout
Orientation:
Select the label orientation. Look at the screen and printer layouts to see how the label will be printed from the printer.
Print directions:
Click the
Rotated
option to rotate the label 180 degrees, when printed.
To continue, click the
Next
button.
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Design Labels
Define the Page Size
39
Define the Label Dimensions
Enter the label dimensions in this dialog box.
Note •
If you selected the label stock in the previous step, the values for dimensions are entered automatically.
10/08/2009
Figure 7 • Label Setup Wizard - Defining the label format
Width, height:
Define the label dimensions.
Margins:
Define the label margins.
Rows, columns:
Define the number of labels in horizontal and vertical directions. Usually you will design a label with only one row of labels and let the sensor in the printer determine the start position of the next label.
Gaps:
Define the gap between the labels.
Note •
Define gaps only if you changed the rows and columns options. If you have rolls of labels, the gaps between the labels are auto-identified by the gap sensor in the printer.
Unit of measure:
Change the unit of measure you want to use.
When you are satisfied with the label dimensions, click the
Finish
button to close the Label
Setup Wizard.
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40 Design Labels
Define the Page Size
Define Custom Scripts
Use this dialog box to define the custom printer commands and include them in the printer stream data. Normally, ZebraDesigner for XML will process your label file and export the appropriate printer commands to the printer. Here you can define additional commands that you want to send to the printer, as the first commands in the stream file, or the last commands in the stream file.
Use Header Script:
Click on this option to send the custom script to the printer in front of the label data. Enter the script in the provided space.
Use Footer Script:
Click on this option to send the custom script to the printer at the end of the label data. Enter the script in the provided space.
Note •
This option is for advanced users. Make sure to enter the proper commands in your scripts. The label might not print correctly, if you do not format your script correctly. Use
Zebra Programming Language (ZPL) to enter the script.
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Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
41
Design a Basic Label
Overview
In this section you will learn how to design a simple label file with fixed and variable objects.
The variable objects get values from several sources. You will learn how to:
• Place objects on the label.
• Link objects to the variables.
• Preview the label on the screen.
The label you create will look like this:
Figure 8 • Basic label
Create a Basic Label
Create a New Label
To create a basic label, do the following:
1.
Open ZebraDesigner for XML.
2.
From the
File
menu, select
New
or click the button in the
Standard Toolbar
.
Each time you create a new label, a Label Setup Wizard will start to help you set up the label and connect to the printer.
Note •
You can leave the Wizard at any time and accept the default settings for the label by clicking the
Finish
button.
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Design a Basic Label
Select a Printer
1.
Select the printer you want to use for label printing.
Note •
If you don’t find your printer on the list, see
Install Printer Driver for installation
instructions.
Figure 9 • Selecting a printer
2.
Click the
Next
button.
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Design a Basic Label
43
Define Label and Page Dimensions
1.
If you want to use the label stock, select your choices in the
Select Stock
window.
2.
Click the
Next
button. A new window opens to define the label dimensions manually.
3.
Leave the
Page Size
option at
User defined
default and check
Automatic Sizing
.
4.
Click the
Next
button. A new window opens.
5.
Select label orientation and print direction.
Figure 10 • Selecting label layout
6.
Click the
Next
button. A new window opens.
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44 Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
7.
Enter 3 for label width and 2 for label height.
Note •
Dialog box differs for thermal and office printers.
Figure 11 • Defining label dimensions
Note •
To change the unit of measure from centimeters to inches or other supported units, click on the button with unit of measure below the label preview in the dialog box.
8.
Click the
Finish
button. New empty label opens.
Enter Fixed Text
1.
Click the button in the
Toolbox
. The text cursor appears on the screen.
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Figure 12 • Cursor for text object
2.
Move the cursor to the location on the label where you want to place the text object and click the mouse button.
The Text Wizard dialog box with object properties opens.
ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
3.
Type SAMPLE and click the
Finish
button.
Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
45
Figure 13 • Entering content for text object
4.
Click on the text object to select the object.
5.
Using the
Text Toolbar
, change the font for the text object .
Choose Arial font, 28 point size, and bold style.
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Design a Basic Label
Using format options in the text toolbox:
6.
To change the position and size of the text object, select the text object and drag the object with your mouse to the position.
The screen should show the following:
Figure 14 • The text object is placed on the label
Object Positioning Guidelines
Guidelines are available to assist you in positioning objects on the label. The functionality of guidelines is similar to grid, but they allow you much more freedom regarding positioning, moving, and combining positioning delimiters.
Although the guidelines may be visible while designing the label, they will not be printed on the final product, regardless of whether the
Display Guidelines
setting is turned on or off.
Create Guidelines
Create vertical and horizontal guidelines:
• Click anywhere in the ruler area and drag the line out of it (the top ruler contains horizontal, and the side ruler contains vertical guidelines).
• Finally, you can open the View menu and access the commands there.
Using Guidelines
The guidelines may be moved at any time with the drag of a mouse. If they are dragged back to the ruler area, they are deleted. It is possible to toggle between displaying and hiding the guidelines, either by using the menu or right clicking them.
The guidelines can be hidden with the
Ctrl+H
shortcut key combination, and when they are hidden, the Snap to Guideline functionality is also disabled. The menu also includes a
"
Remove all Guidelines"
command, which removes all the guidelines on the label.
Holding down the SHIFT key while dragging objects allows you to temporarily turn on the
Snap to Guidelines function.
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Design a Basic Label
47
Guideline Properties
Double-click a guideline or right click a guideline and choose
Edit Guideline Properties
to open the Guideline Properties dialog window. The dialog allows you to enter the numeric positioning value, choose the horizontal or vertical guideline type, or remove the individual guideline.
Note •
This functionality is only available in ZebraDesigner Pro and for XML.
Insert Bar Codes
Now you will add a non-changeable Code128 bar code on the label.
1.
To insert the bar code, click the button in the
Toolbox
.
2.
Move the cursor to the desired position on the label and click the mouse button. The
Barcode Wizard dialog box with object properties will open.
3.
Enter the value 1234567890 for the bar code contents.
4.
Click the
Define
button. Edit Bar Code dialog box opens.
5.
Make sure you select bar code Code128 and click the
OK
button.
10/08/2009
Figure 15 • Selecting bar code type
6.
To return to the label, click the
Finish
button.
7.
Change the position of the bar code by selecting the bar code and dragging it to the desired position.
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48 Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
8.
Change the object size by dragging the object handles. The handles are small rectangles surrounding the object when it is selected.
The label should now show the following:
Figure 16 • Label with text and bar code objects
Insert Pictures
The ZebraDesigner for XML works with BMP, PCX, GIF, WMF, JPEG and many other popular graphic formats.
1.
To insert the picture, click on the button in the
Toolbox
.
2.
Move the cursor to the desired position on the label and click the mouse button.
3.
The Open dialog box will open allowing you to browse for a picture on your hard drive.
Go to the folder
Sample Graphics
and select the picture
LEISURE.WMF
.
4.
Click the
Open
button.
The screen should show the following:
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Figure 17 • Label with text, bar code, and picture objects
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Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
49
Save a Label
Always save your label during the design process.
To save a label, do the following:
1.
Click the button.
2.
Type in the name of the label. For example, type label for the name of the label.
The name of the label appears in the program caption.
Use Alignment Tools
You have placed the objects on the label. Now you want to make sure they are aligned on the horizontal center of the label. You can align objects on the label by using the
Align Toolbar
on the right side of the working window.
To align objects on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, choose a select arrow and draw a frame around all objects to select all objects.
Note •
The first object you select determines the alignment orientation for all selected objects.
10/08/2009
Figure 18 • Selecting the objects on the label
2.
To arrange the objects, click the
Center Align
button in the Design toolbar. The selected objects will be rearranged and positioned, centered to first object that was selected.
Note • Align Toolbar
has other alignment commands available in the
Align Toolbar
.
You can also align the objects to the label grid. The option Snap to Grid is available in the
View menu.
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Design a Basic Label
Use Drawing Tools
Now you will insert a line to separate a text object from other objects and a rectangle around the picture object.
1.
From the
Toolbox
, select the the required starting point of the line.
button and move the cursor to
2.
While drawing the line, press and hold down the mouse button. Move the mouse to the end position of the line and release the button. The Line object is placed on the label.
3.
In the
Toolbox
, click the upper left corner of the picture.
button and point the mouse to the
4.
While you stretch the rectangle to the lower right corner of the picture, click and hold the mouse button.
5.
To change the thickness of the vertical and horizontal line, double-click on the rectangle object to open its properties. Select the thickness you want and click the
Finish
button.
6.
To edit the drawing object, double-click on the line or rectangle to open the dialog box with its properties.
The label should show the following:
Figure 19 • Label with fixed objects
Add Variable Fields
Overview
You may want to print a label on which the data changes for each label. ZebraDesigner for
XML offers different variable fields (date/time fields, link to the variables) that you can use with text, picture, and bar code objects.
For this example, a new label was created. The steps in the following topics explain how to create a label that contains a variable field, and date/time fields.
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51
Create Variable Fields linked to Variables
The object on the label that is linked to the variable can have different value for each printed label.
To create a text object linked to the variable, do the following:
1.
Click the button in the
Toolbox
.
2.
Click the label where you want to place the text object.
A Text Wizard starts.
3.
Select
Variable text
for the Contents.
4.
Click the
Next
button.
5.
Select
Variable Field
.
6.
Click the
Next
button.
7.
Select one of the existing variables in the list.
If no variable is available in the list, you will have to create some. See the topic Use
.
8.
Click the
Finish
button.
The text object is placed on the label and linked to the selected variable.
Note •
This example shows how to create a text field linked to the variable. You can use the same approach to create and link variable to the Bar Code object.
Create Date and Time Variable Fields
Content of the variable field can be filled automatically with the date or time stamp from the printer’s real time clock (for supported printer models).
To place a date field on the label, do the following:
button in the
Toolbox
.
1.
Click the small arrow next to the
2.
From the list, select
New Date Field
.
10/08/2009
Figure 20 • Creating new variable date field
3.
Click on the label where you want to place the object.
A dialog box with date properties opens.
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52 Design Labels
Design a Basic Label
4.
Leave everything as default, and the date will be used on the label using the selected format.
5.
Click
Finish
.
To place a time field on the label, do the following:
6.
To display a list of available variable types, click the small arrow next to the
button in the
Toolbox
.
7.
From the list, select
New Time Field
.
8.
Click on the label where the object should be placed.
9.
Leave everything as default and the time will be used on the label using the format as defined in your Windows operating system.
10.
Click
Finish
.
The new variable is linked to the text object on the label.
The date and time fields are updated when you preview or print the label. In this example, the values come from your computer’s system clock.
Use Prefix or Suffix Options
You can add a prefix and suffix to each variable field on the label. Both are added to the value when you preview and print the label.
To add the suffix to the variable field on the label, do the following:
1.
Click the arrow in the button in the
Toolbox
.
2.
From the list, select
New Time Field
.
3.
Click on the label where you want to place the object.
A dialog box with time properties will open.
4.
Click
Next
to advance to the next step.
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5.
Enter Time: for the
Prefix
option.
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Design a Basic Label
53
Figure 21 • Defining the prefix and suffix
Figure 22 • Defining the variable prefix
6.
Click
Finish
.
The text object is placed on the label and linked to the new variable. When you print the label, the prefix Time: will be appended to the time value on the left side.
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Resize Variable Fields (Shift-dragging)
The size of the variable fields on the label is determined by their sample data. The sample data is defined during the variable creation process. The text object on the label is always as wide as the width of the sample data formatted in the current Zebra font.
If the values for the variable will always occupy the same length or less as the sample data, the label is printed correctly. But if the provided data will be longer than the sample data, the text object can overlap the object to its right.
To avoid overlapping, you can resize the variable fields on the label.
To resize the variable fields on the label, do the following:
1.
Select the variable text object on the label.
2.
Press and hold the Shift key.
3.
Resize the object to the right.
The new object frame defines the maximum extend to which the variable value can occupy the space on the label.
Note •
You can resize the object only to the right side.
Resize Variable Field linked to Single-Line Variable
If you resize the object linked to the single-line variable, the contents for the object will be visible to the end of the object frame only.
For example, you have entered "SAMPLE" for the sample data. You have then resized the object for one additional character to the right side. When you will print the label with value
"DESIGNER", not the whole text is printed. The text that does not fit into the designed frame, will be cut.
Resize Variable Field linked to Multi-Line Variable
If you resize the object linked to the multi-line variable, the contents of the object will automatically reformat into the multi-lines. The printer will reformat the text to optimally fill into the designed frame.
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Design Labels
Design an RFID Smart Label
55
Design an RFID Smart Label
Overview
The concept of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) can be simplified to that of an electronic bar code. First emerging in the 1980’s, RFID was primarily used to track objects in industrial environments where bar codes were unable to sustain the harsh surroundings. Today,
RFID is being used to track proprietary assets, automate access control and has many more additional fields of usage.
Some thermal printers have the ability to program a RFID tag at the same time as they are printing the label. Two different technologies and their encoding methods are joined on the same label. Of course a label must have embedded a RFID tag. The tag is paper thin, flexible and small in size which allows it to be placed inconspicuously under the label. It consists of an etched antenna and a tiny chip that can store ID number or your custom data in larger quantities. This contrasts with a bar code label, which does not store any enhanced information, but merely some code number.
RFID refers to technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify individual or groups of items. The labeling software and ZebraDesigner driver support programming and printing of RFID tags embedded in a label.
Note •
You can use RFID functionality in the labeling software only if you have installed a
Zebra Driver with RFID support. Make sure you install the Zebra Driver for your RFID printer before you design and print an RFID smart label. RFID functionality is only available with
ZebraDesigner Pro.
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Design an RFID Smart Label
Create RFID Encoding Label
1.
In the
Standard toolbar
, click the button. The Label Setup Wizard will start.
2.
Select the printer that supports RFID smart label printing.
3.
Click the
Finish
button.
You will see that RFID tag’ command is enabled in the Toolbox on the left side of the label design environment.
Figure 23 • RFID tag is available for use
4.
Click
RFID Tag
in the Toolbox and define the data you want to encode into the RFID tag.
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57
Encode RFID Tag
The RFID tags that are embedded into the label are usually one of these types:
• ISO tags, which encode blocks of data
• UHF and HF tags, which can encode one string of data.
1.
In the
Toolbox
to begin encoding the data, click on
The RFID tag dialog box opens.
.
10/08/2009
Figure 24 • Encoding contents for RFID tag
2.
From the list box on the top of the dialog box, select the type of the RFID tag you want to use.
3.
Select the
Write data to RFID tag
option.
Note •
If you don’t select this option, the definition of tag content is saved but not sent to the printer.
4.
In the section
Data Block
, from the Data Type drop-down, select HEX or ASCII.
5.
Enable the
Fixed
or
Variable
radio button based on your desired variable.
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58 Design Labels
Design an RFID Smart Label
6.
Click the
OK
button.
A schematic view of the RFID Tag antenna will open in the label background identifying the definition of the RFID data on the label.
Figure 25 • RFID Tag antenna in the background
7.
You can continue designing the smart label with non-RFID data as described in the previous sections.
Note •
When you print the label, the RFID data will be sent to the printer. The printer prints the RFID smart label and programs the RFID tag embedded into the label at the same.
Note •
ZebraDesigner for XML can also work with Unique RFID tag numbers. Each
RFID tag has embedded a unique serial number. All RFID Zebra printers can read the
Unique RFID tag number from the RFID tag and use it on the label as data contents of some label object.
Support for RFID Tags
With the labeling software you can program RFID tags of different manufacturers. It is important to use a ZebraDesigner printer driver. You cannot program RFID tags, if you do not use the ZebraDesigner Driver.
ZebraDesigner Driver will let the labeling software know which types of RFID tags the printer supports.
Not all tag types are always available. The kind of RFID tags that will be available depends on the selected printer model. There are generally two types of tags:
• ISO tags (TagIt, iCode, ISO...): These are block oriented tags. The data can be encoded in multiple blocks.
• UHF tags (EPC): The data is encoded in one block of data.
You can input content for RFID tags using different methods, depending on the tag type (UHF or ISO).
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Design an RFID Smart Label
59
For UHF tags
Data type
: Data type of the selected tag can be specified here.
Data source
: Incoming data that is encoded in the tag can be a fixed value or acquired from some variable, defined in the label.
Data size
: The currently used data is previewed here. You can see the amount of space still available in the tag. The occupancy of the tag is seen graphically with growing bar and numerically with the digit, explaining the number of already used bytes.
Block locked
: If you set the block as locked, the data will be permanently encoded into the tag. You will not be able to erase this block to re-program it with some other value. Use this option with caution!
For ISO tags
The blocks that are dimmed and inaccessible are reserved blocks that cannot be used.
Block Number
: The successive number of block in the tag.
Data source
: Select where the data block will receive the data from. It can be Fixed, where you will manually type in the data or can be Variable, where the value is acquired from some variable defined in the label.
Data
: Type in the tag value manually, if the selected data type is Fixed. Select the variable defined in the label, if the selected data type is Variable. If your variable length is greater than the block size, the next block will automatically be reserved for the data.
Size
: The currently used data is previewed here. You can see the amount of space still available in the tag. The occupancy of the tag is seen graphically with growing bar and numerically with the digit, explaining the number of already used bytes.
Data type
: The data can be encoded as ASCII string or as HEX encoded string.
Locked
: If you set the block as locked, the data will be permanently encoded into the tag. You will not be able to erase this block to re-program it with some other value. Use this option with caution!
RFID Tag Locking
Tag locking is not available for all tag types, printers, and drivers. If the
Locking Settings...
button is not displayed in the
RFID tag
dialog window, you may be using an unsupported
RFID tag type, printer, or driver. The locking settings are available for some GEN2 tag types.
For more information, see your printer and driver documentation.
RFID tag locking enables the user to lock the RFID tag, so that no changes can be made to it without unlocking the tag first. If the tag is permanently locked, it is not possible to unlock it, and the RFID tag can never be changed.
Preserve original locking setting
: The original locking setting cannot be retrieved, but the default option assumes that the tag setting should remain unchanged.
Lock
: The RFID tag is locked and further changes to it are prevented.
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Design an RFID Smart Label
Unlock
: The RFID tag is unlocked, so that it can be changed.
Relock
: The RFID tag is unlocked, the changes are applied, and the tag is locked immediately after.
Permanent lock/unlock
: Checking this box will apply your selection above permanently and prevent later changes to it. This setting cannot be undone.
RFID Tag Settings
Tag Information
: This section provides the information about the selected tag type. You can see the structure of the selected RFID tag. The outlook of the information depends on the selected type of the tag. For RFID Gen2 you will see table-like structure with the information about the available data fields, number and size of the block, read or write support.
For other RFID tags, you can review the following structure:
Number of blocks
: The number of blocks that are available in the RFID tag.
Reserved blocks
: The number of blocks that cannot be accessed and used.
Block size
: The size of each block (in bytes).
Unique RF Tag
: This property is set to Yes, if you have the printer and/or the tag type that can provide you with the Unique Tag ID. Each tag has a unique ID encoded already in the production line. If your printer can read this information from the tag, you can use it with the label objects using
RFID Tag Contents
contents provider.
For example: The printer scans Unique Tag ID, remembers it and prints it on the label encoded in a bar code element. The value of Unique Tag is never returned to the labeling software. It is handled internally by the printer.
RFID Tag Data Read
: This property is set to Yes, if you have the printer and/or the tag type that allows the extraction of the encoded data. You can extract all or part of the data encoded in the RFID tag and use it with the label objects.
Tag Settings: This section provides more control for RFID programming.
Antenna offset
: To achieve better programming accuracy use this option to define the offset for the antenna in the printer. The Offset is the distance from the antenna to the embedded tag on the label. This option will help you program the tags more accurately.
Maximum tags to stop:
When the programming of the RFID tag fails, usually the word
"VOID" is printed on the label. With this option you can specify how many tags can be programmed incorrectly. The option can be used as a precaution measure to prevent endless consumption of labels.
Number of retries
: The number of times the printer will try to program the tag if first attempt fails. The parameter is sent to the printer with the rest of the data.
Check for a valid tag:
Before the tag programming begins, the printer will verify if there is a proper RFID tag available in the smart label. The printer will also verify if the tag can be programmed at all. If the printer cannot check the currently selected RFID tag, the option will not be accessible.
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Verify data write:
Once the data has been encoded into the RFID tag, the printer will check if the written data is equal to the original value.
Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) settings
EAS is not available for all printers and drivers. If your RFID Tag Settings do not include EAS
Settings, you may need to update your printer driver or select a different printer. For more information, see your printer and driver documentation.
Preserve original EAS setting
: The original EAS setting cannot be retrieved, but the default option assumes that the tag setting should remain unchanged.
Enable EAS
: Enable Electronic Article Surveillance in the RFID tag. If this was the original setting, the tag will remain unchanged.
Disable EAS
: Disable Electronic Article Surveillance in the RFID tag. If this was the original setting, the tag will remain unchanged.
Permanently lock EAS tag setting
: Checking this box will permanently lock the chosen setting for the EAS. This lock cannot be undone.
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Change Printer Settings
Change Printer Settings
Change Common Printer Settings
When you start designing a label, tell ZebraDesigner for XML what printer to connect the label to. Each label file remembers the printer settings for the selected printer driver on the label.
This example shows you how to change the printing speed and darkness.
To change the printer settings, do the following:
1.
From the
File
menu, select
Printer Settings
.
The window with the printer settings opens.
2.
Open the
Options
tab.
3.
Change the
Speed
and
Darkness
options.
4.
Click the
OK
button.
5.
To save the label, click the
File > Save
.
button in the Standard toolbar, or from the menu select
Figure 26 • Printer Driver properties
Note •
Any changes in the printer settings dialog box will be saved to the label and applied to future print actions.
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Change Dithering Options
Dithering is a process of converting color or gray scale pictures to black and white pictures that can be printed on thermal printers. Thermal printers normally cannot print color images and can either print a dot on the label or not. There are no intermediate shades of gray.
During the dithering process all colors and shades of gray in the picture are converted to black and white dots, creating the illusion of new colors and shades by varying the pattern of dots.
Different shades of gray are produced by varying the patterns of black and white dots. There are no gray dots at all. In printing, dithering is usually called halftoning. Shades of gray are called halftones.
To change the dithering settings, do the following:
1.
From the
File
menu, select
Printer Settings
.
The window with the printer settings will open.
2.
Open the
Dithering
tab.
3.
Change the
Dithering Type
option to suit your needs. Look at the preview on the right side to see the result of your selection on the label.
4.
Click the
OK
button.
5.
Save the label by clicking the
File
menu.
button in the Standard toolbar or selecting
Save
in the
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Use Toolbars
Use Toolbars
Use the Standard Toolbar
Click on the buttons in the standard toolbar to execute the following actions:
Create new label.
Open existing label.
Save currently opened label.
Cut the selected objects to clipboard.
Copy the selected objects to clipboard.
Paste the objects from the clipboard.
Undo last action.
Redo last action.
Access to the test print functionality. The label is quickly printed.
You can review the positions of the objects. Click on the small arrow in the toolbar for more commands.
Access the export functionality. The label template is parsed through the Format Generation Wizard and prepared in a format for off-line printing.
Access to the zoom functionality. Click on the small arrow in the toolbar for more commands.
Access to the view functionality. Click on the small arrow in the toolbar for more commands.
Open the help file.
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Use the Variable Toolbar
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The list box contains the variables available on the label. If you have selected some variable object, the list box displays variable linked to that object. If no object is selected, selecting a variable then clicking on the label places new text object and links it to the variable.
Create variable
Edit variable
Create new variable using the
Variable wizard
. If you click on the small arrow, you can specify the type of the new variable.
Edit the properties of the selected variable.
Note •
If you select the variable object, the variable linked to the object will be automatically listed in the list.
Delete variable Delete the selected variable.
Note •
If you want to delete the variable, you must not use it on the label linked to label objects.
Imports variables from a saved file.
Import variables
Export variables Exports variables on the label so that they can be imported to another label.
Note •
Only prompted variables will be exported.
Disconnect variable Disconnects the variable from the object. The object becomes fixed, but will preserve the formatting.
The number of characters in the object will be equal to the length of the variable. This might be useful when you are changing the data used with the label and want to conserve current positioning and formatting of the objects on the label.
There are several methods to connect a variable to some label element that should contain variable values.
• If you have the element already positioned on the label, select it, then choose the appropriate variable in the list.
• If the element is not already on the label, you can first select the variable in the list and then click the label where you want the element positioned. Text element will appear there and will be connected to the selected variable.
• You can click on the small arrow button next to the object icon in the toolbox, select the option
Use Existing Variable
, select the variable from the list and click on the label.
Variable toolbar always shows the name of the variable, which is attached to the current selected element. If there are two or more elements selected, and do not have the same variable attached to it, then the variable combo box is empty.
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Use Toolbars
Use the Toolbox
To use the Toolbox, do the following:
1.
Click on the icon in the
Toolbox
to select the object.
2.
Move the mouse over the label. Notice how the cursor has changed.
3.
To place the selected object, click on the label where you want to place the object.
Some objects have additional shortcuts on the right side of the icon. Using this shortcut, you can quickly create a new object with fixed content, create a new variable and connect it to the selected object, or connect the object to one already defined variable.
Use the Text Toolbar
You can use the text toolbar to quickly format the text objects on the label.
To format text objects, do the following:
1.
Select the text object by clicking it.
2.
Click the appropriate shortcut button in the text toolbar.
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3.
To change the font, select the appropriate font from the list in the list box.
Note •
You can limit the display of fonts in the list. You can list all fonts on the system, only graphic fonts (TrueType, opentype, type1, bitmap Windows fonts,) or only thermal printer resident fonts. Click on the two icons next to the list of fonts.
4.
To change the size of the text, click on the list with font sizes and select the appropriate size. You can also click on the of the font to the next size.
and buttons that will increase/decrease the size
Note •
You can also change the fonts size directly on the label by resizing the text element with a mouse.
5.
To format the text bold, italic, or underline, click on the appropriate formatting buttons.
Formats the selected text in bold style
Formats the selected text in italic style
Formats the selected text in underline style
6.
To change the alignment of the text object, click on the appropriate alignment buttons.
Note •
These buttons are accessible only for multi-line text objects.
Aligns text to the left edge
Aligns text to the horizontal center
Aligns text to the right edge
Use the Design Toolbar
The design toolbar is used for:
• Changing color of the objects.
• Aligning objects.
• Rotating objects.
• Arranging objects.
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Work with Objects
Work with Objects
Define Objects
Define the Text Object
To place the text object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click the position on the label where you want to place the object.
The Text Wizard dialog box opens.
3.
Define the contents for the text object.
4.
To advance to the next step of the wizard, click the
Next
button.
5.
Follow the onscreen instructions in the next steps.
6.
Click the
Finish
button.
Note •
To edit the object, select it, then double-click it. The wizard with properties appears.
Define the Bar Code Object
To place the bar code object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click the position on the label, where you want to place the object.
Bar Code Wizard dialog box opens.
3.
Define the contents for the bar code object.
4.
To advance to the next step of the wizard, click on the
Next
button.
5.
Follow the onscreen instructions in the next steps.
6.
Click the
Finish
button.
Note •
To edit the object, select it then double-click it. The wizard with properties appears.
Define the Picture Object
To place the picture object on the label, do the following:
1.
From the
Toolbox
, click on the object.
2.
Click on the label where you want to place the picture.
The Open dialog box opens.
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3.
Browse for the picture on the hard disk, then click the
Open
button.
Note •
To edit the object later, select it, and then double-click it. The wizard or dialog box with properties appears.
Define the Rectangle Object
To place the rectangle object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click the position on the label where you want the upper-left position of the object to be set.
3.
Drag in the bottom-right direction until the object size is correct.
4.
The other method of positioning the rectangle object on the label is selecting the
Rectangle tool and then clicking the label. A default-sized rectangle will appear, and you can resize it using handles around the object.
Note •
If you want to draw a square, grab a handle on one of the rectangle corners, simultaneously press and hold the Shift key, then resize the rectangle. A square will be
drawn. For more useful shortcuts available in the software, see Shortcuts
.
5.
To move a rectangle to a different position, select it and drag it elsewhere on the label.
Note •
To edit the object, select it then double-click it. The dialog box with properties appears.
Define the Line Object
To place the line object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click on the object.
2.
Define the line starting point by clicking the mouse at the start position.
3.
Move the cursor to the end point while holding down the mouse button.
A line will be drawn from the left to right side of the label.
Note •
To draw a vertical line, click the starting point and then drag the cursor in the updown direction.
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Define the Ellipse Object
To place the ellipse object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click the position on the label where you want the upper-left position of the object to be set.
3.
Drag to the bottom-right direction until the object size is correct.
4.
The other method of positioning the object on the label is selecting the
Ellipse
tool and then clicking the label. A default-sized ellipse will appear, and you can resize it using handles around the object.
Note •
To draw a circle, grab a handle on one of the ellipse corners, simultaneously press and hold Shift key, then resize the ellipse. A circle will be drawn. For more useful
shortcuts available in the software, see Shortcuts .
5.
To move an ellipse to a different position, select it and drag it elsewhere on the label.
Define the Inverse Object
To place the inverse object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click on the button.
2.
Click the position on the label where you want the upper-left position of the object to be set.
3.
Drag to the bottom-right direction until the object size is correct.
Note •
To draw a square, grab a handle a on one of the rectangle corners, simultaneously press and hold the Shift key, then resize the rectangle. A square will be drawn. For more useful shortcuts available in the software see
.
4.
To move an inverse object to a different position, select it and drag it elsewhere on the label.
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Use Text Wizard
Text Wizard
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Figure 27 • First screen of Text Wizard
The Text Wizard guides you to define all parameters for the text object. You can define the object with fixed or variable contents.
Fixed text:
Select this option if you would like to have a fixed non-changeable content of the object. If you select this option, you can enter the text directly in this dialog box.
Variable text:
Select this option if you would like to have variable content in the object.
Defining the content is defined in the next step.
Font:
Currently selected font type is shown in this field.
•
Inverse:
Enable this option to use the text in inverse.
Note •
The option is not available for all fonts/printers.
•
Select button:
You can select different font types for this text object among available fonts in the system.
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Text Wizard - Select Type of Variable Text
Figure 28 • Text Wizard - Choosing variable text
Select the type of the variable field you want to use.
The next page of the wizard depends on your selection here.
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Text Wizard - Time Field
Define the properties of the time field. The variable field will get the value from the computer’s clock.
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Figure 29 • Dialog box for Text Wizard when Time field option is chosen
Format:
Select the format for the time from the list. You can also enter a custom format.
Time Offset:
The time offset settings allow the time field to be offset from the system clock.
Enter the duration for which you wish to increase or decrease the time on the label.
Preview:
The printer will print the time as shown in the Preview field. This will allow you to see how the selected date format will look on the label.
Use the printer’s internal clock:
Enable this option to recall the time information from the
Real Time Clock (RTC) built in to the printer not the clock from the computer. The list of available time formats changes accordingly to the capabilities of the selected printer.
Note •
You must format the current text object in an internal printer font to be able to use the
printer’s internal clock option.
Only the printer internal date formats can be used with ZebraDesigner for XML software.
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Text Wizard - Date Field
Define the properties of the date field. The field will get the value from the computer’s clock.
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Figure 30 • Dialog box for Text Wizard when Date field option is chosen
Format:
Select the format for your date from the list. The list defines the formats available internally in the printer.
Date offset:
You can add a certain number of days, months, or years to a current date and print that date instead of the current one.
Preview:
The printer will print the date as shown on the Preview field. This allows you to see how the selected date format will look on the label.
Use the printer’s internal clock:
Enable this option to recall the date information from the real time clock (RTC) built in to the printer not the clock from the PC computer. The list of available date formats changes accordingly to the capabilities of the selected printer.
Note •
You must format the current text object in an internal printer font to be able to use the
printer’s internal clock option.
Only the printer internal date formats can be used with ZebraDesigner for XML software.
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Text Wizard - RFID Tag Contents
Printers with RFID functionality can program RFID tags embedded in the labels. Each RFID tag has a unique ID number that was programmed into the tag during the manufacturing process. The Unique number cannot be altered, but the RFID-enabled printer can read it.
RFID tag Unique ID functionality allows you to read the unique ID number from the RFID tag and use the content with the selected bar code object. When the label is printed, the printer will first read the unique ID from the tag and then immediately use the value with the bar code object.
RFID tag Unique ID can only be used with the bar code objects that are printed as internal printer objects. You must format the bar code object to use internal fonts not TrueType fonts.
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Figure 31 • RFID Tag dialog
Selected RFID tag:
Select the tag from the list.
Note •
Only tags supported by the selected printer are listed. If you want to use some other tag type make sure you have selected the proper Zebra printer driver.
Data Format:
Select the format of the data.
Preview (WYSIWYG only):
Because RFID tag Unique ID information is not returned to the labeling software, you do not see the actual data. Enter the data in a format similar to the format encoded in the RFID tag. This information will be used for preview on the label only.
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Text Wizard - Prefix and Suffix
The variable object can have prefix and suffix values. The prefix text is placed in front of the variables value. The suffix text is placed at the end of the variables value.
Figure 32 • Setting Prefix and Suffix string for the variable text element
Note •
If you leave the edit fields empty, the prefix/suffix will not be used.
Prefix and suffix can be used in situations where they are required only if the variable has a value set. If the variable is empty, the prefix/suffix will not be printed.
Note •
When you use the printer Real Time Clock for date or time fields, the length of prefix and suffix cannot exceed 31 characters.
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Use Bar Code Wizard
Bar Code Wizard
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Figure 33 • First page of Bar Code Wizard
The Bar Code Wizard guides you to define all parameters for the text object. You can define the object with fixed or variable contents.
Fixed bar code data:
If you would like to have fixed non-changeable content for the text object, select this option. If you select this option, you can enter the text directly in this dialog box.
Variable bar code data:
If you would like to have variable content for the text object, select this option. Defining the content is defined in the next step.
Note •
When entering values for RSS composite bar codes, you need to provide the value for the linear and composite (2D) parts at the same time.
Use the following syntax for entering values for RSS composite bar codes. The pipe character
(|) is used to distinguish between the components.
Note • Syntax:
<linear part>|<composite part>
Example •
12345|description
Not Printable:
If the object is marked as phantom, it is visible on the label during the label design, but is not printed.
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Bar Code Type:
Click on the
Define
button to select the bar code type you want to use on the label.
Bar Code Wizard - Select Type of Variable Bar Code
Figure 34 • Bar Code Wizard - Choosing variable text
Select the type of variable field you want to use.
The next page of the wizard depends on your selection.
Bar Code Wizard - Date Field
Define the properties of the date field. The variable field will get the value from the computer’s clock.
Format:
Select the format for your date from the list. You can also enter a custom format.
Date offset:
You can add a certain numbers of days, months, or years to a current date and print that date instead of the current one.
Preview:
The printer will print the date as shown in the Preview field. You can see how the selected date format will look on the label.
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Use the printer’s internal clock:
Enable this option to recall the date information from the real time clock (RTC) built in to the printer not the clock from the PC computer. The list of available date formats changes accordingly to the capabilities of the selected printer.
Note •
You must format the current text object in internal printer font to be able to use the option Use the printer’s internal clock.
Only the printer internal date formats can be used with ZebraDesigner for XML software.
Bar Code Wizard - Time Field
Define the properties of the time field. The variable field will get its value from the computer clock.
Format:
Select the format for the time from the list. You can also enter a custom format.
Preview:
The printer will print the time as shown in the Preview field. You can see how the selected date format will look on the label.
Use the printer’s internal clock:
Enable this option to recall the time information from the
Real Time Clock (RTC) built in to the printer not the clock from the PC computer. The list of available time formats changes accordingly to the capabilities of the selected printer.
Note •
You must format the current text object in internal printer font to be able to use the option Use the printer’s internal clock.
Only the printer internal date formats can be used with ZebraDesigner for XML software.
Bar Code Wizard - RFID Tag Contents
Printers with RFID functionality can program RFID tags embedded in the labels. Each RFID tag has a unique ID number that was programmed into the tag during the manufacturing process. The Unique number cannot be altered, but the RFID-enabled printer can read it.
RFID tag Unique ID functionality allows you to read the unique ID number from the RFID tag and use the content with the selected bar code object. When the label is printed, the printer will first read the unique ID from the tag and then immediately use the value with the bar code object.
RFID tag Unique ID can only be used with the bar code objects that are printed as internal printer objects. You must format the bar code object to use internal fonts not TrueType fonts.
Selected RFID Tag:
Select the tag from the list.
Note •
Only tags supported by the selected printer are listed. If you want to use some other tag type make sure you have selected the proper Zebra printer driver.
Read Source:
Select the source of the RFID data. Click on the
Detailed
button to define the data from the RFID tag you want to use.
Note •
The Detailed button is not accessible for all RFID printers.
Data Format:
Select the format of the data.
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Preview (WYSIWYG only):
Because the RFID tag’s Unique ID information is not returned to the labeling software, you do not see the actual data. Enter the data in a format similar to the format of the RFID tag. This information will be used for preview on the label only.
Bar Code Wizard - Prefix and Suffix
The variable object can have prefix and suffix values. The prefix text is placed in front of the variable’s value. The suffix text is placed at the end of the variable’s value.
Note •
If you leave the edit fields empty, the prefix/suffix will not be used.
Prefix and suffix can be used in situations where they are required only if the variable has a set value. If the variable is empty, the prefix/suffix will not be printed as well.
Note •
When you use the printer Real Time Clock for date or time fields, the length of prefix and suffix cannot exceed 31 characters.
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Use Graphics Wizard
Graphics Wizard
The graphics wizard helps you place the image on the label. You can place fixed image or variable image on the label. If you use variable picture, the selected variable will have to provide the path and filename of the picture.
Note •
The graphics wizard is not available with all ZebraDesigner editions. If there is no support for variable graphics in your ZebraDesigner software, the graphics wizard will not start. But you will be able to browse for some fixed graphics file from the disk.
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Figure 35 • The first step of the Graphics Wizard
Fixed:
Select this option if you will use a fixed picture on your label. Click the
Browse
button and point to the picture you want to use.
Graphics downloaded to printer:
Click this option, if the selected picture has already been downloaded to the printer using the application ZebraDesigner Font and Graphics
Downloader. When the label is exported, the generated file will include the reference to the downloaded picture and not the whole picture.
Variable:
Select this option, if one of the variables provides the path and name of the picture.
You must select the appropriate variable in the next step.
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Graphics Wizard - Variable Selection
If you want to use variable pictures on the label, select the appropriate variable in the list. The variable must provide the name of the picture.
Note •
If no variables are available, click the
New
button and define a new variable.
Bar Code Type Selection
Settings for Advanced Bar Codes
PDF 417 2D Code
General tab
Y expansion factor
This option defines the height of the bar code symbol.
Security tab
According to the standard, you can select among 9 levels of security. Higher security levels allow more reliable reading regardless of errors, but the bar code symbol is bigger.
Truncated bar codes can be used where label damage is unlikely and there is no demand for a high level of security. The truncated symbol is smaller.
Aspect Ratio
It is the ratio between the number of columns and the number of rows.
Contents
PDF 417 code can encode:
• Full 128 ASCII character set
• All 128 Extended ASCII characters
• 8-bit binary data
DataMatrix Bar Code
General tab
Y expansion factor
This option defines the height of the bar code symbol.
Aspect Ratio
It is the ratio between the number of columns and the number of rows. Select one of the values from the drop down menu.
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Details tab
ECC Type
Error Correction Codes define the security level. You can select one from the standard levels in the pull-down menu.
Format ID
This option defines which character set will be used in the bar code. You can select one of the formats with the following filter.
01 and 11
02 and 12
03 and 13
04 and 14
05 and 15
06 and 16
07 and 17
0..9, space
A..Z, space
A..Z, 0..9, space
A..Z, 0..9, space,.-/
7-bit ASCII lower part (from 0 to 127) all
7-bit ASCII
The formats from 1 to 7 allow a data length up to 500 characters, while formats from 11 to 17 allow up to 2000 characters.
Border Size
Factors from 1 to 15 set the dimension of the border in the shape of the character L.
Data Matrix can encode:
• Full 128 ASCII character set
• All ISO characters
• All EBCDIC characters
MaxiCode 2D Code
General tab
Y expansion factor
This option defines the height of the bar code symbol.
Details tab
When the option
Structured
is not selected, the content of the bar code is optional.
For Structured bar code you may encode only standard contents.
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Edit Bar Code Dialog Box
This dialog box is displayed when you click the
Define
button on the bar code dialog box. On this dialog box you specify the type of bar code you want to use on the label and all additional advanced settings: how the bar code should be generated, if the check digit should be automatically calculated or not, and various other options. If the
Enable preview
check box is checked, a preview of a resulting bar code is displayed on the right side of the dialog box.
When you are satisfied with the bar codes properties, confirm the changes you made by clicking the
OK
button or reject them and keep previous settings by clicking the
Cancel
button.
The Edit Bar Code dialog box has several pages (tabs).
General Tab
On this tab, you can select the bar code type you want to use and the properties of the bar code.
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Figure 36 • Edit Bar Code dialog box – General tab
Type of bar code:
The required bar code symbology is selected from the tree list of available bar codes.
Symbol height:
The height dimension of a bar code can be specified either by entering a value here or by resizing the bar code symbol directly on the label.
X-Expansion factor:
The expansion factor defines the width of the bar code symbol.
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Ratio:
This is the ratio between narrowest and widest bar in the bar code. It is locked for the majority of bar codes, but it can be changed for some.
Base object width:
Shows the width of the narrowest bar in the bar code.
Print bar code as graphics:
Select if bar code should be converted to a picture and sent to the printer as image or should the printer print bar code as an internal element. Printing internal bar codes will speed up label printing because less data must be transferred to the printer.
Note •
If the printer does not support the selected bar code internally, the option
Print bar code as graphics
will not be available. All office printers will print bar codes as pictures.
Check Digit Tab
This tab is used to specify if you want to use the check digit in the bar code or not. This option can only be modified for the bar codes that allow you to enable and disable the check digit.
Some bar code standards include the check-digit by definition and it cannot be omitted. An example of such bar codes are EAN and UPC bar codes, where the check digit cannot be disabled at all. But some codes allow you to freely enable/disable the check-digit.
Note •
We recommend that you always include the check digit character in the bar code. It will increase the scanning reliability.
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Figure 37 • Edit Bar Code dialog box – Check digit tab
You can choose whether you want to input the check digit value, or let the program calculate it for you:
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Auto-generate check digit:
Check digit is calculated by the software. You enter the bar code data only. For example: when using EAN-13 bar code, you enter the first 12 digits; check digit on the 13th place will be calculated and added automatically.
Verify the provided check digit:
Use this command when you want to enter the value for the check-digit. At print time, the entered check digit will be verified for validity.
Enable custom check digit algorithm:
You can set a custom algorithm for calculating the check digit. Click on the button
Select
to choose the algorithm.
Human Readable Tab
On this tab, you can set the options regarding position and format of the bar code interpretation.
No interpretation:
Bar code object does not have any human interpretation.
Below bar code:
All data encoded in the bar code is placed beneath the bar code symbol as human readable characters.
Above bar code:
All data encoded in the bar code is placed above the bar code symbol as human readable characters.
Font:
Using the
Font
button, you can choose the font for auto-translation text. The option
Auto font scaling
will adjust the font of the auto translation text to the size of the bar code.
Note •
You can format the font for human interpretation only if the bar code is printed as a graphic. When printing the bar code as an internal printer object, the printer will print the interpretation using resident built-in fonts.
Contents mask
sets the custom format of the human interpretation.
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Figure 38 • Edit Bar Code dialog box – Human readable tab
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Details Tab
On this tab, you can define advanced settings for the bar code.
Note •
Not all of these options are available for all bar codes and printers.
Include quiet zones:
Check this field if you want the bar code to have some white space in the front and in the end for increased readability.
Descender bars:
Some bars of a bar code will be longer than others. This is typically used with EAN and UPC bar codes that have longer bars in the beginning, in the middle and in the end of the bar code.
Mirror horizontally/mirror vertically:
The bar code can be mirrored vertically and horizontally. The bar code will usually have to be printed as a graphic for this option to be accessible.
Intercharacter gap:
Some bar codes allow you to change the gap between characters in the bar code (e. g. Code-39).
Include EAN white space:
Before and after the bar code a white space is inserted or not, as desired. It indicates the width of the bar code. If you put any other object in the area of the bar code, it will reduce the readability of the bar code. This option is valid only for EAN bar codes.
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Figure 39 • Edit Bar Code – Details tab
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Supported Bar Code Types
Bar code Group
EAN and UPC
Linear
RSS
Two-dimensional
Bar code Types
EAN-8, EAN-8 + 2-digit supplement, EAN-8 + 5-digit supplement,
EAN-13, EAN-13 + 2-digit supplement, EAN-13 + 5-digit supplement, EAN-14, DUN-14, UPC Case Code, UPC-A, UPC-A
+ 2-digit supplement, UPC-A + 5-digit supplement, UPC-E, UPC-E
+ 2-digit supplement, UPC-E + 5-digit supplement, UPC-E(1),
EAN.UCC 128, SSCC, Bookland, Addon 2, Addon 5
Interleaved 2 of 5, ITF 14, ITF 16, Code 39, Code 39 Tri Optic,
Code 39 Full ASCII, Code 32, Code 93, CODE 128 (A, B and C subsets), MSI, Codabar, Postnet-32, Postnet-37, Postnet-52,
Postnest-62, Kix, Pharmacode, Plessy, Anker
Linear RSS symbologies
RSS14, RSS14 Truncated, RSS14
Stacked, RSS14 Stacked Omnidirectional, RSS Limited, RSS
Expanded
Composite RSS symbologies
RSS14, RSS14 Truncated, RSS14 Stacked, RSS14 Stacked
Omnidirectional, RSS Limited, RSS Expanded, UPC-A, UPC-E,
EAN-8, EAN-13, EAN.UCC 128 & CC-A/B, EAN.UCC 128 &
CC-C
2D-Pharmacode, PDF-417, DataMatrix, MaxiCode, Aztec, QR,
MicroQR, Codablock F, MicroPDF, InfoGlyph
Select Objects
To select the object on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click on the object on the label that you want to select.
To select two or more objects, press the
Shift
key, and hold down, while clicking the object with a mouse.
The objects can be selected, cut, copied, pasted, and edited with the right mouse button. If you click the right mouse button on the object, the menu shows all the available commands. Note that these commands are equivalent to correspondent menu commands.
You can also change the anchoring point of a selected object by holding
Ctrl
while clicking the placeholders (corners of the bounding box) of the object.
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Edit Objects
To edit the properties of the object, do the following:
1.
Double-click the object on the label.
The dialog box with object properties opens.
Note •
You can also press the
Enter
key while the object is selected.
2.
Make modifications to the object properties.
3.
Click the
Finish
button.
Move Objects
To move the object on the label, do the following:
1.
Select the object.
2.
Click on the object with the left mouse button.
3.
Hold the mouse key down.
4.
Move the position of the cursor on the screen.
The object will move with the cursor.
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Align Objects
To align object on the label, do the following:
1.
Select the objects that you want to align.
Note •
All objects are aligned relative to the first selected object.
2.
Click appropriate buttons in the Design Toolbar to align selected objects to each other. If
Align toolbar is not visible (by default it is located on the very right side of the window), enable the Design toolbar in the Toolbar option in the
View
menu.
Note •
Alternatively you can right-click the objects on the label and select
Align
command.
You can align objects to:
Left
Right
Horizontal center
Top
Bottom
Vertical center
You can also distribute objects evenly, so that spacing between them is equal:
Horizontally
Vertically
Note •
If you hold the CTRL key while clicking the buttons, the selected objects are aligned relative to the label and not to the first selected object.
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Resize Objects
To resize the object on the label, do the following:
1.
Select the object.
The selected object is framed with a rectangle.
2.
Click on one of the small rectangles in the corners of the rectangle.
3.
Hold the mouse key down.
4.
Move the position of the cursor on the screen.
The object will resize with the cursor.
Rotate Objects
To rotate the object, do the following:
1.
Select the object.
2.
In the
Design Toolbar
, click the button.
The object will be rotated 90° clockwise.
Note •
If the Design toolbar is not visible in the application, enable the toolbar in the
Toolbars section in the View menu.
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Supported Graphics Formats
The following graphical formats are supported:
File extension
BMP, DIB, RLE
GIF
JPG, JPEG, JPE
TIFF, TIF, FAX, G3N, G3F
Graphics type
Windows Bitmap
CompuServer Bitmap
JPEG Bitmap
TIFF Bitmap
PNG
WMF
EMF
Portable Network Graphics
Windows Metafile
Enhanced Windows Metafile
TGA, TARGA, VDA, ICB, VST,
PIX
PXM, PPM, PGM, PBM
Targa Bitmap
Portable Pixmap, GreyMap, BitMap
JP2
J2K, JPC
PCX
JPEG2000
JPEG2000 Code Stream
Paintbrush
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Work with Variable Data
Dynamic Data Overview
You may want to print labels on which the data changes for each label, for example, serial numbers, date, and time. To accommodate changing data, ZebraDesigner for XML can be used to format labels using the variable fields. Variable fields can be used with text and bar code objects.
There are several types of variables you can choose. The data for the variables must be provided before label can be exported:
• You must provide the values for the variables before the label can be printed.
• The data is provided from the printer’s clock for the date and time fields (internal printer
RTC).
• The data is provided from the RFID tag embedded into the label (RFID tag Unique ID).
Create Single-Line Variable
As the name suggest, you can use single-line variable in one line of text on the label.
To create a single-line variable on your label, do the following:
1.
Make sure the Variable Toolbar is visible. If it is not, select
View > Toolbars > Variable
.
2.
In the
Variable Toolbar
, click the button. The Variable Wizard will start.
3.
Enter the name of the variable. Use a descriptive name. It will help you know what is the contents of the variable.
4.
Click the
Next
button.
5.
Enter the
Sample data
.
When you will link your variable to the label object, the sample data will be used for the contents of the object. The sample data is shown during label design only.
Note •
When you will print the label, the variable will use the data you provide, not the sample data.
6.
Click the
Finish
button.
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Create Multi-Line Variable
As the name suggest, you can use multi-line variable with more lines of text in the text object on the label. The variable can contain as many characters in each line as you specify. The total amount of allowable characters is number of characters per line times number of lines. For example, if you allow 20 characters in a line and have 5 lines, the total number of characters is
100.
To create a single-line variable on your label, do the following:
1.
Make sure the Variable Toolbar is visible. If it is not, select
View > Toolbars > Variable
.
2.
In the
Variable Toolbar
, click the button. The Variable Wizard will start.
3.
Enter the name of the variable. Use a descriptive name. It will help you know what is the contents of the variable.
4.
Click the
Next
button.
5.
Enable the option
Multiline Variable
.
6.
Enter the
Sample data
.
When you will link your variable to the label object, the sample data will be used for the contents of the object. The sample data is shown during label design only. Use
Enter
key to advance to the next line of text.
Note •
When you will print the label, the variable will use the data you provide, not the sample data.
7.
Click the
Finish
button.
Using Printer Real Time Clock (RTC)
When the printer selected on the label has a built-in Real Time Clock (RTC), you can use the time or date fields from the Real Time Clock with text objects on the label. The available time and date formats are defined in the printer driver.
To use the time field from the printer RTC on the label, do the following:
1.
In the
Toolbox
, click the button.
2.
Click the position on the label, where you want to place the object.
Text Wizard dialog box will open.
3.
Enable the
Variable text
option.
4.
Click the
Next
button.
5.
Select the Time Field option.
6.
Click the
Next
button.
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7.
Select the appropriate time format from the list.
Printer driver provided the software with the list of available time formats. You cannot define your own time format, they are determined by the printer functionality.
8.
Click the
Finish
button.
Note •
When you are using a prefix and suffix with the Real Time Clock field on the label, make sure that the length of the prefix and suffix does not exceed 31 characters.
When you are using a linked field and are merging a Real Time Clock field with other fields, make sure that the length of fields surrounding Real Time Clock field does not exceed 31 characters.
Use Variable Wizard
Variable Wizard
Use the variable wizard to create and manage the variables in the label file. When you assign value to the variables the same value will be used with all objects on the label that are linked to the variable.
The variables can be linked to Text and Bar Code objects.
To create a variable follow on-screen instructions in the variable wizard.
Define Variable Name
You can define the variable name and quantity information in this step of the variable wizard.
Variable Name:
Type in the variable name. The variable name will be included in the exported label. Make sure you use the proper variable name that is recognized by the Format
Generation Wizard.
Note •
Make sure you include the proper characters for the variable left and right tag characters. These characters define the beginning and end of the variable name. Use the tag characters as suggested by ZebraDesigner for XML software. For example; for the left tag character % can be suggested, for right tag character & can be suggested.
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Define Variable Properties
You can define the variable data properties in this step of the variable wizard.
Sample data:
Enter the appropriate data for the variable. The entered data will be used for design and preview functionality. You will assign the variable with its proper value outside of
ZebraDesigner for XML software.
Multiline Variable:
Click this option, if you want to enable the multi-line functionality for the variable. You will be able to enter more than just one line of sample data.
Note •
To move to the next line of text press the key combination Ctrl+Enter.
Maximum number of characters:
Define the maximum number of characters the variable can occupy. The number defined here must correspond to the external application that will actually set variable values.
Number of lines:
Define the multi-line variable. Enter the number of lines the variable can occupy.
To find out the total number of characters the variable can contain multiply the maximum number of characters in a line with number of lines. For example: if you have 10 characters in one line and have defined 3 lines of data, 30 characters can be set to the variable.
Define Script
You can define a script that will be included in the exported label format. This feature is optional.
Format Generation Wizard in ZebraDesigner for XML will include the variable in the proper formatting in the exported label file. You can override the default settings and include some special parameters or commands with the variable name. Define a script and include not only the variable name in the script, but other parameters and commands using the Zebra
Programming Language (ZPL).
Note •
This feature is for advanced users only. You have to be familiar with the ZPL to successfully use the script option.
Use script:
Click this option to enable the script option. Write your script in the provided space. Make sure you include the variable name in the script.
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Export Labels
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Test Print Labels
To test print the label, do the following:
1.
Make sure you have your printer connected to the computer.
2.
Make sure the printer is online and available for printing.
3.
Click on printer.
icon in the Standard toolbar to quickly print your label to the
Note •
The variables will be assigned with a default values, but you will get an overview, if the label is designed correctly and the objects fit on the label. You also see how the pictures are processed and printed. When you place a picture on the label, in design mode it is always shown in color-depth as defined in the picture.
When printing the labels, the preview of the pictures depends on the dithering option set in the printer driver. All color pictures (except WMF and EMF files) are converted to monochrome images. The illusion of colors and shades of grey is accomplished by varying the pattern of dots. More dots close together will provide a darker shade of grey.
The test print of the label will show pictures in the same way as they will be printed according to the dithering setting. If the picture is not printed as you would like to print it, change the dithering setting in the printer driver.
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XML Format Generation Wizard
Export to Printer
During the label design make sure the label is printed correctly. To verify the printout of your label, from the menu, select
File > Test Print
. When you are satisfied with the designed label, you can export the label to the printer. During the export process, ZebraDesigner for XML runs the XML Format Generation Wizard and converts the label format to a supported Zebra printer.
The generated file includes commands from the Zebra Programming Language (ZPL) and is ready to be used in the printer for off-line printing.
Note •
Off-line printing is a term that describes the type of label printing where the label design application is not available at print time. Usually the label format is stored in the memory of the printer and can be recalled. Off-line printing support is great for print requirements where the PC computer cannot be included in the label printing process either because of unacceptable working conditions or logistic issues. Off-line printing also provides faster label printing because all variable objects on the label use internal printer functionality.
To export the label to printer, do the following:
1.
From the menu, select
File > Export to Printer
.
The Stored Format Settings dialog box opens.
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2.
Fill in the
Printer Storage Location
and
Format Name
fields, and then click
Next
. The
Test XML File Settings dialog box opens.
3.
Make your selections and then click
Next
.
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The Destination dialog box opens.
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101
Your destination choices include:
Note •
For more detailed information and screenshots on the destination choices, click on the links above.
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Use Current Location
If you choose
Use Current Location
, and click
Next
, this confirmation dialog box opens:
To send the files to the printer using the port that the ZebraDesigner driver is using, do the following:
• Click
Send File
.
Note •
If you click
Cancel
, the file will not be sent.
Send to IP Address
If you choose
Send to IP Address
, and click
Next
, the Select Network Destination dialog box opens.
To complete the IP address search, you can enter an IP address or an address range.
Examples:
• To send a discovery request to 10.3.5.20 only, enter: 10.3.5.20
• To send a discovery request to printers in the address range of 10.3.5.20 through 10.3.5.47, enter 10.3.5.20-47
The IP address search avoids sending unnecessary traffic to non-printing devices.
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To send to an IP address, do the following:
1.
Enter either a valid IP Address or Network Name.
Note •
In the
Enter an IP Address
field, type in a valid IP address, or a partial address using an *.
Note •
To search for a print server, see
.
2.
Click
Next
. This confirmation dialog box opens:
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3.
Click
Send File
. The file is sent.
4.
Click
Finish
.
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Search Types
Search Type
If you select
Search Print Server
from the Select Network Destination dialog, the Search
Type dialog opens.
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These are the search types you can choose from:
• IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (-xxx)
To choose one of the options, do the following:
1.
Select the option you want.
2.
Click
Next
.
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Local Broadcast
Local broadcasts send a discovery request to the local broadcast address of 255.255.255.255.
This request finds printers in the same local network as the requesting computer.
The local broadcast search populates itself.
To perform a local broadcast search, do the following:
1.
From the Select Network Destination dialog box, click
Search Print Server
.
2.
In the Search Type dialog box, enable
Local Broadcast
. The
Value
field is automatically populated.
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3.
Click
Add
. The
Value
field is added to Search type.
4.
Click
Next
. The Select Print Server dialog box opens.
5.
Using the buttons between the two panels, select the print servers you want.
6.
When you are finished, click
Next
. This confirmation dialog box opens: The Format has
been transferred. The XML test file can now be sent.
7.
To send, click
Send File
.
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Subnet Search
The subnet search sends a discovery request to each address in the specified subnet. This feature is useful for networks that prevent broadcast packets from passing across routers. The
Subnet search requires you to type in the first three subnet octets.
Example:
A request to 192.168.2.* sends a request to: 192.168.2.1 through 192.168.2.254.
To perform a subnet search, do the following:
1.
From the Search Type dialog, enable
Subnet xxx.xxx.xxx.*
.
2.
In the
Value
field, type the first three subnet octets. Then type an *.
3.
Click
Add
, and then click
Next
. The Select Print Server dialog opens.
4.
Using the buttons between the two panels, select the print servers you want.
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5.
When you are finished, click
Next
.
This confirmation opens:
1
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107
6.
To send, click
Send File
.
Directed Broadcast
Directed broadcasts send a discovery request to the broadcast address of the specified subnet.
Note •
If a broadcast search does not work, the broadcast packets might be disabled across routers. Try multicast or subnet search.
Example:
The directed broadcast search requires you to type in the first three subnet octets, followed by 255, such as 192.168.2.255.
To perform a Directed Broadcast search, do the following:
1.
In the Search Type dialog, enable
Directed Broadcast
. The
Value
field is automatically populated.
2.
Click
Add
.
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3.
Click
Next
. The Select Print Server dialog opens.
4.
Using the buttons between the two panels, select the print servers you want.
5.
When you are finished, click
Next
.
This confirmation opens:
6.
To send, click
Send File
.
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Multicast
Multicast uses the multicast address to send a discovery address to all Zebra printers across as many routers as the hop count specifies. A multicast search may return a large number of printers in some installations.
On some routers, this feature might be disabled. See your network administrator to determine if a search failure was due to this feature being disabled.
1.
In the Search Type dialog, enable
Multicast (Hops)
. The
Value
field is automatically populated.
2.
Click
Add
.
3.
Click
Next
. The Select Print Server dialog opens.
4.
Using the buttons between the two panels, select the print servers you want.
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5.
When you are finished, click
Next
.
This confirmation opens:
6.
To send, click
Send File
.
IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (-xxx)
The IP Address Search avoids sending unnecessary traffic to non-printing devices. You can search for a range of IP addresses using this option.
1.
In the Search Type dialog, enable
IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (-xxx)
.
2.
Click
Add
.
3.
Click
Next
. The Select Print Server dialog opens.
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4.
Using the buttons between the two panels, select the print servers you want.
5.
When you are finished, click
Next
.
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This confirmation opens:
6.
To send, click
Send File
.
Send to File
If you choose
Send to File
, and click
Next
, the File Destination dialog box opens.
To send a file to a specific destination, do the following:
1.
Enter the destination path.
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Note •
If you click
Browse
, the Browse for Folder dialog box opens, and you may select the destination path.
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2.
Click
Next
. This confirmation dialog box opens: The Format has been saved.
3.
Click
OK
.
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Optimize the Printing Speed
113
Optimize the Printing Speed
There are many factors that affect the printing speed. By following the guidelines below you can dramatically increase the speed of printing:
• Use the printer’s internal fonts instead of Windows’ true-type fonts. True-type fonts must be sent to the printer as graphics and the size of the file is much bigger (kilobytes). When using internal fonts, only the text is sent to the printer (bytes). If you must use true-type fonts, use the ZebraDesigner Font and Graphics Downloader program, to download these fonts to the printer’s memory and access these fonts as internal printer fonts (only available if your printer supports download of the fonts).
• When using bar codes, make sure that you do not print bar codes as graphics if your printer supports printing bar codes.
Set the printing speed to a higher value (if your printer supports it). Note that setting the printing speed usually affects the quality of printing. The higher the speed, the lower the quality.
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Notes •
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A
Technical Support
Contents
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Online Support
Online Support
You can find the latest builds, updates, workarounds for problems and Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) under the Support section on the Zebra Web site. If you cannot solve the problem on your own, please contact your local vendor or representative offices listed in the topic Contact Information .
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Contact Information
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Contact Information
Technical Support via the Internet is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Web Site:
www.zebra.com
E-mail Back Technical Library:
E-mail address: [email protected]
Subject line: Emaillist
Self Service Knowledge Base:
www.zebra.com/knowledgebase
Online Case Registration:
www.zebra.com/techrequest
Which Department
Do You Need?
Regional Headquarters
The Americas
Zebra Technologies Corporation
475 Half Day Road, Suite 500
Lincolnshire, IL 60069 USA
T: +1 847 634 6700
Toll-free +1 866 230 9494
F: +1 847 913 8766
Technical Support
For questions on the operation of Zebra equipment and software, please call your distributor.
For additional assistance, contact us.
Please have your model and serial numbers available.
Repair Service
Department
For back-to-base service and repair.
Technical Training
Department
For Zebra product training courses.
T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
F: +1 847 913 2578
Hardware: [email protected]
Software: [email protected]
Kiosk printers:
T: +1 866 322 5202
T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
F: +1 847 821 1797
To request a repair in the U.S., go to www.zebra.com/repair .
T: +1 847 793 6868
T: +1 847 793 6864
F: +1 847 913 2578
Inquiry Department
For product literature and distributor and dealer information.
Customer Service
Department (US)
Internal Sales
Department (UK)
For printers, parts, media, and ribbon, please call your distributor or contact us.
Key:
T: Telephone
F: Facsimile
E: E-mail
T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Zebra Technologies Europe Limited
Dukes Meadow
Millboard Road
Bourne End
Buckinghamshire, SL8 5XF
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 1628 556000
F: +44 (0) 1628 556001
T: +44 (0) 1628 556039
F: +44 (0) 1628 556003
Asia Pacific and India
Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific
Pte. Ltd.
120 Robinson Road
#06-01 Parakou Building
Singapore 068913
T: + 65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0838
T: +65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0838
E: China: [email protected]
All other areas:
T: +44 (0) 1772 693069
F: +44 (0) 1772 693046
New requests: [email protected]
Status updates: [email protected]
T: +44 (0) 1628 556000
F: +44 (0) 1628 556001
T: +44 (0) 1628 556037
F: +44 (0) 1628 556005
T: +44 (0) 1628 556032
F: +44 (0) 1628 556001
T: +65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0838
E: China: [email protected]
All other areas:
T: + 65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0838
E: China: [email protected]
All other areas:
E: China: [email protected]
All other areas:
T: +65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0836
E: China: [email protected]
All other areas:
10/08/2009 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002
118 Technical Support
Contact Information
Notes •
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13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
Glossary
Auto translation
Bar code interpretation in human readable characters.
Darkness
The print-head temperature defines the print darkness. The higher is the temperature, the darker is the printout. (thermal printers only)
Descender bars
Longer first and last bar in the EAN 13 bar codes.
Quiet zone
The empty place before and after the bar code symbol. This is necessary for the bar code reader to properly read the bar code.
Security
The definition of the control check-digit with some bar code types.
10/08/2009 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002
120 Glossary
Notes •
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__________________________________________________________________________
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13991L-002 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/08/2009
Index
Numerics
12345|description
13th
2D
2-digit
2D-Pharmacode
32-bit Windows
32-bit Windows®
5-digit
7-bit ASCII
8-bit
A
A.Z
About
Activate
Copy
Paste
Activate the software
Activation
Addon
Administrator
Align
Align Objects
Align toolbar
All 128 Extended ASCII
All EBCDIC
All ISO
Alt
holding
pressing
Alt + Backspace
Alt + Shift
10/8/09
Always
Anker
Area/object
Arrange Icons
Aspect Ratio
Auto
Auto-identified
Automatic Sizing
Auto-translation
Aztec
B
Backspace
Backspace key
Bar
Define button
Bar code
select
Bar Code Object
Define
Bar Code Wizard
BitMap
Bitmap Windows
BMP
Bookland
Border Size
Browse button
C
Cancel button
clicking
Captions
Cascade
ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002 Rev. 1
122
Index
CC-A/B
CC-C
CD
CD-ROM
Change
Dithering Type
Speed
Change Common Printer Settings
Change Dithering Options
Check
Check Digit Tab
Choose Arial
Choosing
Open
Undo
Clicking
Cancel button
Finish button
OK button
Open button
Paste-link
Close
Close All
Close All Software Applications
Codabar
Codablock
CODE 128
Code 32
Code 39
Code 39 Full ASCII
Code 39 Tri Optic
Code 93
Code Type
Code Wizard
Code Wizard dialog
Code128
Code128 bar
Code-39
Codes
Composite RSS symbologies
CompuServer Bitmap
Contact Information
Contents
package
Contents Provider
Control Panel
Copy
activate
Create
New Label
Create Date
13991L-002 Rev. 1
Create Variable Fields linked
Variables
Ctrl
Holding
pressing
Ctrl key
holding
use
Ctrl+Enter
Cut
D
Darkness
Data Format
Data Matrix
Data View
DataMatrix
DataMatrix Bar Code
Date
Date Field
Date/time
Define
Bar Code Object
Ellipse Object
Inverse Object
Label Dimensions
Line Object
Page Size
Picture Object
Rectangle Object
Text Object
Define button
bar
Define Label
Define Script
Define Setup Options
Define Variable Name
Define Variable Properties
Del
Del button
Delete
DEMO
DEMO dialog
Depending
Windows
Descender
Design toolbar
Use
Design window
Designing
Labels
Details
ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/8/09
Details Tab
DIB
Display Grid
Dithering
Open
Dithering Type
Change
Document1
Document2
Downloader
Use
DUN-14
E
EAN
EAN 13 bar
EAN.UCC 128
EAN-13
EAN-13 bar
EAN-14
EAN-8
ECC Type
Edit bar
Edit Bar Code dialog
Edit Bar Code Dialog Box
Edit Memory Card
Edit Objects
Ellipse
Ellipse Object
Define
Ellipse tool
selecting
EMF
Enable
Variable
Enable/disable
Enhanced Windows Metafile
Enlarge/reduce
Enter
press
Enter Non-Changing Text
Enter Time
Error Correction Codes
Exit
Export
Printer
F
F2
F4
FAQ
10/8/09
Index
123
FAX
File menu
Finish button
,
clicking
Folder
Follow
onscreen
Font button
Fonts/printers
Format ID
Frequently Asked Questions
Full 128 ASCII
G
G3F
G3N
General
General Tab
GIF
Glossary
Terms
Graphics
Graphics Downloader
Graphics Wizard
GreyMap
Grid
Snap
Group
H
Halftoning
Holding
Alt
Ctrl
Ctrl key
Shift
Shift key
Human
Human Readable Tab
I
ICB
Include EAN
InfoGlyph
Ins
Insert Bar Codes
Insert Pictures
Install button
Install Overview
Install Printer Driver
ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 13991L-002 Rev. 1
124
Index
Installation/demonstration
Installed
Software
Intercharacter
Inverse
select
Inverse Object
Define
ISO
ITF 14
ITF 16
J
J2K
JP2
JPC
JPE
JPEG
JPEG Bitmap
JPEG2000
JPEG2000 Code Stream
JPG
K
Keyboard
Using
Kix
L
L
Label
Designing
Save
use
Label Dimensions
Define
Label Orientation
Select
Label Setup
Label Setup Wizard
Label Stock
Select
Language
Large Icons
Leave
Page Size
Wizard
LEISURE.WMF
liability
Line
13991L-002 Rev. 1
Line Object
Define
Linear RSS symbologies
Links
M
Main Window
Manual
MaxiCode
MaxiCode 2D Code
MB
RAM
ME
Menus Show Recently Used Commands First
Merging
Real Time Clock
MicroPDF
MicroQR
Microsoft® Windows® 98 SE
Mirror horizontally/mirror
More windows
Mouse Effectively
Mouse Wheel
Mouse Wheel support
Move Objects
MSI
Multiline Variable
My Documents
My Labels
N
New
New Date Field
New Label
Create
New Time Field
Next
Next button
Non-RFID
Normal View
NT
O
Object menu
OK
OK button
clicking
OLE DB
Support
Online Support
ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/8/09
Index
125
Onscreen
Follow
Open
choosing
Dithering
Options
software
Open button
clicking
Open dialog
Opentype
Optimize
Printing Speed
Options
Open
Overview
P
Package
Contents
Page Dimensions
Page Size
Define
Leave
Part>|
Paste
activate
Paste Link
Paste-link
clicking
PBM
PC
PCX
PDF 417
PDF 417 2D Code
PDF-417
Pentium-based
PGM
Pharmacode
Picture
Picture Object
Define
PIX
Plessy
PNG
Portable Network Graphics
Portable Pixmap
Postnest-62
Postnet-32
Postnet-37
Postnet-52
Post-processors
10/8/09 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide
PPM
Prefix
Setting
Prefix/suffix
Pressing
Alt
Ctrl
Enter key
Shift
Shift key
Preview
Previewing Labels
RFID
Print bar
Printer
Export
Select
Printer Driver
Install
Printer Objects
Printer Settings
Printers
Real Time Clock
Printing Speed
Optimize
Program
,
Program Group
Programming
Properties button
PXM
Q
QR
Quick Launch
R
Radio Frequency Identification
RAM
MB
Read
Read Source
Real Time Clock
merging
surrounding
Recent Windows
Recently Used Files
Rectangle
Rectangle Object
Define
13991L-002 Rev. 1
126
Index
Rectangle tool
selecting
Redo
Refer
Related Topics button
Register button
Register the software
Related Topics button
Resize Objects
RFID
printing
prints
programs
RFID Tag view
RFID-enabled
RLE
Rotate Objects
Rotated
Rounded Rectangle
RSS
RSS Expanded
RSS Limited
RSS14
RSS14 Stacked
RSS14 Stacked Omnidirectional
RSS14 Truncated
RTC
Run Installation
S
Sample Graphics
Save
Label
selecting
Screen
Text Wizard
Select
,
,
Bar Code
Ellipse
Ellipse tool
Inverse
Label Orientation
Label Stock
Line
Picture
Printer
Rectangle
Rectangle tool
Save
Select
Text
Time Field
Select Objects
Select Stock window
Select Type
Variable Bar Code
Variable Text
Select Variable
Select Variable Field
Selected RFID Tag
Set
Prefix
Settings/All Users/Application Data/Zebra
Technologies
SETUP.EXE
Shift
Holding
pressing
Shift key
hold
13991L-002 Rev. 1 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/8/09
Snap
Grid
Software
Installation
Installing
Latest version
Software Edition
Speed
Change
SSCC
Stacked, RSS14 Stacked Omnidirectional
Standard toolbar
Use
Start > Programs
Start menu
Start the software
START.EXE
Stock Type
Structure
Structured bar
Suffix
Suffix Options
Support
OLE DB
Supported Bar Code Types
Supported Graphics Formats
Surrounding
Real Time Clock
Symbology
System folder
T
Tab
TARGA
Targa Bitmap
Technical Support
Terms
Glossary
Test
Test Print
Test Print Labels
Text
Text Object
Define
Text Toolbar
Use
Text Wizard
screen
Text Wizard dialog
TGA
10/8/09 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide
Index
127
TIF
TIFF
TIFF Bitmap
Tile
Time
Time Field
Select
Time Variable Fields
Toolbars
Toolbox
,
Use
,
,
Truetype
,
Two-dimensional
Type SAMPLE
Type1
Types
Typographical Conventions
U
UHF
Undo
choose
Unique
UPC
UPC bar
UPC Case Code
UPC-A
UPC-E
Use
Ctrl key
Design Toolbar
Downloader
Label
Standard Toolbar
Text Toolbar
Toolbox
Variable Toolbar
ZebraDesigner Font
Use Alignment Tools
Use Drawing Tools
Use Existing Variable
Use Label Setup Wizard
Use Prefix
User
User Guide
Using
Keyboard
Using Printer Real Time Clock
13991L-002 Rev. 1
128
Index
V
Variable Bar Code
Select Type
Variable Name
Variable Selection
Variable Text
Select Type
Variable Toolbar
Use
Variable Wizard
Variables
Create Variable Fields linked
Enable
VDA
View
View Menu
VST
W
Welcome
Welcome Wizard
Windows
depending
Windows 2000
Windows 98 SE
Windows application
Windows Bitmap
Windows dialog
Windows ME
Windows Metafile
Windows NT
Windows NT 4.0
Windows Server 2003
Windows XP
Wizard
leave
WMF
Workarounds
WYSIWYG
X
X-Expansion
XP
Z
Zebra
Zebra Programming Language
Zebra Technologies Corporation
Zebra Web site
ZebraDesigner Font
use
ZebraDesigner for XML
Install Overview
ZebraDesigner for XML CD
ZebraDesigner Printer Driver
Zoom
Zoom dialog
Zoom In
Zoom Out
ZPL
13991L-002 Rev. 1 ZebraDesigner™ for XML User Guide 10/8/09
Zebra Technologies Corporation
Zebra Technologies Corporation
475 Half Day Road, Suite 500
Lincolnshire, IL 60069 USA
T: +1 847 634 6700
Toll-free +1 866 230 9494
F: +1 847 913 8766
Zebra Technologies Europe Limited
Dukes Meadow
Millboard Road
Bourne End
Buckinghamshire, SL8 5XF, UK
T: +44 (0)1628 556000
F: +44 (0)1628 556001
Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific, LLC
120 Robinson Road
#06-01 Parakou Building
Singapore 068913
T: +65 6858 0722
F: +65 6885 0838 http://www.zebra.com
© 2009 ZIH Corp.
13991L-002
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Table of contents
- 3 Contents
- 7 Introduction
- 8 Welcome
- 8 Contents of the package
- 9 About this Manual
- 9 About this Manual
- 9 Typographical Conventions
- 11 Installation and Activation
- 12 System and Software Requirements
- 12 ZebraDesigner for XML
- 12 Install ZebraDesigner for XML
- 12 Install Overview for ZebraDesigner for XML
- 12 Close All Software Applications
- 13 Run Installation
- 13 Define Setup Options
- 13 Install Printer Driver from within the ZebraDesigner Environment
- 14 Activate ZebraDesigner for XML
- 15 Set Up the ZebraDesigner Software
- 16 User Interface
- 16 Main Window
- 17 Using the Keyboard and Mouse Effectively
- 17 Interface Reference
- 31 System Folder
- 31 Welcome Wizard
- 33 Design Labels
- 35 Use Label Setup Wizard
- 35 Use Label Setup Wizard
- 35 Select a Printer
- 36 Select the Label Stock
- 37 Define the Page Size
- 38 Select the Label Layout
- 39 Define the Label Dimensions
- 40 Define Custom Scripts
- 41 Design a Basic Label
- 41 Overview
- 41 Create a Basic Label
- 50 Add Variable Fields
- 55 Design an RFID Smart Label
- 55 Overview
- 56 Create RFID Encoding Label
- 57 Encode RFID Tag
- 58 Support for RFID Tags
- 59 RFID Tag Locking
- 60 RFID Tag Settings
- 62 Change Printer Settings
- 62 Change Common Printer Settings
- 63 Change Dithering Options
- 64 Use Toolbars
- 64 Use the Standard Toolbar
- 65 Use the Variable Toolbar
- 66 Use the Toolbox
- 66 Use the Text Toolbar
- 67 Use the Design Toolbar
- 68 Work with Objects
- 68 Define Objects
- 71 Use Text Wizard
- 77 Use Bar Code Wizard
- 81 Use Graphics Wizard
- 82 Bar Code Type Selection
- 88 Select Objects
- 89 Edit Objects
- 89 Move Objects
- 90 Align Objects
- 91 Resize Objects
- 91 Rotate Objects
- 92 Supported Graphics Formats
- 93 Work with Variable Data
- 93 Dynamic Data Overview
- 93 Create Single-Line Variable
- 94 Create Multi-Line Variable
- 94 Using Printer Real Time Clock (RTC)
- 95 Use Variable Wizard
- 97 Export Labels
- 98 Test Print Labels
- 99 XML Format Generation Wizard
- 99 Export to Printer
- 102 Use Current Location
- 102 Send to IP Address
- 104 Search Types
- 111 Send to File
- 113 Optimize the Printing Speed
- 115 Technical Support
- 116 Online Support
- 117 Contact Information
- 119 Glossary
- 121 Index