CognitiveTPG DLXi - Manual (Page 205)

P R I N T E R S E T U P
VARIABLE DARKNESS
Function Changes the printhead heat, thereby adjusting the
darkness at which labels are printed. Always use
the lightest acceptable VARIABLE DARKNESS
setting to extend the life of the printhead.
Explicit Form VARIABLE DARKNESS n
Implicit Form V D n
Parameters
n
Darkness value. The allowable
range varies by printer:
Barcode Blaster: -205 to +50
Solus, Blaster Advantage, and Code
Courier: -200 to +813
Lower numbers decrease print
darkness, higher numbers increase
it.
Blaster Advantage TT printers store
separate darkness values for DT and
TT mode, selecting the appropriate
darkness value depending on the
print mode as set by the VARIABLE
PRINT_MODE
command.
? will return the current setting on
DLX and CSeries printers.
Comments Darkness is set at the factory for optimum printing
with typical CognitiveTPG print media. It should
not need adjustment under normal circumstances.
You may need to adjust darkness if you change
print speed or use unusual media.
When using thermal transfer printing, you may
observe the print darkness decreasing as you
increase the VARIABLE DARKNESS setting. This is
caused by excessive heat melting the ribbon dye
back onto the ribbon instead of depositing it on the
paper, and indicates that the darkness setting is far
196 Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG