Avery Dennison PCL - Manual (Page 89)

PAXAR PCL APPENDIX E – Graphics •••• 87
APPENDIX E – Graphics
The PCL printers are designed to allow the printing of graphic images on the label. The printers support BMP and PCX
formats (monochrome only). This discussion applies to the 6X6 and SNAP printers only.
There are two field types to support printing graphic images. When using the Graphic Image Field (~FM) , the graphic
image is included in the batch data. When using the Logo Field (~FG), the graphic image is stored in the printer and only a
reference value is sent with the batch.
Graphic Image Fields are the most versatile, since the image is sent with every batch. This is useful when many images are
required or the images change often. However, the batch files become larger because the image has to be sent with every
batch. Since graphic image files are binary files, problems can occur with applications that have difficulty handling binary
data. For example, some applications have trouble handling non-ASCII values.
Logo Fields are best when there are relatively few images, and they seldom change. Since the actual image file is stored in
the printer, only a reference to the file name is needed, so the batch is smaller. Also, since no binary data is included in the
batch file, there is less chance of problems with applications that have difficulty handling binary data.
Graphic Image Fields
When the format contains a Graphic Image Field, the corresponding data field in the batch will start with a ~I. This is
directly followed by the image file. Both BMP and PCX files contain field indicating the file size, so no file size command
or terminator is required. The image file must not be modified in any way. Specifically, the binary file may not be broken
with line breaks. This is sometimes a problem, most commonly with mainframe applications.
The field attribute commands described in the reference are used to indicate how the image file will be printed. Refer to the
command reference descriptions for details.
Logo Fields
When using Logo Fields, the actual image file is stored in the printer. The image file name must be of the following form:
ABC12345.BMP or ABC12345.PCX
Where ABC is the Logo Prefix, 12 is the Logo Set, and 345 is the Logo Position. The Logo Set is specified in the format
using the ~GT attribute command in the Logo Field definition. The Logo Position is specified in the batch, in the data field
corresponding to the Logo Field.
It is very important to note that the Logo Prefix (ABC) is not used. Therefore, the files ABC01001.BMP and
DEF01001.BMP are the same as far as the printer is concerned. If logo files with these names are stored in the printer, only
the first one loaded will be accessible.
Volatile Logos
The Volatile Logo feature allows for storing logos in the printer temporarily. This feature is useful when there are many
batches that use the same set of logos, but the logos change frequently. The temporary logos are downloaded before the
batches, and they are referenced in much the same way as normal logos. Since the logo is only downloaded once and