Question

Photo of Miles Carmany

0

New Icon Label not using font

We are trying to create a new Icon Label for check-in with ZebraDesigner.

We have followed all the steps and the .prn file prints all the text correctly.

When looking at the ZPL code, I see that the icons are not using the rock font, but look like they may be base64 encoded images.

^FO448,288^GFA,01536,01536,00012,:Z64:
eJztk7ENgzAQRQ+luNIreATKFEhehU1iKwVregQGiHC+8RmCcEAKKBVXoK+npw+cgeiaM8cEGf+XjDuy5AH5JvmFXO1xFcIzc5S437iy8bW5Q254XAFXyPfElUWuhVNLpMW3eiQ0XbNPRc4lbvzsP/rEY7/p537Tb/vCp/49f9mPXWIXyXcxi//JsbMw8JqXfZ39zf6znv/Yfkrn9e18dfbBdebIdfbb5XfSiO887imc/bH/5Zr1vAE1gDDs:5988

Labelary can correctly interpret this file and display it, but I'm guessing that Rock cannot use that as a merge tag as intended.


What do I need to do in ZebraDesigner to have Rock use the correct merge tag AND have the printer use the correct icon font?

  • Photo of Lee Peterson

    0

    So here's how you do it in ZebraDesigner (edited for clarity):

    The key is to specify a font that's installed on the printer.

    Next to the font name are two buttons: "Show TrueType Fonts" and "Show Printer Fonts". You have to show printer fonts, and select the "ZD rockcheckin 26 pt" font. If it's not there, the memory card file you created when you downloaded the font to the printer isn't connected to the printer. Connect it by going to Printer Settings>Printer Memory>Flash, Type: Memory Card, Connected File: [your memory card file].

    WIth that font selected, create a new text object. In the text wizard, select the following:

    Variable text

    Font: ZD rockcheckin 26 Pt. xx pt (my setup shows 10.0 pt, but this setting doesn't matter -- you only have the 26 point font installed on your printer if you followed the font installation directions).

    Next

    Variable field: Keyboard input

    Next

    Prompt text (whatever you want -- doesn't matter -- this would apply if you were printing labels with actual keyboard input between labels)(edit: if you name it something that makes sense, like First Name it’ll help you know what merge code to enter in the last step)  

    Max number of characters has to be long enough for the length of your merge code (if your code is "F", for example, one character is fine)

    Select "Value Is Required"

    Format: "Alphanumeric"

    Next

    No Prefix or Suffix.

    Finish

    Print this to a file, and set the "Data initialization" field to your merge code.

    Open the .prn file in a text editor. The ZPL should look like what I posted previously, with your merge code inserted between the ^FD and ^FS.

  • Photo of Luke Potter

    0

    http://shouldertheboulder.com/Article?id=873


    Hopefully this helps. I had to brute force my way through this a few months ago.


    The other thing to try is make sure the font is installed on the printers, and ensure you're referencing the font with the correct name that's stored on the printer. The stored name may be different than the original font name.

  • Photo of Lee Peterson

    0

    Your sample is printing an actual bitmap of the icon, not a merged field.

    What you need looks like below, snipped from the original Rock icon label. The character it's printing is "F", between the ^FD and ^FS. If the merge field is working correctly (and the Rock font is installed on the printer) it will print the "F" icon from the Rock font (edit: actually it'll print the merged data from Rock for an "F" merge code). If the font isn't installed, it'll print an F.

    The merge code in the first column of the first page of the label in Rock would need to be "F", and it would need to be set to the correct data field in the second column. You can name the merge code anything you want -- it just has to match what's in the label ZPL.

    ^CWZ,E:ROC000.FNT^FT378,81^AZN,73,64
    ^FH\^FDF^FS

    FWIW, the "CWZ" names the Rock font the "Z" font on the printer, and "AZN" uses that font to print the following field (Field Data, or FD) in that font (if it's available).