Intermec EasyCoder PC4, Programmer'S Reference Manual

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Chapter 1 — Introducing ESim
2 ESim for the PC4 and PF8 Printers Programmer’s Reference Manual
What is ESim Protocol
ESim is a built-in protocol for use with Intermec bar code label
printers. ESim enables any computer, terminal, scanner, or keyboard
that can produce ASCII characters to control the printer. ESim is an
alternative to Intermec InterDriver, which requires the Microsoft
Windows operating system.
With the ESim protocol, you can use any editor to control the printer
over the serial RS-232 channel, the USB channel, or the parallel
Centronics channel.
This manual has been organized to provide you with an
understanding of printer functions and command structure. It also
assists in designing labels using the ESim protocol on both the PC4
and PF8 printers.
Each printer uses a different version of the ESim protocol:
• The EasyCoder PC4 uses ESim v.6.xx or later.
• The EasyCoder PF8 uses ESim v.7.xx or later.
What’s New
• Updated document to new visual identity
• Added new content and reorganized chapters
Note: Any labels created on ESim v.6.xx can be printed on v.7.xx and
later, but since new commands are introduced in newer versions of the
ESim protocol, labels created on previous versions of ESim cannot be
printed.
New commands that are unavailable for the PC4 or ESim v6.25 have
been noted in this manual. Other Intermec printers may only support
earlier versions of ESim, or may require different firmware. For more
information, see your printer user’s guide.