7
Changing Printer Fonts
If you have an EPSON compatible printer, you can use the ChFont print frame function to change to one of four fonts, turn
double wide on/off, double height on/off, italics on/of, letter quality/draft, bold on/off and printer reset. Not all point sizes or
other functions are available on all fonts. Also, not all fonts are available on all pr
inters. Please consult your printer’s
instruction manual for details. The ChPnt print frame function allows you to scale the font size up and down.
The scale will send the appropriate “Escape Codes” to the printer to perform these functions. ChFont and ChPnt are only
meant to be a short-cuts to reduce the frame size. You could also perform font/point switching and many other printer
functions by using the ASCII function.
The following is a summary of the escape codes sent to the printer by the various sub-functions of ChFont;
Bold On
ESC E
<27 69>
Bold printing ON
Bold Off
ESC F
<27 70>
Bold printing OFF
Ital On
ESC 4
<27 52>
Italics ON
Ital Off
ESC 5
<27 53>
Italics OFF
Draft
ESC x 1
<27 120 1>
Select draft quality print
Let Qual
ESC x 0
<27 120 0>
Select letter quality print
Roman
ESC k 0
<27 107 0>
Select Roman font
Sans Ser
ESC k 1
<27 107 1>
Select Sans Serif font
Courier
ESC k 2
<27 107 2>
Select Courier font
Prestige
ESC k 3
<27 107 3>
Select Prestige font
Script
ESC k 4
<27 107 4>
Select Script font
Reset
ESC @
<27 64>
Initialize printer
DblW On
ESC W 1
<27 87 1>
Double width printing ON
DblW Off
ESC W 0
<27 87 0>
Double width printing OFF
DblH On
ESC w 1
<27 119 1>
Double height printing ON
DblH Off
ESC w 0
<27 119 0>
Double height printing OFF
ChPnt
ESC X 1 n 0
<27 88 1 n 0> Select height in points. n = # of points
External Command Interface
The external command interface allows the user to control the scale and manipulate memory data through the RS232
interface. There are three basic command types, these are:
The * Command (Keyboard Emulation). This allows you to simulate key presses remotely.
The ! Command (Remote Entry). Allows you to add, edit and delete memory contents like tares and parts counting samples.
The @ Command (Interactive Command). Allows you to operate the scale interactively whereby you send commands to the
scale and the scale responds with text messages guiding you through various operations.
It should be noted that the command list described below is the
proposed list of commands
. As our scale continues to
develop, commands are added as each firmware revision comes out. The revision in which the command was added is
shown just to the right of the command in parenthesis. If (X) is indicated it means that the command has not been
implemented yet and is slated for future release. To check the revision number of your scale, watch the Arlyn Logo splash-
screen when you first turn on your scale. Firmware upgrades can be purchased and installed in your indicator. . Some
commands can be implemented based on customer request. If it is imperative for the customer to have a certain command
type, contact our service department for more information and to get quote for the functionality to be implemented.
Print Request Response Time
When the scale receives a print request (*P) there is a small time delay while the scale computes and formats its output
frame. For any frame function that outputs weight or parts count the response time is typically 100 milliseconds (1/10
th
second). For almost all other frame functions the response is almost immediate.
External Command Limitations
It is important that when sending repeated print requests (*P) to the scale that you wait for the scale to completely transmit
its print frame, and then wait a small amount of time before sending the next request. If the scale receives a print request
while it is still transmitting, the scale could actually lock up requiring a power off reset. Also, it is advisable to wait a small
amount of time after th
e output frame is complete to give the scale a chance to do its own “housekeeping chores”. To
immediately send another print request directly after a transmission could bog down the scale’s displayed update rate and
keyboard response.
