Hex Dump Mode
Hex Dump provides a way to print, in a readable form, all the data received by the printer. This tool is useful to
programmers for debugging programs when sending control codes and escape sequences to the printer. Hex
Dump mode may also be used to detect what commands are being sent by a particular software application to
help determine which emulation mode is needed for that application.
When the printer is operating in Hex Dump mode, control characters and escape sequences sent to the printer
are not recognized or processed. The hexadecimal representation of the control characters and escape
sequences will appear in the hex dump, but no other special processing will occur.
To select Hex Dump mode, enter Setup and use the Advance Button to select the “INTERFACE MENU”.
Next use the Enter Button to select “Emulation” and then use the Increment Button to select “Hex Dump”.
Now press the Advance Button Until “Exit Setup, Save Changes” is displayed and press the Enter Button.
The printer will now reset and remain in Hex Dump mode until the “Emulation” is set back to another
appropriate value.
A sample hex dump for the MtP400 is shown below. Note that each line shows sixteen characters, first in
hexadecimal format and then in printable ASCII format. Certain, common nonprinting characters are
represented by special characters such as CR, LF, and FF. The Escape character is represented by a diamond shape
(♦) to help identify the beginning of command strings. All other unprintable ASCII characters (0x00-0x1F) are
represented by a period.
54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 61 6D 70 6C 65 This.is.a.sample
20 68 65 78 20 64 75 6D 70 20 74 6F 20 69 6C 6C .hex.dump.to.ill
75 73 74 72 61 74 65 20 68 65 78 20 64 75 6D 70 ustrate.hex.dump
66 6F 72 6D 61 74 0D 0A 0C 00 00 00 00 1B 1B 01 formatCRLFFF....♦♦.
The format of the Hex Dump output for the MtP300 models will vary slightly due to constraints of printing on
the smaller width paper.
Note: ETX/ACK handshake will not operate properly in Hex Dump mode. When an ETX is received by the
printer, its hexadecimal representation will be printed in the hex dump, but no ACK will be sent to the
host computer. When using the printer in Hex Dump mode using the RS-232C Serial Interface, it is
recommended that the printer be configured for RTS/CTS handshake or XON/XOFF handshake.
Note: The Hex Dump feature is only available in units with firmware version 2.0 or later.
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