SATO CL608VA, CL612VA manual Section Printer Overview, Introduction

SECTION 1.

PRINTER OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

The SATO CL Series Thermal Transfer Printers are complete, high-performance on-site labeling systems. All printer parameters are user programmable using the front panel controls and the DIP switches. All popular bar codes and 12 human-readable fonts, including a vector font, are resident in memory providing literally thousands of type styles and sizes.

The Operator’s Manual will help you understand the basic operations of the printer such as setup, installation, configuration, cleaning and maintenance.

The major differences in the CL408 and the CL412 printers is the resolution of the head. The CL408 with its 203 dpi head provides an economical labeling solution for most applications. It can print labels up to four inches wide. If a wider label is needed, the CL608 can print labels up to six inches wide at the same resolution. The CL412 provides a higher print resolution, 305 dpi, to give laser-quality printing. It is useful when higher resolution is needed for detailed graphic images. The six inch wide companion printer to the CL412 is the CL612.

All of the CL Series printers use the same command codes. The only differences are the allowable values representing the print positions on the label. These values are specified in “dots” and will vary depending upon the resolution of the printer and the amount of memory available for imaging the label. The allowable range for each printer is specified in a table for those command codes.

This commonalty makes it very easy to convert labels from one CL printer to another without having to create an entirely different command stream. There are some caveats that must be observed though to compensate for the different resolution print heads. The effect of the different printer resolutions are best illustrated by taking a label designed for a 203 dpi printer and sending the command stream to the its 305 dpi counterpart. The label printed will be an exact two-thirds scale, including the fonts, bar code dimensions and line lengths/widths. The only exception is the PostNet bar code which has only one legal size and the printer resolution is automatically compensated for by the printer. Conversely, a label designed for a 305 dpi printer and sent to its 203 dpi cousin will be one-third larger. It probably will be “truncated” if the label size is larger than the maximum allowable for the printer.

The following general information is presented in this section:

∙General Printer Specifications

∙Optional Accessories

SATO CL Series Printers 9001035 Rev. E Page 1-1