CPM-100 Software User Guide

Transcription

1 CPM-100 Software User Guide Contents Opening the Software 2 Altering the page size 3 Inserting Text 4 Editing Text 5 Inserting Graphics 6 8 Cut Shapes 9 11 Duplicate/Multi-Labels Multi-Color Printing 15 Inserting Custom Graphics 16 Inverse Printing 17 Alignment Toolbar 18 Rotate Feature 18 Grouping Feature 18 Tiling Feature Barcoding Sequential Numbering Database Access Help Details 31 Page Number CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 1

2 Opening The Software To open the software double click on the Lighthouse for Max icon. The software will open. To design a new label, click on File New (To open an existing label, go to File Open and the location of the saved label.) A label will open with a default length of CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 2

3 Altering the page size If the page size needs to be altered once a label is open, double click outside of the label and a Label Setup dialog box will open. Click on the Dimensions tab, change the width (which is the length of the label) and click on OK. The page will alter accordingly. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 3

4 Inserting Text To insert text onto the label, click on the A Text icon from the left hand toolbar then click in the label. A flashing cursor will appear. Insert the text as normal and then click outside of the box so that the text is inserted and the box is still highlighted. Format the text as required, i.e. Bold, Italics, Font Style, Font Size, etc Note: The text pictured below is Arial, 80pt, Bold, Centered CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 4

5 Editing Text To edit text already on a label, double click on the text and a Text box will open. Change the wording as required and click on OK. If the text box is outside of the label area, indicated by a red border around the label, the text will turn to red. This is a visual warning to state that items may be outside of the printable area. Ensure the relevant information is within the red border. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 5

6 Inserting Graphics The software has a built-in clipart gallery with over 1,400 symbols. To insert a graphic from the clipart gallery, click on the Picture icon from the left hand toolbar then click in the label. Click on Clipart Gallery. There are two folders, CM-200 and CPM-100. Click on the + symbol next to the CPM-100. A list of categories will appear. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 6

7 Select the relevant category and Click on the required graphic symbol. Click OK and the graphic symbol will appear on the label. Resize as normal. Note: Graphics inserted into the label are linked to the Clipart Gallery. Double Click on the graphic to embed the object into the label. A few of the categories have two sets of symbols, one designed for single colored print and some for a two color print. For the example below, one set is for black ribbon onto yellow vinyl, and one set is for multi-colored print, yellow and black ribbon printing onto white vinyl. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 7

8 NOTE: Whatever length the label is set to, the printer will cut at this length, so for the example above, the page length need to be decreased to approx. 4, to do this, refer to page 3 of this manual. There will always be a small header at the beginning of each label when printing. This is a physical restriction of the printer. To save manually cutting the front header, or to make a sign or label an exact size, a shape can be inserted from the clipart gallery and set to cut rather than print. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 8

9 Cut Shapes The CPM has the ability to cut as well as print. The cutting is mainly used for shapes around labels which need to be a specific size or shape. All elements (text and graphics) which are inserted onto a label are defaulted to print only. These can be set to print, cut or, print and cut by selecting or unselecting the cut and print options from the toolbar on the left. To cut a label to a certain size, set up the label as required, and then go into the clipart gallery (see page 6) and then, go to the section called Shapes. There are two sets of shapes. Solid Shapes This will print a solid block of color and is used for printing multi-colored signs i.e. Warning signs Outline Shapes These are used for cutting rather than printing. Select the shape required and click OK CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 9

10 The shape can then be re-sized to fit around the label ensure that the shape is within the red border and the cut option is enabled from the toolbar. Note: You will see a knife icon in the lower right corner of the cut shape. If the shape needs to be a specific size, double click or right click on the selected object Properties and go to the Appearance Tab. Insert the required size and click OK Note: Graphics inserted into the label are linked to the Clipart Gallery. Select the Value Tab Click - Embed into label, to embed the object into the label. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 10

11 The shape will appear on the label. To align the shape to the label, right click over the shape and select Align. Select the relevant options, and make sure Align to label is checked and click OK. You can also click on the appropriate icon from the design toolbar on the right side. Print and Cut Icons Design Toolbar The shape needs to be set to cut rather than print. Select just the shape (if other objects are selected, these will also be set to cut) and at the bottom of the left hand toolbar there are two symbols, print and cut. De-select print and select the cut option. The shape will be set to cut indicated by a dagger symbol in the lower right hand corner of the shape. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 11

12 Duplicate Labels If a certain amount of the same label is required, a label can be set up to be duplicated down the page length. There is minimal waste compared with individual prints, these can be used for sequential numbering and linking to database fields, and when printing multi-colored labels, i.e. labels which are red and black, all of the red will be printed for all labels, then all the black for all the labels, etc. To set up duplicate labels, open a new label, double click on the label which will open the Label Setup box. Go to the Paper Layout tab and click on Select Page Size. Alter the Width to the length required. This can be set up to the full 78 inches if required. This sets the overall page length and tells the software that the page is going to be split up into smaller labels. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 12

13 Go to the Dimensions tab. Insert the Width and Height of just one individual label, i.e x.94. Ensure that the Left and Top margin is set to.196 to keep the labels within the printable area. Under the Labels Across section increase Rows and Columns. The counter will stop when the page cannot fit any more labels. X gap and Y gap should be set to at least.039. This is the gap between the labels and if there is no gap it will be difficult to separate the labels and peel them off. Click OK CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 13

14 Design the label as normal and remember to insert a cut shape around the first label only, and not the full page (pages 9 11). Whatever is set up in the first label will be automatically copied on the other labels. To preview the labels, click on Zoom to Page and the whole page will show. Click on Print and select Pages 1. Click on Preview and all the labels will appear. Click Finish and make any alterations if required. NOTE: All of the labels will only show when in Print Preview mode. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 14

15 Muti-Colored Printing The CPM-100 Label Printing System can print multi-colored labels as well as single color. To assign colors to objects, enter the information onto the label and select (click on) the object. When you create a multi-colored label, the system will ask you for each color when printing out your label. NOTE: Always put a cut shape around your multi-colored label. If this is not done, the printer will not cut the label off the vinyl roll. A manual cut on the side of the printer will have to be used. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 15

16 Inserting Custom Graphics It is possible to insert most graphics and logos into the software. With a label open, Select the Picture icon from the toolbox on the left. Click on the label. Browse to the location of the saved graphic, select it and click on Open. The software looks for most graphic file types, i.e..bmps,.gif,.jpg, jpeg,.tif,.tiff,.png,.wmf,.emf,.pcx, etc..wmf is the recommended format. To see a full list, pull down the Files of type: menu from the Open graphics file window (above). Multi-Colored Graphics If the custom graphic is a two color and is a format other than.wmf, the software will only register it as a one color graphic and will print a single color. If the logo is a.wmf file and is multi-colored, the software will register the different colors and will therefore ask for the relevant colored ribbons. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 16

17 Inverse Printing Inverse printing is mainly used when printing with a colored ribbon onto white vinyl or to emphasize a piece of information. To use the inverse option, select the Inverse icon from the toolbar on the left. Click in the label or drag a box onto the label. Adjust the size accordingly. The inverse box will appear in black so the inverse box and the text box need to be assigned the same color, so for the example above, the inverse box and the text are both blue. NOTE: It is important to set both the inverse box and the text to the same color. If the text is set to white, and the inverse box is set to a different color, the software detects two colors, blue and white for example, and will ask for both ribbon colors. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 17

18 Alignment Toolbar To align objects together use the Design toolbar on the right hand side of the screen. Select the items by either holding the shift key down and selecting the relevant objects, or dragging the mouse over all the objects, and then select the alignment icons. You may also select from the Edit Select menu. Alignment Toolbar select object(s) and select an alignment Rotate Select the object to rotate and from the right hand toolbar select the Rotate option to rotate your object in 90 increments. Grouping Feature The grouping feature allows multiple objects to be selected and grouped together as one object. This option allows for easy movement and resizing. Objects can be ungrouped once grouped together. GROUP ICON UNGROUP ICON CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 18

19 Tiling Feature The software can be set to print across 2, 3, 4 or, even 5 widths of 3.94 vinyl. Using this feature enables you to produce signs up to approximately 20 high! Select the pull down menu (down arrow) from the Print menu located on the top toolbar. Select Printer Settings and Select the Details tab. Select /Check Off - Cut Printable Area Print Menu Printer Settings Details Tab Enable Cut Printable Area Is your high resolution enabled? If not, check it off. Select OK CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 19

20 Open the Label Setup Window. Either Double Click on the label or Right Click and Select the Label Setup option from the menu. Click the Dimensions tab. Select the Multiband Printing option which opens the Multiband Printing Window. Select/Check, Enable multiband printing Select the number of bands required, i.e. 2, 3, 4 or, 5 Dimensions Tab Multiband Printing The overlapping measurements will vary depending on the number of bands used. There is a.196 non-printable area around each label. There also needs to be a.078 overlap so that the bands/strips can be laid correctly. Number of Bands Overlapping Measurement Select OK and OK again CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 20

21 Bar coding The software has over 35 different bar code types pre-built. To insert a bar code onto the label, Select the bar code icon from the left hand toolbar and click in the label to open the Bar Code window. Value and Bar Code tabs Bar code icon Enter the relevant information in the Value box i.e Value box To change the bar code type, Select the Bar Code tab and click on the Define button CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 21

22 The General tab lists all the different bar code styles. The preview bar code on the right (enabled/checked) will preview the different bar code formats. Check Digit Some bar code types give the option to include or exclude a check digit. To alter this setting, Select the Check Digit tab and Click/Enable or Disable the Include check digit option. Human Readable Text Beneath the Bar Code As well as changing the bar code style, there is an option for formatting the text within your bar code. There are options to exclude the text completely (Click/Enable the No interpretation option) or display the information above or below the bar code. The text beneath the bar code can be altered; Click/Disable the Auto font scaling and then Click/Select Font and make the changes. Bar codes can be setup for sequential numbering. Refer to page 23. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 22

23 Sequential Numbering The sequential numbering feature automatically increases or decreases numbers and letters. To setup sequential numbering; Click on the Data menu and Select Variables, Click New (Data Variables New) Name the variable. There can be several variables on the same label. Distinguish each variable by a name. Change the Maximum length to the total number of digits, i.e. 10 would be 2 digits, 100 would be 3 digits, 1000 would be 4 digits, etc. The software will accommodate spaces for the number of digits inserted. NOTE: The maximum length does not include a prefix or suffix. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 23

24 Click the Serialization tab. Select Incremental counter if the numbers are to increase i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc. Select Decremental counter if the numbers are to decrease i.e. 9, 8, 7, etc. Step is how many digits the sequential number is increasing. Select 2, the numbers would increase by two s i.e. 2, 4, 6, etc. Select 5, the numbers would increase by five s i.e. 5, 10, 15, etc. Change value after the number of labels is how many of the same label it prints before increasing to the next number or letter i.e. Select 2, labels would print 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, etc. Preview window lets you see how your labels will repeat Select Step 2; i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8 Change value after 2 labels i.e. 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3 CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 24

25 Click the Data Processing tab. NOTE: If the Data Processing tab is not visible, click on the Advanced button in the lower left hand corner of the Variable box. Enter the Prefix, Suffix or, both as required. A prefix will always show before the number (variable), and the suffix will always show at the end of the number (variable). CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 25

26 Click the Prompting tab. In the Display this text to the print operator: field Type in Enter Start Number This is a visual prompt which will appear before printing so the starting number can be entered. Click OK and Close (Variables Window) To add the variable/sequential number to the label, Click on the down arrow/menu of the AText icon on the left hand toolbar. Down Arrow / Drop Menu Existing Variable CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 26

27 The bottom option is Using Existing Variable and to the right is the name given to the variable. Select this variable and Click in the label. Adjust the variable to the required size and position, etc. If a sequential bar code is required, Click on the down arrow/menu of the Bar code icon and repeat the steps as above. When printing the labels, Click on Print and a Print box will open. Enter the starting number in the value box. The print will start from this number. Enter the number of labels under Quantity. In the example above, the first label will print with L-1000 on it and it will print L-1001, L-1002 until it has printed 50 labels. Preview is recommended to review your labels before they print, avoiding any possible wastage. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 27

28 Database Access If information is stored in a database, such as Excel or Access, the printer software can link to the database and use the information stored to print fields from the database on your label. Ensure that the database has column headers and is saved but closed before trying to link the printer software. Have a new or existing label open. Click on the Data menu and Select Database Access, Click Wizard in the Database Access Functions window. (Select - Data Database Access Wizard) The Database Wizard window will open. Click on Browse and navigate to the location of the database. Check the box to Automatically set field lengths then Click Next. Click to locate the database on your computer CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 28

29 The next screen shows all of the headers listed in your database. All of the column headers are selected. Use the Ctrl key to deselect fields which are not required. Click Next Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the header to select or deselect Select which records you want to print. The first option means that all records in the database will print every time. The second option gives the option to print all or individual labels. Specify how the label quantity information is defined. Print one of each record from the database. Or allow a field from the database to be used as the quantity amount. i.e. the software will refer to the quantity header and print that amount of labels. Manually enter the required amount of labels for each record. Select as required and click Next. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 29

30 Leave the default option selected which is to have a text object for each selected field (top option). The software will pull the information for the first record and position it onto the label. Click Finish. Close the window or Select Edit from the Database Access Functions window to modify and edit your fields. You can open the Database Access Functions window by Right Click the field, Select the Database Properties to open the Database Access Functions window. CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 30

31 Help Details If you require help with any aspect of the software, click on the Help menu and follow the instructions. Monday Friday; 8am 5pm; Visit the printer section at CPM 100 v.5 User Guide 31