If SELLmatix POS tried to directly control devices in the "SELLmatix pos.cfg" file, almost the entire file would need to be changed for each different device. Instead, the "SELLmatix pos.cfg" file contains format commands which begin with a '<' symbol, and end with a '>' symbol. These format commands provide "hints" to the output routines about the type of feature desired, in a similar way to which HTML code provides "hints" to a Web Browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape about how to display a web page.

There are two entirely different approaches to controlling output devices which SELLmatix POS can use. The first of these is to provide raw output to the device with control characters. The second method can be used with printers which have a Windows printer driver available.

As a general rule, if you are able to use a Windows printer driver, it is a good idea to do so. Interfacing to such devices is already done for you through the Windows driver, and often there are more features available using this driver than you could easily implement using raw output. One exception is with serial printers with a communication speed of 19200 baud or lower. With such devices, the overhead of the windows printer driver may cause the device to be unacceptably slow, particularly if graphics are used.

With other devices such as Cash Drawers, Pole Displays, or printers for which no Windows Driver is available, there is no option but to use raw output to the device.

On the other hand, if you are using a network printer connected to another machine over a LAN, or a device connected to a USB port, then you will need to use a Windows printer driver.

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<BR> Command
After executing the <BR> command, output continues on the next line of the device starting from the left hand column. Normally this command performs a carriage return/line feed combination.

<B> and </B> Commands
The <B> and </B> Commands turn bold print on and off respectively.

<HALFCUT> Command
This command performs a partial paper cut on the device at the current printing position.

<FULLCUT> Command
This command performs a full paper cut on the device at the current printing position.

<INVERT> and </INVERT> Commands
The <INVERT> and </INVERT> Commands turn inverted (upside down) print on and off respectively.

<I> and </I> Commands
The <I> and </I> Commands turn italic print on and off respectively.

<U> and </U> Commands
The <U> and </U> Commands turn underlined print on and off respectively.

<CENTER> and </CENTER> Commands
After executing The <CENTER> command, text output will be centered horizontally on the paper. This command can be cancelled by a <LEFT> command, a <RIGHT> command or an </CENTER> command.

<RIGHT> and </RIGHT> Commands
After executing The <RIGHT> command, text output will be right aligned horizontally on the paper. This command can be cancelled by a <LEFT> command, a <CENTER> command or an </RIGHT> command.

<RESET> Command
This command restores the device to power on defaults.

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Not all printers that use Windows Drivers support these graphics functions. In particular, devices that use the Generic/Text Only drivers do not support these features. If a feature is not supported by the Windows driver, then output is not generated for that feature.

When printing to a normal Windows printer, the software is able to interrogate the Windows printer driver to determine the width and height of the paper, because the page size is known. Scaling can then take place in the software.

With receipt printers however, which operate on a roll of paper, the page length is unknown to the software, and so normal measurements do not work, particularly in the Y axis. For example, an image that prints at the bottom of a receipt will always print a known distance from the top of the page on a page printer, but on a receipt printer the distance from the top of the page depends on how many items are purchased on the sale.

In order to handle this issue in as device independent a manner as possible, SELLmatix POS treats all coordinates as being a percentage of the printable width of the device. Hence, an X coordinate of 25 means 25% of the printable width of the printer from the left hand side, and a Y coordinate of 67 means a location down the page equal to 67% of the printable width. The printable width is calculated at the time the printing takes place.

Not all Windows printer drivers are equal, so some fine tuning may be required to suit a particular printer. Graphics that look great on some printers are horrible on others.

eXTENDed print commands are listed in the table below. To see a sample of the function output, hover over it's link with the mouse. For more information on the command, click on it's link.