Installation Guide

32
SP Series Style Guide
Tips for success
• If you plan to use a custom magnetic stripe format, your service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) must
make changes to printer settings to set up a custom magnetic stripe format. Follow the guidance of your service
provider or VAR when using a custom magnetic stripe format.
• Proprietary formats, used for applications such as driver’s licenses or hotels, can be used with SP Series
printers. Obtain the guidance of your service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) when using proprietary
formats.
• On Windows 98 and Me, data formatted with magnetic stripe fonts or escape codes cannot be located in
rotated fields.
Magnetic stripe escapes
Customers have the ability to use magnetic stripe escape codes with the Smart Driver, version 5.0 and higher, and
the SP Series printer. Magnetic stripe escape codes are used by card printers from several other manufacturers.
To support existing custom applications, Datacard has implemented magnetic stripe escapes. To use magnetic
stripe escapes with the driver, a custom application must send data to the driver, not directly to the printer.
Magnetic stripe escapes can also be used when an application cannot format magnetic stripe data and when the
application does not allow you to select the driver’s magnetic stripe fonts for formatting magnetic stripe data.
Magnetic stripe escapes are most commonly used for the IAT format, which encodes IATA (International Air
Transport Association) data on Track 1, ABA (American Banker’s Association) data on Track 2, and TTS (Thrift
Third Shift) data on Track 3. Other card printer manufacturers sometimes refer to this format as ISO format. Using
information in this section, you can also use magnetic stripe escapes to encode variations to the IAT format.
Enabling magnetic stripe escapes
The Printing Preferences, Properties, or Document Defaults dialog box includes a setting to enable magnetic
stripe escapes. Enable magnetic stripe escapes on each PC that will use magnetic stripe escapes to send data to
a printer. Also, enable magnetic stripe escapes for each printer attached to a PC if you will send magnetic stripe
data to the printer.
Proprietary Three-Track (IAT) ID Works Printer Use printer
settings
Yes
Proprietary Three-Track (IAT) Magnetic Stripe Fonts Driver Use printer
settings
Yes
Proprietary Three-Track (IAT) Custom Application Application Use printer
settings
Yes
Custom Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
Custom Application Application Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Custom Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
-- Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Binary Three-Track (IAT) ID Works ID Works Binary No
Binary Three-Track (IAT) Custom Application Application Binary No
Format
Printer
Module
Data formatted by Data verified by
Driver format
setting
Use
Diagnostics?