User's Manual

XPS Card Printer Installation and User Guide 161
How to Use Magnetic Stripe Escapes
The data to encode on a magnetic stripe is entered as text and can look like data to print. The
XPS Card Printer Driver uses special characters called Escape Codes to identify data to encode.
Data within escape codes is not printed. The driver supports several Escape Code systems to
allow easy compatibility with other card printers. See
Supported Escape Codes.
Using Magnetic Stripe Escapes
1. Use ID software or other application to create a card design.
2. Format the text and graphics to print on the card.
3. Choose a location on the card where
typing the data to encode will not
affect other card design components.
4. Type the encode data (text) for one
track. The example shown uses the
~<track#><Start Sentinel><Data><End
Sentinel> syntax.
• The text for track 1 looks like
this: ~1%Zachary Hamilton
12345 Finance?
• Press Enter to end a line.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each track of
magnetic stripe data.
• End each line with an Enter keystroke.
• Do not put data for two tracks on the same line.
• Do not allow text to encode to wrap to another line.
• You can use two or more lines of text for one track. Each line must start and end
with escape codes. The driver will add (append) lines for the same track
together.
• Data to encode can be on side 1 (front) or side 2 (back) of the card.
• Do not enter data to print on the same line as data to encode. It will not print..
6. With magnetic stripe cards in the printer, send the card to print.
7. Verify the encoding success by passing the card through a card reader.