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Portrait Mode
On power-up, the LabelWriter is set for portrait printing. In
portrait mode, text characters travel out of the printer from the top
of the character to the bottom. It is also possible to switch to this
mode using the set print orientation command (GS V).
Portrait mode is also referred to as immediate mode printing,
because each object that is sent to the printer while the printer is
in portrait mode is printed as soon as the object is completed. No
two objects may be printed on the same line in this mode because
the paper is advanced as each object is completed and printed.
Certain commands are disabled or work differently while the
LabelWriter is in portrait mode. Exact details can be found under
each command’s description.
Landscape Mode
By using the set print orientation command (GS V), you can
configure the LabelWriter for landscape printing. In landscape
printing, text characters travel out of the printer from the left side
of the character to the right. Before the LabelWriter can be
switched to landscape printing, though, you must send the set
characters per line command (GS t). The set characters per line
command defines the width of the landscape page.
A landscape page is defined as the area allocated by the
LabelWriter in which landscape text, graphic, bar code, and line
objects may be printed. The height of this landscape page always
equals the width of the Label Writer’s print head. The width of
the landscape page is calculated when the set characters per line
command (GS t) is sent. The width of the page is equal to the
number of characters per line multiplied by the width of the
current font. The default font is 16 dots wide (2mm) and the
default number of characters per line is 80.
In landscape mode, completed objects are placed within a
memory buffer in the LabelWriter and are only printed when the
landscape page is terminated. A form feed (FF) character is
usually used to terminate a landscape page. This causes the
LabelWriter to print the objects that have been placed on the
landscape page and advance to the next label.
