LabeLase® Designer

Text Tool

The Text tool is used to add a text field to the layout. A layout may have an unlimited number of text fields. To add a text field to the layout, follow these steps:

• Click the Text tool button to select the tool
• Move the mouse cursor over the tag image until it points to the desired location of the lower left corner of the text field
• Click the left mouse button to add the field.

Alternatively, you can click the mouse down and drag it to set the text field's initial size and rotation angle.

Once the field is added to the layout, you use the Properties Editor to change the field's properties.

Each text field is defined by several pieces of information that you must supply. This information includes:

Text This field defines the text to be printed. You may enter the text directly in this field and press the Enter key, or to perform more advanced editing you can click the ellipsis button to the right of the text to open the Text Field Editor. Note that the text can contain certain special flags for automatic data insertion.

Font Select the name of the font for this field.

Size Enter the point size for the text.

Bold Enable (true) bold style for the text.

Italic Enable (true) italic style.

Underline Enable (true) underline style.

ID The ID must contain a number that is a unique identifier for this text field. Barcode fields use this number to link to the text.

Wrap Count The text may be too long to fit within its allotted area and you may want it to automatically wrap on word boundaries. Enter the maximum number of characters to allow on a single line and the text will wrap when it reaches this limit. You may need to experiment with this number to obtain an optimal setting, since variable width fonts require different space for some characters.

X The X coordinate of the lower left corner of the text. This field was initially filled in for you based on where you clicked the mouse.

Y The Y coordinate of the lower left corner of the text. This field was initially filled in for you based on where you clicked the mouse.

Auto Center You can enable (true) or disable (false) the ability of the field to automatically center the text within a given dimension. Specify the size of the centering area using the Auto Center Width property defined below.

Auto Center Width When auto centering is enabled, you must specify the width of the field in which the text is to be centered. Enter the width in inches or millimeters as appropriate. Note that the actual text width must be less than the auto center width for the property to be valid.

Hidden You may hide (true) or display (false) the text. Hidden text appears in the designer, but is not printed.

Reverse You may reverse (true) the printed image and achieve white text on a black background. Set to false for normal text.

Striped To reduce the time it takes to print a text field you can enabled the "striped" property. When text is striped every other scan line is removed from the image. Note a striped text field may not be displayed in the Designer when the zoom factor is not 100%.

Sequence Left to Right When enabled (true) the leftmost character sequences first, then to the right.

Sequence Decrement When enabled (true) the text sequence decreases. When disabled (false) the text increases.

Sequence After Batch When enabled (true) the text is sequenced after each batch. When disabled (false) the text is sequenced after each print cycle.

Sequence Programmable Enable (true) the use of a programmable sequence of alpha-numeric characters. The actual sequence of characters is defined in the User Tables editor for the layout.

Text Field Editor

The Text Field Editor provides a more convenient way to enter the text. Text can be entered on multiple lines if desired, and additional tools are supplied to enter special flags and symbols.

Flags - Get help on the various special "flags" that automatically insert data into the text such as time/date, serial numbers, etc.

Symbols - Insert special "symbols" including Copyright, Registered Trademark and other Unicode characters into the text.

Message Flag Help

This help form allows you to interactively build the special flags and insert them into your text. Select the desired flag from the list on the left and enter any required information in the panel on the right. Note that some flags do not require additional information. The resulting flag and a sample of the associated data are displayed. When you are satisfied with the result, click the button "Insert Flag Into Text" and the flag will be added to your text at the insertion point.

Symbols

This form allows you to insert special symbols such as Copyright and Registered Trademark as well as other Unicode characters into your text. Double click the desired character to add it to the selection. You may add as many symbols as you need. When you are satisfied with the result, click OK and the symbol(s) will be added to your text at the insertion point.