Appendix D: Magnetic Stripe Encoding; Magnetic Stripe Setup - DataCard select series User Manual

M agnetic stripe encoding
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This appendix describes the specifications and characters
you can encode on a magnetic stripe in the Datacard®
Select™ Platinum™ Series photo ID printer, including:
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This appendix also describes basic steps required to set up for magnetic stripe
encoding.
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To use custom magnetic stripe formats (frequently sent as binary data), contact

Magnetic stripe setup

Do the following to set up the printer and driver to encode magnetic stripes on cards:
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User's Guide for Select™ Platinum Series™ Printers
IATA, ABA, and TTS character sets
NTT character sets
your service provider for more information. To use custom magnetic stripe
formats, such as IATA on track 1 and a proprietary format on tracks 2 and 3, your
application must use the SmartDriver Software Developer's Kit (SDK). You can
obtain the SDK from the SmartDriver CD-ROM or download the SDK from the
Datacard Web site at www.datacard.com.
Use cards with magnetic stripes when making a printer test card.
Identify the encoding format and how it will be formatted.
Determine whether to send coercivity and encoding format data with each card or
whether to set values in the printer. If you are using a custom format, you might
want to set values in the printer and choose "Use printer settings" in the
Properties, Printing Preferences, or Default Document Properties dialog box.
Determine the coercivity to use. Usually, the coercivity is a system-wide decision:
magnetic stripe readers which will read the cards encoded by the printer are likely
to require a specific coercivity value. Card stock is purchased to match that
coercivity value. Set the coercivity in the Properties, Printing Preferences, or
Default Document Properties dialog box.
Select the encoding format. If a custom format, such as triple-IATA, is used, select
"Binary" or "Use Printer Coercivity" in the printer driver.
Determine the order for encoding magnetic stripe and printing. Typically, the
magnetic stripe is encoded first, and then the card is printed. In some cases, a
card design works most efficiently when the magnetic stripe side of the card is
printed, the magnetic stripe data is encoded, and then the reverse side of the card
is printed. The "Print and Encode Sequence" choices allow you to choose which
way to process cards. If you choose to encode first, be sure to load cards with the
magnetic stripe up and toward the front of the printer.