1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. SATO Manuals
  4. Printer
  5. FX3-LX
  6. Driver manual

SATO FX3-LX Driver Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for FX3-LX:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
Printer Driver Manual
For printer model:

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for SATO FX3-LX

Summary of Contents for SATO FX3-LX

  • Page 1 Printer Driver Manual For printer model:...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Before You Start ........................ 4 Installing the Printer Driver ..................5 Preparing the Printer Driver ......................7 Connecting the Printer to the Computer ..................8 Running the Installation ......................10 1.3.1 Installing the driver when connected via USB ............10 1.3.2 Installing the driver when connected via LAN cable or wireless LAN ....
  • Page 3 Updating the Printer Driver ..................91 Uninstalling the Printer Driver ................94 Removing the Printer Driver Data File ..............96 Checking the Printer Driver Version ..............98...

  • Page 4: Before You Start

    The FX3-LX Printer Driver Manual (hereinafter, "this manual") describes how to obtain and install the printer driver for the FX3-LX. It also describes how to configure various settings after installing the printer driver, and how to uninstall and update the printer driver.

  • Page 5: Installing The Printer Driver

    Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 Supported Connection Methods The printer driver can be installed when the FX3-LX is connected to a computer in one of the following ways:  USB ...
  • Page 6 Precautions When Installing the Printer Driver  Before starting the installation, close all applications.  When you do the printer driver setup, the properties settings, or the print settings, log in with Administrator Privilege.  If the terminal service is being started with Windows Server 2008, or the remote desktop service is being started with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016, change the terminal service or remote desktop service to install mode.

  • Page 7: Preparing The Printer Driver

    Preparing the Printer Driver Download the printer driver from the SATO download site onto the computer. A compressed file will be downloaded. Extract it to anywhere on the computer. Downloading the printer driver Start the computer and open your web browser.

  • Page 8: Connecting The Printer To The Computer

    Connecting the Printer to the Computer Before installing the printer driver, connect the printer to the computer. Caution Power off the printer before connecting to the computer. Connecting via USB cable One end of the cable to connect the printer must be Type B and the other end Type A with a length of less than 5 meters.
  • Page 9 Connecting via wireless LAN or Bluetooth (when the optional wireless LAN/Bluetooth kit is installed) Check whether the wireless LAN/Bluetooth kit is installed to the printer. For details of installing the LAN/Bluetooth kit, refer to "FX3-LX Options Installation Manual." For details of the wireless LAN network settings, refer to "FX3-LX Operator Manual."...

  • Page 10: Running The Installation

    Check how the printer is connected before running the installation. The printer driver installer is the same as other models. Ports which are not supported by FX3-LX may be displayed. Read this manual carefully and check the port to be used.
  • Page 11 Click [USB Port]. Following the on-screen instructions, power on the printer.
  • Page 12 Click [Install]. When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install]. Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printer and click [Exit].
  • Page 13 Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer has been added to the list of printers.

  • Page 14: Installing The Driver When Connected Via Lan Cable Or Wireless Lan

    1.3.2 Installing the driver when connected via LAN cable or wireless LAN Power on the FX3-LX and confirm that it is connected to the network. Double-click PrnInst.exe. The printer installation wizard starts. Click [Next]. Click [Install Printer Driver].
  • Page 15 Click [Network Port]. Select the printer to add and click [Add]. If the printer is not shown, check that the printer is powered on and connected to the network, and click [Refresh]. If the printer is still not shown, add the printer using the following procedure.
  • Page 16 Click [Manual]. Select [SATO FX3-LX DT305-Ln] and click [Next].
  • Page 17 Select [Create a new network port] and click [Next]. When a network port already exists and use the port, select [Use an existing port], select the port from the list, click [Next], and proceed to step 7. Enter the IP address of the printer into [Printer Name or IP Address], and click [Next]. If the same port name exists, change [Port name] and then click [Next].
  • Page 18 Click [Install]. When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install]. Note: If a security warning screen indicating that another process is blocking access appears, follow the on-screen instructions. Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printer and click [Exit].
  • Page 19 Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer has been added to the list of printers.

  • Page 20: Installing The Driver When Connected Via Bluetooth

    The following procedure is an example using Windows 10. For details, refer to the user manual of your computer. For details of the printer screen and operations, refer to "FX3-LX Operator Manual." Pairing the printer with the computer Start the computer.
  • Page 21 Click [Add Bluetooth or other device]. Click [Bluetooth]. On the list of discovered devices, select the name of the device that you confirmed in step 3. Follow the instructions on the computer and printer screens. Click [Done].
  • Page 22 Installing the Printer Driver Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the added printer, and select [Properties]. Confirm the port assigned to [Serial port (SPP)] on the [Services] tab and click [OK]. This information is necessary when installing the printer driver so make sure to write it down.
  • Page 23 Double-click PrnInst.exe. The printer installation wizard starts. Click [Next]. Click [Install Printer Driver].
  • Page 24 Click [Other]. Select [SATO FX3-LX DT305-Ln] and click [Next].
  • Page 25 Click [Add Port]. Select [SERIAL (COM)] for [Select port type] and click [OK]. Configure the port settings and click [OK]. Configure the following settings: [Port name]: Enter a name (E.g., FX3-LX_DT) [Serial port]: Select the port you checked in step 2. [Flow control]: Select [None].
  • Page 26 Click [Next]. Click [Install]. When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install].
  • Page 27 Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printer and click [Exit]. Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer has been added to the list of printers.

  • Page 28: Installing The Printer Driver For Second And Later Printers

    1.3.4 Installing the printer driver for second and later printers When using multiple printers, you need to install printer drivers for each printer. When connected via USB Power off the printer and connect the printer to the computer. Power on the printer. The Plug and Play feature runs and the printer driver is automatically installed.

  • Page 29: Manually Configuring Settings Necessary To Install The Driver

    1.3.5 Manually configuring settings necessary to install the driver This section describes how to install the printer driver by manually configuring the printer driver settings. Click [Install Printer Driver]. Click [Other].
  • Page 30 Select [SATO FX3-LX DT305-Ln] and click [Next]. Click [Add Port]. Select the port type that matches the printer connection method from the [Select port type] drop down list and click [OK]. For a LAN or wireless LAN connection: [TCP/IP (LAN)] For a Bluetooth connection: [SERIAL (COM)] [PARALLEL (LPT)] is not used.
  • Page 31 Configure the port settings and click [OK]. If you selected [TCP/IP (LAN)] Note:  You cannot set the same name as an existing port name.  The computer cannot communicate with the destination printer if the [Printer Name or IP Address] and [Port Number] settings do not match those of the printer.
  • Page 32 If you selected [SERIAL (COM)] Note:  You cannot set the same name as an existing port name.  Select the same port as the connected printer for [Serial port].  For [Flow control], select [None]. Confirm that added port is selected and click [Next].
  • Page 33 Click [Install]. If the same printer name exists, change [Printer name] and then click [Install]. When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install]. Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printer and click [Exit].
  • Page 34 Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer has been added to the list of printers.

  • Page 35: What To Do If The Printer Is Added Under [Unspecified]

    1.3.6 What to do if the printer is added under [Unspecified] If the printer is added under [Unspecified] in [Devices and Printers], it will not be recognized as a printer. Follow the procedure below to recognize it as a printer. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the printer added under [Unspecified], and select [Properties].
  • Page 36 Select the [Hardware] tab. Select [SATO FX3-LX DT305-Ln] and click [Properties].
  • Page 37 Click [Change settings]. Select the [Driver] tab. Click [Update Driver].
  • Page 38 Click [Browse my computer for driver software]. Click [Browse], specify the folder where the printer driver was extracted to, and click [Next].
  • Page 39 When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install]. Click [Close].
  • Page 40 Confirm that the printer is displayed under [Printers] in [Devices and Printers].

  • Page 41: Setting Up The Printer Driver

    2. Setting Up the Printer Driver After installing the printer driver, set up the driver as necessary. [Printing Defaults] (for all users) and [Preferences] (for individual users) There are two driver settings: [Printing Defaults], which is applied to all users, and [Preferences], which is applied to users individually.
  • Page 42 Click the [Advanced] tab and then [Printing Defaults]. The [Printing Defaults] screen appears.
  • Page 43 Opening [Preferences] Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the icon of the desired printer, and select [Printer properties]. Click the [General] tab and then [Preferences].
  • Page 44 The [Preferences] screen appears. "Printing Preferences" will be displayed on the title bar.

  • Page 45: How To Get Administrator Privileges

    How to get administrator privileges To change settings, and add and change ports, administrator privileges are required. Procedure on OSs other than Windows Server 2008 Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the desired printer, and select [Printer properties]. Click the [Sharing] tab and then [Change Sharing Options]. The [Printer Properties] screen will appear with administrator privileges.

  • Page 46: Settings On The [Driver Settings] Tab

    3. Settings on the [Driver Settings] Tab You can configure various settings for the printer on the [Driver Settings] tab on the [Printer Properties] dialog box. The settings on the [Driver Settings] tab are shared with all users who use the computer that the printer driver is installed on.

  • Page 47: Page Setup

    3.1.1 Page Setup This screen is displayed when you click [New] or [Edit] on the [Stocks] screen. [Name] Set or edit the name of the stock. [Width] Set the media width that includes the liner. [Height] Set the media height that includes the liner. [Media type] For the sensor type to detect the top of the media, you can select [Labels with gaps], [Labels with black marks], or [Continuous labels].

  • Page 48: Print Options

    3.1.2 Print Options [Speed] This shows the print speed for the stock that you set on the [Page Setup] screen. [Darkness] This shows the print darkness for the stock that you set on the [Page Setup] screen. You can set 10 levels, from [1] to [10]. The bigger the number, the darker the print result.

  • Page 49: Fonts

    Fonts You can manage barcode fonts, command fonts, and substitution fonts on this screen. [Add] Select the fonts to add from [Barcode], [Command], and [Substitution]. [Edit] Edit the settings of registered fonts. [Delete] Delete registered fonts.

  • Page 50: Barcode Font Settings And Use Example

    3.2.1 Barcode font settings and use example Barcode font is a feature that, by applying it on a string on documents in an application, converts that string to a barcode and prints it. The string is not displayed as a barcode on the edit or preview screens in applications. [Barcode] Select a type of barcode or 2D code that you want to register.
  • Page 51 Depending on the [Barcode] type, the following settings vary. [Rotation] Select [0°], [90°], [180°], or [270°] as the angle to print barcodes and 2D codes. [Narrow bar width] Specify the bar width for narrow bars. This setting may not appear depending on the barcode type. [Height] Specify the height of the barcode.
  • Page 52 Configure the following settings and click [OK]: [Barcode]: [Code-39] [Name]: E.g., "SATO_Code39" Confirm that the name you set for the barcode font is registered and click [OK].
  • Page 53 Start the application and specify the printer that you set the barcode font for as the printer to be used. Enter the text that you want to convert into a barcode in the application and specify [SATO_Code39] as the text font. In this example, "12345"...
  • Page 54  Some characters cannot be used and there are text length restrictions depending on the barcode type set as the barcode font. Moreover, if the settings are not configured correctly, the text may not be printed as a barcode. For the data specifications that correspond to the barcode type, refer to "FX3-LX Programming Reference."...

  • Page 55: Command Font Settings And Use Example

    Command font is virtual font for directly sending commands to the printer. You can use features that are not directly supported by the printer driver. Knowledge of Sato Barcode Printer Language (SBPL) command is necessary to use command font. For details of SBPL commands, refer to "FX3-LX Programming Reference."...
  • Page 56 Command font use example This example shows how to add X21 printer device font as the font name "SATO Command Font" and use it in an application. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the printer, and select [Printer properties].
  • Page 57 Configure the following settings and click [OK]: Command font [Name]: E.g., "SATO Command Font" Prefix [Type]: [Parsed text] [Contents]: E.g., "<ESC>V<Y><ESC>H<X><ESC>X21," <ESC> is 1B in hexadecimal. <ESC>, <Y>, and <X> can be entered with the keyboard. You can also select them from a list by clicking [>] on the right of [Contents].
  • Page 58 Confirm that the command font is registered and click [OK]. Start the application and specify the printer that you set the command font for as the printer to be used.
  • Page 59 Enter the text in the application and specify [SATO Command Font] as the font. Print the text. The numbers "12345678" are printed in X21 font. The content output as a command is as follows: <ESC>V<Y coordinate in the app.><ESC>H<X coordinate in the app.><ESC>X21, 12345 678...

  • Page 60: Substitution Font Settings And Use Example

    3.2.3 Substitution font settings and use example You can print by replacing the Windows system fonts with the printer’s device fonts when defining substitution fonts. Use these fonts when you cannot select device fonts (they are not displayed) from the application font list.
  • Page 61 Windows system fonts are displayed in the [System fonts] field and printer device fonts are displayed in the [Printer fonts] field. [System fonts]: [Agency FB] [Printer fonts]: [SATO OCR A] Confirm that the name you set for the substitution font is registered and click [OK].
  • Page 62 Start the application and specify the printer that you set the substitution font for as the printer to be used. Enter text into the application and change the text font to the Windows system font that you set as the substitution font, "Agency FB".
  • Page 63 Print the text. The font for "12345" is replaced by the substitution font that you set for the device font, "SATO OCR A," and printed. Note: The text is not displayed as the replaced device font on the edit or preview screens in applications.

  • Page 64: Driver Settings

    Driver Settings [Always use driver settings] Enable this setting to discard all printer settings specified in the application and always use the settings on the printer driver. Note that this setting cannot be used with some applications.

  • Page 65: Configure Printer

    Configure Printer You can acquire and change the settings of the printer connected to the computer. To use this feature, the printer needs to be available for printing from the computer using the printer driver. Note that the [Configure Printer] settings are not related to the printer driver settings. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the desired printer, and select [Printer properties].

  • Page 66: Maintenance

    Maintenance You can export or import printer driver settings to or from a file. Current user Export or import printer driver settings for an individual user. [Import] Load an exported settings file.  The content of the imported file will be applied to the [Preferences] and [Driver Settings] tabs for accounts with administrator privileges.
  • Page 67 The file extension is ".drx". Stream logging This feature is used by SATO Technical Support. Do not select the [Use] check box. Note:  For details of [Preferences] and [Printing Defaults], refer to "2.1 [Printing Defaults] (for all users) and [Preferences] (for individual users)."...

  • Page 68: International

    International [Language] Set the display language for the [Printing Defaults], [Preferences], [Driver Settings], and [About] tabs.

  • Page 69: Settings On The [Configure Printer] Tab

    4. Settings on the [Configure Printer] Tab Printer settings can be configured on [Printing Defaults] and [Preferences]. As the settings that can be configured are the same on both screens, this section will use preferences (print settings) to describe the settings. [Help] is available on all screens.

  • Page 70: Page Setup

    Select the default stock from the registered stock. If you select [Custom], you can set [Width], [Height], and [Sensors] on this screen. [Custom stock has ID 257] This check box enables compatibility with older SATO drivers that require a custom stock ID of greater than 256. [Copies] Specify the number of labels to be issued.
  • Page 71 [Rotation] You can set the print rotation angle to [0° - Portrait], [90° - Landscape], [180° - Portrait], or [270° - Landscape]. [Mirror label] You can specify printing to be a mirror image.

  • Page 72: Print Options

    Print Options [Speed] This shows the print speed for the stock that you set on the [Page Setup] screen. If you select [Custom] for [Stock] on [Page Setup], you can change the settings on this screen. [Darkness] This shows the print darkness for the stock that you set on the [Page Setup] screen. If you select [Custom] for [Stock] on [Page Setup], you can change the settings on this screen.
  • Page 73 [Cancel all current and queued printing documents] Delete all jobs from the printer buffer. Use this setting when you want to cancel the preceding jobs and print a new job immediately. Caution You cannot cancel this command. Take care when using it. [Send static elements only on first page (Overlay function)] All static elements will be sent to only the first page of the print job.

  • Page 74: Print Mode

    Print Mode [Operation mode] Set the print mode. The available settings vary depending on the printer model and attached options. [Backfeed mode] Specify the backfeed operation for the [Operation mode] setting. You can configure this setting when [Operation mode] is set to [Cutter]. Select [Before printing] or [After printing]. [Backfeed offset] You can finely adjust the media stop position during backfeed operation.

  • Page 75: Graphic Options

    Graphic Options Dithering Dithering is the process of expressing image gradation (for color or grayscale images) in the current image for thermal printers that can only express two colors, black and white, by juxtaposing pixels with a certain algorithm to create the illusion of half-tone. Select the dithering algorithm with this setting.

  • Page 76: Custom Commands

    You can directly control the printer by using custom commands. You can use features that are not directly supported by the printer driver. Knowledge of Sato Barcode Printer Language (SBPL) is necessary to use custom commands. For details of SBPL commands, refer to "FX3-LX Programming Reference."...
  • Page 77 The below figures show the print layout in an application and the custom command insertion position when the print settings are used.  "Test" in the print layout is set to "SATO X24" device font (the SBPL command is <X24>).  The number of copies is set to [3].
  • Page 78 <A><A3>+000H+000<CS>6<#F>5<A1>V00799H0799<Z> <A> <PS><WK>Microsoft Word – <H>0241<V>00308<X24>,0Test 1st copy <Q>1 <Z> <A> <PS><WK>Microsoft Word – 2nd copy <H>0241<V>00308<X24>,0Test <Q>1 <Z> <A> <PS><WK>Microsoft Word – 3rd copy <H>0241<V>00308<X24>,0Test <Q>1 <Z> Symbols (a) through (h) in the figure correspond to the following custom command insertion position: (a) Before print job (b) Before first page...

  • Page 79: Maintenance

    Maintenance [Reset] Returns the printer driver settings to their default values.

  • Page 80: International

    International [Units] Select the units to be used for the printer driver settings.

  • Page 81: Sharing The Printer

    5. Sharing the Printer You can share a printer connected directly to a computer on the network with other computers. Connecting When Using the Printer Driver with Sharing Settings The figure below shows how to connect when using the printer driver with sharing settings. Wireless LAN Bluetooth PC-1...

  • Page 82: Installing The Printer Driver On The Print Server And Client Computers

    Installing the Printer Driver on the Print Server and Client Computers Download the printer driver from the SATO download site and install the printer driver on the print server and client computers. Install the printer driver on all applicable computers.
  • Page 83 Click [Install Printer Driver]. Click [Local Port]. Select [SATO FX3-LX DT305-Ln] and click [Next].
  • Page 84 Select an LPT or COM port ([COM1] here) and click [Next]. Click [Install]. When the [Windows Security] screen appears, click [Install].
  • Page 85 Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printer and click [Exit]. Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer has been added to the list of printers. Install the printer driver on all client computers using the above procedure.

  • Page 86: Configuring Sharing Settings On The Print Server Printer

    Configuring Sharing Settings on the Print Server Printer Set the printer installed on the print server to enable it to be shared with other computers. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the installed printer driver, and select [Printer properties]. Select the [Sharing] tab.
  • Page 87 Select the [Share this printer] check box and click [OK]. If necessary, change [Share name]. Open [Devices and Printers] and confirm that the printer sharing settings have been set.

  • Page 88: Configuring Sharing Settings On The Client Printer

    Configuring Sharing Settings on the Client Printer Configure the sharing settings on the printer installed on the client. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the installed printer, and select [Printer properties]. For accounts that do not have administrator privileges, click the [Sharing] tab and then [Change Sharing Options].
  • Page 89 Select [Local Port] and then click [New Port]. Into the port name field, enter "\\<Print_Server_Computer_Name>\<Printer_Sharing_Name>" and then click [OK]. For example, if the print server computer name is "PC-0" and the printer sharing name is "SATO FX3-LX DT 305dpi", enter the following: \\PC-0\SATO FX3-LX DT 305dpi Note: On Windows 10, you can check the computer name by clicking [Control Panel] >...
  • Page 90 Click [Close]. Clear the [Enable bidirectional support] check box and click [Close].

  • Page 91: Updating The Printer Driver

    For details of how to export the settings, refer to "3.5 Maintenance." Obtaining the printer driver Download the printer driver from the SATO download site. For details of how to obtaining the printer driver, refer to "1.1 Preparing the Printer Driver."...
  • Page 92 Updating the printer driver Double-click PrnInst.exe for the update version. The printer installation wizard starts. Click [Next]. Click [Update Printer Drivers].
  • Page 93 Select the printer to update and click [Update]. The printer drivers will start updating. Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the installed printers and click [Exit]. Importing an exported file Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the printer for which you exported the printer driver data, and select [Printer properties].

  • Page 94: Uninstalling The Printer Driver

    Check the following items before uninstalling the printer driver. Is the installer (PrnInst.exe) on the computer? If PrnInst.exe is not on the computer, obtain it from the SATO download site. For details, refer to "1.1 Preparing the Printer Driver." Is the USB cable disconnected from the computer? When uninstalling the printer driver of a printer connected to a computer via USB, turn off the FX3-LX power and disconnect the USB cable connecting the FX3-LX from the computer.
  • Page 95 Select the check box of the printer driver that you want to uninstall and click [Next]. The uninstallation procedure starts. Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the uninstalled printer and click [Exit].

  • Page 96: Removing The Printer Driver Data File

    8. Removing the Printer Driver Data File When the printer driver is installed, the printer driver data file is also installed. Even if you uninstall the printer driver, the printer driver data file remains on the computer. If the printer driver data file exists, you can install the printer driver with Plug and Play.
  • Page 97 Confirm that [succeeded] is displayed for the deleted driver and click [Exit].

  • Page 98: Checking The Printer Driver Version

    9. Checking the Printer Driver Version To check the version of the currently installed printer driver, display the [About] tab. Open [Devices and Printers], right-click the desired printer, and select [Printer properties]. Select the [About] tab.
  • Page 99 The version information appears. [Version] This is the version of the currently installed printer driver. [For details visit] This is the URL for our website on which you can download printer drivers and manuals. If you are connected to the Internet, you can click the URL to display the website. Checking the version information when setting up the printer You can check the version information by clicking the [About] tab regardless of whether [Configure Printer] is displayed for [Printing Defaults] (for all users) or [Preferences] (for individual users).
  • Page 100 Extensive contact information for worldwide SATO operations can be found on the Internet at www.satoworldwide.com...

Table of Contents