Glossary
. | 2 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | W.
.NET Control - The Loftware .NET control offers Loftware customers connectivity to the Loftware Print Server (LPS) from their .NET applications to make label requests. Connectivity is supplied via a socket connection thereby maximizing speed, scalability, and reliability. 32-bit development languages such as C#, J#, managed C++, and VB.NET can utilize this innovative technology to utilize the power of LPS from your own applications without specialized knowledge of label printing specifics.
2
2D Symbology - Symbol in which both the vertical and horizontal size and positioning of the elements contribute to the data content of the symbol. Printers that do not support certain 2D symbologies in their native language can print them via a bitmap. Supported symbologies are: TLC39, PDF417, MicroPDF417, Maxicode, Datamatrix, and Postnet.
A
Active X / .NET Interface - Interface that uses Active X / .NET Controls to connect to the LPS using a TCP/IP socket. Programmers developing their own Windows applications in 32-bit languages supporting ActiveX and/or .NET Controls can easily interface their own applications with the LPS. See also File Interface, Direct Socket Interface, TCP/IP Interface.
ActiveX Client Control - This provides the functionality to connect to the LPS through a socket connection, similar to Loftware's On-Demand Print Client and Status Client. This allows users to get Job Status information, send files faster, and even send files between different networks.
Application Event Log - Messages that the LPS posts. There are three categories of messages: Information, Warnings,
Audit Files - Information gathered for tracking label production. All Loftware modules have the ability to capture label information that is requested and printed.
B
Bar Code - An array of parallel rectangular bars and spaces arranged according to the encodation rules of a particular symbol specification in order to represent data in machine-readable form. For Loftware purposes, the term "bar code" includes linear (e.g., Code 39 and Code 128), two-dimensional (e.g., Data Matrix and MicroPDF417), and composite (e.g., CC-A linked to RSS-14) machine-readable symbols.
Bar Code Wizard - A program included in Loftware that builds a bar code based on a particular specification. It includes a list of the symbologies available for that specification. In Loftware, you build the bar code step by step by choosing which components to add as you respond to each dialog box presented to you.
Batch Printing - An extension of On-Demand Printing, batch printing is an automated label printing process using batch files. Batch files are ASCII text files that can be generated from one's own application to drive the printing process. In Loftware Label Manager, the Batch Printing application extracts information for labels from the text file which features lines of data. Each line of data includes the record of information to display on a single label.
Bitmapped Barcode - A barcode that Loftware produces as a bitmap on thermal printers. For example, if a printer does not natively support a particular symbology, Loftware will create the barcode as a bitmap.
Block Configuration - Loftware tool for specifying data that will be written to RFID labels and tags. It utilizes RFID tag block data structures to support EPC and DoD data constructs. It allows access to writable blocks for supported UHF and HF labels on a block by block basis. Data can be read from or written to the memory blocks of a tag. Some blocks might be locked to prevent data from being overwritten.
C
C1G2 - Class 1 Generation 2 tag type.
Check Digit - A digit or character calculated from the data and appended as part of the data string to insure that the data is correctly composed and transmitted.
Clustering - A feature of the Loftware Print Server, which in its most basic form connects two servers together with a central storage device between them. The cluster service makes the two machines appear as a single virtual server on the network. Client applications make their connections to this virtual server. Clustering requires special hardware, software, and expertise. You cannot simply "network" two computers together.
Code 128 - A versatile, variable length symbology that can encode all 128 ASCII characters through the use of 106 unique character patterns.
Code 39 - The 3 of 9 bar code. this is a variable length, discrete, self-checking, bidirectional, alphanumeric bar code. Its character set contains 43 meaningful characters: 0-9, A-Z, -, ., $, /, %, *, and space. Each character is composed of nine elements: five bars and four spaces. Three of the nine elements are wide (binary value 1), and six elements are narrow (binary value 0). The character (*) is used for both start and stop character.
Connector - See Loftware Connector.
D
Datamatrix Bar Code - One of advanced bar code symbologies supported by Loftware, Datamatrix is made up of square modules arranged in a rectangular area. Similar to MicroPDF417 the Datamatrix symbology has the capability of encoding a macro character that represents the entire "05" or "06" header and trailer in a single character. Since this also includes the trailer, 8 characters of data space are saved in the symbol. This macro encoding is not done by Loftware; it will occur if the printer has the capability of doing it on the fly. An exception is when Datamatrix is represented as a bitmap.
Data Source - Where data is extracted to produce labels. Loftware Label Manager provides a variety of data sources, including the keyboard, a database, serial number, a formula, via the UCC or UPN Wizard. For RFID labels and tags, data can come from the Keyboard data source or by configuring data blocks using the Block Configuration data source.
Device Alias - A name assigned to a Loftware printer or reader that makes the device easier to identify.
Device Family - A manufactured line of printers or readers. Loftware currently supports a number Device Families, including Alien, Avery, AWID, C.Itoh, Citizen, Datamax, Eltron, Fastmark, IBM, Imtec, Intermec, Novexx, Paxar/Monarch, PCL5, Pressiza, Printronix, Quick Label, Sato, Symbol TEC, ThingMagic, UBI, Windows and Zebra. Loftware is continually adding support for new devices and device families.
Direct Socket Interface (DSI) - This interface is a quick and easy solution for sending XML files to the LPS through a socket connection on UNIX systems without the need for shared drives or connectivity software. This interface allows your application to send an XML file to the TCP/IP address that the Loftware Print Server is listening. The requests in the XML file are subsequently printed. This is a very simple way to make label requests on a large scale without having to perform complex socket coding or sharing drives. DSI a one-way communication that is much simpler to program to than the bidirectional TCP/IP interface. With DSI, the client connects, sends data, and closes the connection. There is no response from the LPS. See also File Interface, TCP/IP Interface, Active X / .NET Interface.
E
EPCglobal - A joint venture between EAN International and the Uniform Code Council (UCC), it specifies the global standards that are necessary for tracking goods through the supply chain using RFID tags as opposed to barcodes.
Extended Mode - A printing mode where the printer requires all of the information contained on a label to be sent each time a label prints. Extended mode will have more of an impact on print speed when using true type fonts and images. See also Native Mode.
F
Failover - The process of taking one or more resources off-line on one cluster member and bringing them on-line on another. See Clustering.
File Drop - The action of making print requests by placing files in the LPS scan directory. LPS detects this request and responds by printing the label. See Scan Directory.
File Interface - An interface that allows front end applications to make requests to the LPS via a file drop to a shared network drive. LPS detects this request and responds by printing the label. See also Direct Socket Interface, TCP/IP Interface, Active X / .NET Interface.
G
Global Auditing - A customizable label reporting function which is used to generate a database of selected label printing information. Global Auditing allows the user to audit all or some of the fields of printed labels, both fixed and variable. The report can be uploaded to a host system or imported into a database or spreadsheet program.
H
Housekeeping - An LPS setting that allows you to set a time when the levels of disk space used by Printed Jobs and Job errors are checked. Printed Jobs and Job Errors are saved into various working folders, and while it is helpful to keep these old job files around for a period of time for auditing purposes, they must be deleted or �purged' eventually in order to minimize disk space and keep label printing at a
I
Internet ActiveX Control (iX) - Along with Loftware's Web Push (i-Push) and Web Client (i-Pull), this is the third component of Internet Printing, that allows businesses with their own applications to interface with the LPS and print to client-side printers across the Internet. This utilizes an ActiveX interface across the Internet to print labels to any client-side printer. See Web Push (i-Push) and Web Client (i-Pull).
J
Java API - See Loftware Java API.
Java Virtual Machine - A Java interpreter, the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is software that converts the Java intermediate language (bytecode) into machine language and executes it. The original JVM came from the JavaSoft division of Sun. Subsequently, other vendors developed their own; for example, the IBM Virtual Machine is IBM's Java interpreter. A JVM is incorporated into a Web browser in order to execute Java applets. A JVM is also installed in a Web server to execute server-side Java programs. A JVM can also be installed in a client machine to run stand-alone Java applications.
L
License Key - The hardware key required to run LPS in non-demo mode. It must be plugged into either the parallel port or the USB port on the PC on which Loftware Label Manager or Loftware Print Server runs. (The Loftware Print Server Client Programs get their license from the server and therefore do not require a key on the Client PC.)
Loftware Connector - Java-based software that establishes a high-speed �connectivity bridge' between UNIX-based enterprise applications and the Loftware Print Server (LPS).
Loftware International Edition - Loftware's label printing software translated in French, German, and Spanish. User interfaces, prompts, and property menus, Quick Start tutorials are fully translated for ease of use. Error messages have also been translated and can be referenced by Loftware Technical Support Call Center Technicians.
Loftware Java API - Loftware programming interface that includes full support for developing enterprise Java and J2EE applications for label printing and RFID tagging solutions. Introduced in V2.5 of the Loftware Connector, now includes the Java API. Comprehensive Class packages, sample demo programs, and documentation have been added to the Connector platform to bring expanded sophistication to Java based applications connecting to Loftware's enterprise label printing and RFID technology solutions.
Loftware Reader Control API - .NET programming interface which provides a common language for RFID readers regardless of the hardware and tags being used.
Loftware RFID Calculator - A tool designed to encode or decode EPC data.
Loftware RFID Reader Module (RRM) - An optional component of the Loftware Print Server, RRM allows for the reading and writing of passive RFID tags with different brands and models of RFID readers. Read-tag and write-tag requests are made to the RRM from applications that use the Loftware Reader Control API.
Loftware RFID Simulator - Designed to simulate RFID reader functionality, the RFID Simulator can be used to test applications that use readers to encode data to tags without an actual reader or tag.
LPS Status Client Application - Application that allows the viewing of LPS printing activity from anywhere on the network. It allows pending jobs to be deleted and jobs to be reprinted on an as needed basis. 'Tree' and 'Context' views are provided to maximize the information that can be obtained. Any number of LPS servers can be monitored. Jobs can be viewed, resubmitted, or deleted with a right-click of the mouse.
LPS Web Servlet - A servlet for use with the WebClient (i-Pull).
LPSSend - A sample program used as a tool to demonstrate the TCP/IP Socket Interface of the Loftware Print Server. This program opens a socket connection to the LPS, sends a print job, receives status of the job from the LPS, and then disconnects. The source code for this utility is included with Loftware.
M
Maxicode - A two-dimensional symbology that can encode about 100 characters of data in an area of one square inch. Within this small space are two MaxiCode components; black and white hexagons that pack information in two directions, and a target-like central pattern that allows the symbol to be easily located at high speeds.
MicroPDF 417 - Symbology derived from PDF-417, Micro PDF-417 is designed for applications where the symbol must be smaller than PDF-417 will allow. The code has a limited set of symbol sizes and a fixed level of error correction for each symbol size. Module dimensions are user-specified so that the symbol may be printed with a variety of printers. The symbology allows up to 150 bytes, 250 alphanumeric characters, or 366 numeric digits to be stored. This is done by specifying one of three compaction modes: data, text or numeric. Text Compaction mode permits all printable ASCII characters to be encoded (values 32 to 126 inclusive) as well as selected control characters. Byte Compaction mode permits all 256 possible 8-bit byte values to be encoded. This includes all ASCII characters value 0 to 127 inclusive and provides for international character set support.
MOD 10 - Check digit for a barcode. The steps used to calculate mod 10 are described in Loftware's Knowledge Base article # 42595.
N
Native Mode - A printing mode where the printer has the capability of evaluating a request and can handle it internally without needing all of the label data to be sent again. (For example, incrementing or decrementing data between labels.) This allows the printer to print very quickly because the amount of information sent to the printer is reduced. This mode is called "native mode" and can speed up label printing. See also Extended Mode.
New Media Wizard - Loftware tool that guides the user through the step-by-step process of creating a label, an RFID Smart Label, or an RFID Tag. It provides the option of starting with a blank label or selecting from a list of compliance templates.
Notification Agent - An LPS Premier Edition service that runs on a workstation or on the same PC as the LPS. E-mail, Page, and Net Send notifications of printer errors and system status can be set up for multiple operators. Notifications are filtered by server, printer, and error type; therefore, only information of interest is sent.
O
On Demand Printing - allows labels to be printed on an as needed basis. Produce a single label or several identical copies of the same label. All data sources, serial numbers, formulas, check digits, and calculations are evaluated "on-the-fly" based on the data requested at print time.
P
PDF-417 - A multiple row, stacked symbology of variable length and size, which can encode up to 2710 characters. We've seen its use become much more common in the past years; some places you may have seen it are; on some states vehicle inspection stickers. But by far the most common usage that we've been directly involved with has been with the General Motors suppliers compliance label program (1724) which has been in use since 1999.
Print Server - a device that is connected as a node on the network and has one or more serial, USB, and/or parallel ports. Some print servers also have buffer memory, which allows them to queue print data if it is being received faster than the printer can handle.
Q
QR Code - It stands for "Quick Response," a square symbology of variable size that can contain up to 7,089 characters. A main undertaking in QR is the support of Asian character sets.
R
Range Printing - Range Printing is similar to Batch Printing in that data for printing is extracted from another source. Instead of using a batch-file "script," however, a query that instructs Loftware Label Manager to print a selected group of records from a database must be created. Range Printing is used only with labels that are attached to a database.
RFID - Radio Frequency Identification, a technology that uses radio waves to uniquely identify items. Typically, a reader communicates with a tag, which holds digital information in a microchip.
RFID Devices - Loftware-supported printers or readers that can print RFID smart labels or write to an RFID tag.
RFID Label / Smart Label - A barcode label with the RFID tag embedded between its substrates. An RFID Smart Label must be designed for an RFID device that supports the specific tag type.
RFID Tag - A microchip attached to an antenna which when applied to an object allows the object to be tracked. An RFID Tag must be designed for an RFID device that supports the specific tag type. Data can be read from or written to the memory blocks of a tag. Some blocks might be locked to prevent data from being overwritten. The terms "transponder" and "RFID tag" are used interchangeably.
RSS Symbology - Reduced Space Symbology is a barcode symbology from the Uniform Code Council to allow the tagging of products that are too small for conventional UPC symbols. RSS is a family of symbologies that encodes EAN.UCC System keys as well as Application Identifiers. The supported symbols include RSS-14, RSS-14 Truncated, RSS Stacked, RSS Stacked Omni directional, and RSS Limited. See Symbology.
S
Scan Directory / Drop Directory - This is the directory into which print requests are dropped using the LPS File and ActiveX Interfaces. The directory can reside on any network drive to which one's front end application and the LPS have Read/Write access. The LPS defaults to scanning a directory called 'WDDrop.'
Servlet - A generic server extension that can be loaded dynamically to expand the functionality of a web server. Servlets are commonly used with web servers and run within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Since servlets are all handled by separate threads within the web server process, they are very efficient and scalable. Servlets are supported on all platforms that support Java, and servlets work with all the major web servers. Loftware has developed a servlet called the LPS Web Servlet for use with the WebClient (i-Pull). See also Java Virtual Machine and WebClient (i-Pull).
Servlet Engine - Servlet engines are designed to test and deploy servlets. Your choice of servlet engine depends upon the Web Server you are running. A servlet engine can be:
Stand-alone - A server that includes built-in support for servlets. These work well for initial tasking, but usually lack the power of a dedicated web server.
Embeddable - A lightweight servlet deployment platform that can be embedded in another application.
Add-on - A servlet engine that functions as a plug-in to an existing server. It adds servlet support to a server that was not originally designed with servlets in mind. For many companies (including Loftware) that already have servers, this type of servlet engine is often a good choice. The add-on servlet engines utilized by Loftware in the development of the WebClient are Jakarta's Tomcat and Allaire's JRun 3.0.
Symbology - Grouped bar and space patterns used to represent different characters, designed to meet the needs of a specific application or industry. Refer to the advanced bar code symbologies that are supported by Loftware that include PDF 417, Maxicode, MicroPDF, Datamatrix, PostNet, QR, TLC39, RSS Symbologies.
T
Tag Display - In Loftware, this is the actual physical tag that will be programmed and attached to an item. The available choices depend on the selected target RFID device. The choices include Alien 96 bit Squiggle, Alien Gen 2 Squiggle, Alien I2 Tag, Alien M Tag, Alien Omni Squiggle, Alien Squiggle, Avery 620 Triflex, Avery AD410, Generic Transponder, Impinj Gen 2 (Monza) Banjo, Impinj Gen 2 (Monza) Propeller, Philips I-Code, Philips I-Code ISO 15693, Rafsec Psychedelic, Symbol X1060, Symbol X2020, TI Gen 2 (Dallas), TI Tag-it, TI Tag-it ISO 15693.
Tag Types - Classes of EPC tags, Tag Type determines the frequency range, the number and the size of data blocks. In Loftware, the available choices depend on the selected target RFID device. Supported UHF Gen 1 tag types include UHF 64-bit Class 1, UHF 96-bit Class 1, UHF 96-bit Class 0+, UHF UCODE EPC 1.19, and UHF ISO 18000-6B. Supported UHF Class 1 Gen 2 tag types include Impinj UHF Gen2 (Monza) and TI UHF Gen 2 (Dallas). Supported HF tag types include Philips HF I-Code, Philips HF I-Code ISO 15693, TI HF Tag-it, TI HF Tag-it ISO 15693.
TCP/IP Socket Interface - A synchronous interface to the LPS that allows submission of a print job, acknowledgement of the print job, and any delays or errors related to the print job. It is much more informative than file-transfer or direct socket solutions, and allows you more control in the customization process. Due to the synchronous nature of this integration method, no other jobs may be submitted until a response is received back for a particular request. The Loftware Connector uses the TCP/IP socket to bridge UNIX applications to the LPS. All Loftware printing clients, including the ActiveX and .NET controls, also use the socket interface.
TLC39 - A "composite" symbology designed for the telecommunications Industry. TLC39 combines a Code 39 symbol, encoding a part number (for items such as plug-in boards at central switching stations) with a "linked" MicroPDF417 symbol encoding a serial number and other optional information.
U
UCC Code 128 - An extremely versatile, variable length symbology that can encode all 128 ASCII characters through the use of 106 unique character patterns.
UCC-128 SSCC Barcode - A common variation of UCC Code128 which, as a minimum, includes a terminator character, an application identifier, user data, and two check digits (a Modulus 103 and a Modulus 10 check character).
W
WDPING / WDLOG - Loftware utilities that allow checking the status of printing systems to see if they are working correctly. Both utilities are installed to the "Program Files\Loftware Labeling" subdirectory by default. When invoked from a command prompt, they display information on the screen based on the parameters supplied. For example, WDPing -b would broadcast a "find LPS servers" message across the NT network and returns the ComputerName and IP Address of any Loftware servers that are currently running.
Web Push (i-Push) / Web Listener - Loftware's technology allows one server-side application to control label printers anywhere in the world. The Loftware Web Push "pushes" print streams across the Internet to a Web Listener application. The Web Listener is a client-side application that receives "pushed" print streams from the Loftware Print Server (LPS) across the Internet and prints to locally configured or TCP/IP connected Printers. With i-Push, no client site intervention is needed; all the label requests are triggered from a server side application. Labels are "pushed" to vendor sites or satellite offices across the Internet, without the need for expensive WAN connections. See also Web Client (i-Pull), Internet ActiveX Control (iX).
WebClient (i-Pull) - A thin On-Demand Print client that initiates a request to generate the label. The Web Client connects to the Loftware Print Server (LPS) and prints across the Internet. The difference between Web Push technology and Web Client (i-Pull) is that with the Web Client, the print request is triggered from the client site. The On-Demand Print Client runs on a LAN or WAN and does not need a web server. On the other hand, the WebClient runs across the Internet, but a web server is required to run it. See also Web Push (i-Push), Internet ActiveX Control (iX)
