PRINTER CONFIGURATION PROGRAM

Allows customers to communicate from a PC (or Mac) to the printer over any interface (parallel, serial, USB, Ethernet). To access file: Download the appropriate executable file to your PC (zip file for a Mac) and run the setup program.  After installation, use the "configure boca.exe" file (customer.app for a Mac) to download program updates, upgrade the printer configuration and set selected printer functions.  (NOTE: If you have previously installed this program before, you must uninstall the previous installation before installing the new version.)

PARALLEL INTERFACES

The speed of the parallel interface has increased dramatically over the past 10 years.  As a result, many older printers (prior to FGL20) which previously interfaced reliably with older PC’s are susceptible to communication errors when connected to newer, faster computers.  We suggest exercising caution when upgrading computers used with pre-FGL20 printers.  NOTE: The computer speed does not effect serial interfaces which run at a fixed speed, independent of the computer speed.

 Soft Font Conversion

We recommend trying FontLab Studio from fontlab.com.

 BOCA Image Program

Converts TIF files to BOCA graphics format. Downloads PCX files to printer.

TICKET INFORMATION

Top Coat Info

Tickets must be manufactured from top-coated thermal paper to minimize the abrasiveness of the paper. Non top-coated papers are typically abrasive and leave debris on the print head.  The debris may cause the ticket to stick to the print head, particularly in humid conditions.  Poorly top-coated materials react similarly to non top-coated materials.

General Abrasion Info

While good topcoating greatly reduces the inherent abrasiveness of the paper, we have found occasional deficiencies in the topcoating of even the best thermal papers.  Fortunately, we have determined that covering the ticket with thermal ink provides good abrasion protection when the topcoating is insufficient.  Therefore, we strongly recommend that the entire surface of the ticket be covered with quality thermal inks to protect the print head from the effects of defective topcoatings.  The best way to accomplish this is to cover the ticket with transparent white ink.

Optical Characteristics

The printer senses the ticket by shining an infra-red beam of light off of the rear of the ticket and looking for its reflection.  White ticket material is expected to reflect the light back while a properly printed black mark is expected to absorb the light.  Certain materials (thin paper, label carrier paper and certain plastics) are partially transparent and may fail to provide sufficient reflected light.  These materials also provide an environment where black printing on the face of the ticket may absorb the light and be mistaken by the printer as a black mark.  Therefore, we recommend avoiding the use of black inks in the path of the optical sensor on both the front and rear of the ticket when using one of the special materials discussed in this section.

We recommend testing all new ticket designs involving plastics or thin materials on your printers prior to purchasing production quantities.

Inks and Operating Conditions

The maximum operating conditions (temperature and humidity) are limited by the characteristics of the ticket material.  All quality thermal inks will operate properly in an office environment.  However, the use of inks on the thermal side of the ticket may drop the maximum allowed relative humidity to as low as 70%.

White Inks

Opaque white inks should never be used on the thermal side of the ticket. These inks are highly abrasive to the print head.

Black Inks

Black inks should never be used on the thermal side of the ticket. These inks are highly abrasive to the print head.

Plastic/Synthetic Tickets

Plastics are naturally slippery. Carefully evaluate all plastic materials to avoid registration problems caused by poor traction.  Under certain conditions, plastic tickets may build up a disruptive amount of static electricity.  We recommend avoiding the printing of large batches of unseparated plastic tickets. Cutting and/or tearing off the tickets help to dissipate the static charge without disturbing the printer's operation. 

Backcoated and Shiny Tickets

Backcoated and shiny materials are naturally slippery and should be avoided whenever possible.  The addition of inks to backcoated/shiny materials will further degrade traction.  Carefully evaluate all backcoated/shiny materials in combination with the inks to avoid registration problems caused by poor traction.

Metallic Inks

Metallic inks are more slippery than regular inks, particularly when combined with backcoated/shiny materials.  Please use extreme care in evaluating the ink/paper combination in regard to traction.  Metallic inks are translucent.  The use of metallic inks on the thermal side should be carefully evaluated as these inks will prevent the clear imaging of the thermal printing.

Embossing

Thermal tickets should never be embossed.  Embossing destroys the smooth surface essential to reliably transfer heat from the thermal head to the ticket.

UV Ink Warning

UV inks are being used with increased frequency due to their inherently bolder colors and glossiness. The glossy nature of UV ink frequently leads to paper feed problems. Great care must be taken to avoid UV formulations that stick to the print head.  On plastic surfaces, the use of UV ink on the rear can lead to slippage.

Foils and Holograms

We have noticed the increased usage of foils and holograms. Please note that foils and holograms must be carefully evaluated for compatibility with our printers.  Special consideration should be given in the areas of abrasiveness (thermal side), stickiness (thermal side) and traction (non-thermal side).

Shiny Ink/Paper Warning

We have noticed the increased usage of shiny inks and paper. Please note that the black mark must be printed with a dull ink to guarantee a non-glossy appearance. The use of a glossy black mark will prevent the proper operation of the optical sensors.

Thick Ticket Materials

All BOCA printers are normally configured to print properly on .007" ticket stock. This allows the printers to operate properly on ticket stock thicknesses between .004" and .009" thick. Printing on thicker ticket materials may result in poor quality printing. A ticket printed on a printer set for thinner stock will image inconsistently, as if insufficient pressure were placed on the ticket. Please notify BOCA prior to purchasing your printer if you intend to print on thick tickets.

Rounded Corners

Rounded corners are sometimes used on credit card size magnetic tickets.  The rounded corners at the edge of the ticket may assist the user in placing the ticket into a reading device.  However, rounded corners may increase the chances of a ticket jam in the printer.  The use of rounded corners internal to the ticket (particularly in the first 1.3 inches of the ticket) is strongly discouraged.  Internal rounded corners have a tendency to bend up and get caught under the print head resulting in print head damage.

General Ticket Handling

The face of thermal ticket stock has a tendency to adhere to itself.  This is particularly noticeable on tickets packaged in insert boxes.  As a precautionary measure, we recommend gently hitting the individual ticket boxes on the counter prior to inserting the tickets into the printer.  For best results, the insert box should be hit both on the front and the rear.  This procedure is generally unnecessary with tickets packaged with paper banding.

General Ticket Information

BOCA manufactures a full line of ticket products.  All BOCA tickets are produced using the best materials (papers, inks, etc), equipment and manufacturing practices.  In consideration of these factors, we stand behind our tickets with our free replacement print head policy (for printers exclusively using BOCA tickets).  Please note that this policy only applies to tickets manufactured by BOCA.  The use of BOCA supplied materials in the manufacture of tickets by third parties neither indicates the quality of the resulting tickets nor implies that the resulting tickets are in any way approved by BOCA.   NOTE:  600 dpi print heads are not covered by the free head replacement policy.

General Label Information

Die cut labels are recommended for all BOCA printers.  Butt cut labels are not acceptable for use with cutters.  Choose the release liner carefully to avoid premature label removal.  High release liners are recommended.

Magnetics

While paper and ink characteristics are important on any ticket, the quality of the ticket is more critical on magnetic applications where any loss of registration can result in bad magnetic encoding.  Any slippage and/or adhesion caused by the use of incompatible inks or paper will result in erratic printer operation.

Ticket Analysis

BOCA will analyze ticket samples at a cost of $500.00 per sample.  The tickets will be evaluated for abrasiveness, thermal print quality and rear traction.  Other factors, such environmental compatibility, will not be part of the standard evaluation procedure.  Please note that the analysis results relate only to the actual samples evaluated.  No certifications of ticket stock or ticket vendors will be provided.  The evaluation fee will be waived for evaluations requested by active BOCA customers.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

 Keep platen clean

 Clean platen with alcohol to maintain good traction

Keep optos clean

 Periodically wipe dust off of the optos

MAG Printers Require Regular Cleaning

 Clean the printer every three or four months in accordance with our maintenance procedures.  Special attention should be paid to the burster area when using laminated ticket materials (HS1, P11 and other plastics).  The cleaning procedures are found directly below.

TOP Encoding Printers           BOTTOM Encoding Printers

SOFTWARE REVISIONS

Latest Revision

Comments

 FGL46

 FGL46G51 / F46SB04

Ethernet users should update to at least G34

 FGL44 or MAG44

 FGL44C10 / F44SA00
FGL44G51 / F44SB02

Ethernet users should update to at least C9

 FGL42 or MAG42

FGL42E35 / F42SA01

 HP42

 HP42E35 / F42SH00

 FGL Mag42

MAG42E35 / F42SA01

Consult factory before updating code

Font Name

File Name

Size

Bitmap

Encoding (char set)

Code Page

Font

SIMPLIFIED CHINESE

Mainland - (Hiragana, full-width Katakana, Greek and Chinese) with English

EUC

(GB-2312-80)

SIMPLIFIED CHINESE

Unicode version (needs symbol table)

ebfive24.sfp

with unctob5.sy

SImplified Chinese GBK

 Mainland - (Hiragana, full-width Katakana,

Greek and Chinese)with English

Simplified Chinese GBK

Unicode version (needs symbol table)

egbkss.sfp

with unc2gbk.sy

2,042,048 +

131,100

TRADITIONAL CHINESE

Taiwan - (Hiragana, full-width Katakana, Greek and Chinese) with English

ebfive24.sfp

TRADITIONAL CHINESE Unicode version (needs symbol table)

ebfive24.sfp

with unctob5.sy

JAPANESE (Hiragana, full-width Katakana, Greek, Cyrillic and Kanji) with English

EUC

JIS X-0208-1990

JAPANESE (Hiragana, full-width Katakana, Greek, Cyrillic and Kanji) with English

SJIS

JIS X-0208-1990

JAPANESE Unicode version

(needs symbol table)

Korean (Hangul set)