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Item Labels

This chapter contains the following topics:

Introduction to Item Labels

Printing Location Grids

Creating Label Layouts

Viewing Labels

Printing Layout Lists

Testing Label Layouts

Copying Label Layouts

Introduction to Item Labels

This selection allows you to create inventory labels of your own design. You can specify which inventory information (fields) to show on the label and the exact arrangement (layout) of that information on the label.

Although you will probably use Item labels most of the time to create labels that attach to and identify your inventory items, it can also be used to create an index of your inventory on 3" x 5" index cards, inventory fact sheets, and customized lists of inventory information.

This chapter is for designing, viewing, testing and copying label formats. If you have a label format and you are ready to print labels see Printing Item Labels in the Items chapter.

Bar code labels cannot be generated via the PBS item labels. See note below:

Usually, you would follow these steps in creating an item label:

This chapter describes how to create a label in the same sequence as outlined above.

Selecting Item Labels

Select

Item labels from the I/C menu.

Printing Location Grids

Although Location grid is not the first selection on the menu, it is normally the first function to use when you begin designing a new item label.

A location grid consists of column and row markers printed on top of one of your labels (or one of your label sheets), to be used as an aid in laying out the overall design of the label.

Use the location grid as a worksheet to help you to establish the exact location (the row and column) of each field and piece of text that you intend to print on the label. Mark the positions of your fields and text on the grid and, later, use it as a guide when entering the label layout.

Select

Location grid from the Item labels menu.

The following screen displays:

Enter the information as follows:

1. # of rows to print (top to bottom)

Enter the number of rows you want to print on the grid, or press <F2> for five rows on each label.

2. # of print columns (left to right)

Enter the number of columns you want printed on the grid, or press <F2> for 35 print columns on each label.

Make any needed changes and press <Enter> to print the label grid. Insert your label or label sheet in the printer. Follow the screen instructions to print the location grid.

Creating Label Layouts

The Layout selection allows you to enter all of the specifications needed to define the size of your labels, the number of labels across the label sheet, and which I/C Item fields will print on the label.

To assist you in answering some of the questions in the following screens, use the location grid on which you have designed your label.

Two screens are used:

Select

Layout from the Item labels menu.

The following screen displays:

General Appearance of Labels

On this screen you identify this label layout with a number and description, and define its general appearance.

From this screen you can work with both new and existing label layouts. If a label layout exists for the label number you specify, that label layout appears and is available for changes or deletion.

Enter the following information:

1. Label #

Enter a number to identify this label layout.

Options 

You may also use one of the options:

2. Description

Enter a description for this label layout.

3. # of labels across page (max 4)

Enter the number of labels to print across the page (label sheet), up to 4 labels.

4. # lines per label (max 66)

Enter the number of lines (rows) to print on a label, up to 66 lines.

5. # lines between labels

Enter the number of lines to skip between labels. (For most labels this is 1 line.)

6. # columns per label (max 132)

Enter the number of columns (at 10 cpi) to print for a label, up to 132 columns.

7. Starting column for 1st label

Enter the starting column number for the first label. This column number determines the distance from the left the printing will start on your label sheet.

Fields eight, nine, and ten display only if you entered 2, 3, or 4 (respectively) at field # 3.

8. Starting column for 2nd label

This field only appears if you specified (in field #3 above) that more than one label is to be printed across the sheet.

Enter the starting column for the second label. This column number must be at least the starting column for the first label, plus the number of columns per label (field #6 above) plus 1.

9. Starting column for 3rd label

This field only appears if you specified (in field #3 above) that more than 2 labels are to be printed across the sheet.

Enter the starting column for the third label. This column number defaults to the starting column for the second label, plus the number of columns per label (field # 6 above).

10. Starting column for 4th label

This field only appears if you specified (in field #3 above) that four labels are to be printed across the sheet.

Enter the starting column for the fourth label. This column number defaults to the starting column for the third label, plus the number of columns per label (field #6 above).

Press <Enter> to terminate the description of the label as a whole, and start the description of the individual fields.

Located at the bottom of this screen is a window showing the first 10 fields available for you layout. To view the remainder, press <PgDn>.

It makes no difference in what order you enter information into the fields. A field must be visible in the window before it can be entered. Each field is entered on a separate screen. When all a label’s fields have been defined, press <Esc> to return to the menu.

The exact format of this screen will vary depending upon the nature of the field currently being described. Examples of all formats are shown below:

1. Field #

Enter the number of the field name that you want to select for the label.

Options 

You may also use one of the following options:

Some fields are optional and may not be present for your company; those not present are omitted from the window seen on the screen, and the remainder are renumbered.

The screen now displays as follows:

This screen enables you to specify where to print the selected field (item number) and how you want it to look when it is printed.

The appearance of this screen below Row and Column depends on what type of field you have selected. A field will be one of three types, depending on the type of information that it contains:

Alphanumeric fields

may contain any combination of letters, digits, and special symbols.

Date fields

only contain dates.

Numeric fields

only contain digits, along with any decimal points, minus signs or parentheses (for negative numbers), and commas.

Numeric fields only contain digits, along with any decimal points, minus signs or parentheses (for negative numbers), and commas.

Date fields only contain dates.

Alphanumeric Fields

Enter the information for an alphanumeric field as follows:

2. Row

Specify the row in which to print this field.

3. Column

Specify the starting column in which to print this field.

4. Length to print (maximum = nn)

Enter the number of characters you want to print in this field, up to the maximum number shown, or press <Enter> for the maximum length of the field allowed by the software.

5. Justify

Justify means to adjust characters within the space allowed. Enter one of the following:

The screen now displays as follows:

When you press <Enter> at Field number to change ?, you are returned to Field # for selection of another field.

Next, we will use the Item average cost. Select this by entering 16, and the screen now displays as follows:

Numeric Fields

The choices for a numeric field depend on the characteristics of that particular field (for example, its maximum length, if negative numbers are allowed, if it has any decimal places, etc.).

Item average cost is a numeric field.

Fields #5 through #7 appear only as needed. For example, Item average cost allows fractional and negative values. Vendor lead time, however, does not, so fields #6 and #7 do not appear.

4. Number of integers

Enter the number of integers (digits to the left of the decimal point) you want to print in this field, up to the maximum shown, or press <Enter> for the maximum shown.

5. Use commas?

If commas are not appropriate for a particular field, you are not given the option of using commas.

Answer Y to use commas when printing this field on a label.

6. Decimals

If the field has no decimal places, this choice does not appear.

Enter the number of decimal places you want to print, up to the maximum shown, or press <Enter> for the maximum shown.

7. Show negative with

If this field cannot contain a negative value, this choice displays (Not applicable.)

Options 

Enter one of the following:

on left or right?

If you select to show negative numbers with a minus sign

Options 

Enter one of the following:

Print where?

If you select to show negative numbers with parentheses.

Options 

Enter one of the following:

8. Print when zero?

Answer Y to print a zero when the number is zero. Answer N to leave the field blank when the number is zero.

The screen now displays as follows:

Now press <Enter> at Field number to change ?, so that you are back at Field #, ready to select another field. Select Last sale on (item). First you will first have to press <PgDn> until this field is visible.

The following screen displays:

Date Fields

If you select a date field, such as Last sale on (item), the screen will have the above appearance.

Enter the row and column in the same way as for an alphanumeric field.

Then specify the format to use when printing the date:

4. Date format to use

Enter one of these choices for how the date is to be printed:

MM represents the month number. (January = 1, December = 12). MMM represents the month abbreviation (January = JAN).

When you enter your choice, the Will look like: field on the right side of the screen shows how the date will look. The length of the field displays so you will know how much room this field will occupy on the label.

The screen now displays as follows:

Viewing Labels

While entering the label layout, you can press <F1> to view a picture of the label. This will give you an idea of the appearance of your label.

The width of the label is your entry for # columns per label, and the number of lines is your entry for # lines per label.

Press <F1> to view your label. A screen similar to this displays:

Options 

Use one of the following options:

Press <Esc> and then press <Enter> to display the following screen:

Inserting Label Text

You can enter text and position it where you want it to print on each label. For instance, you would probably want to print the text Item #: next to the Item number field on each label. You can also use this option to print dashed lines (---------------) or symbols on your labels.

To insert text, press <Enter> at Field #.

This enables you to enter text and position it where you want it to print for each label. For instance, you might want to print the caption Item #, next to the item number field on each label.

Enter text information as follows:

1. Field #

Text appears in this field, to indicate that you are working with text rather than fields.

2. Row

Enter the row in which you want the text to print.

3. Column

Enter the column in which you want the text to begin printing.

A ruler appears, with numbers starting at the column you specified above, and extending up to 40 columns. The ruler stops at the right-hand edge of your label, and thus may be shorter than 40 columns.

4. Text

Enter the exact text you want to appear in that location.

5. Suppress ?

Answer Y if you want the text to be suppressed (not printed) when some field (to be specified next) is zero or blank. Answer N if you want to suppress the text.

For example, suppose you had specified that the text Vendor-# would be printed next to the Vendor number field value on your label. To prevent the Vendor-# text from printing for items that have no vendor, you would answer Y here.

Field #

If you answered Y to Suppress?, enter the number of the field that, when zero or blank, will cause the text not to print.

If you have not already selected this field to print on the label, you get a warning message. However, your choice is still accepted. Make a note to select the field later. The field you select here must also be selected to print on the label.

Changing or Deleting Text

To delete a text entry, or change the location or wording of text you have entered, display the text screen by pressing <Enter> at Field #.

A screen similar to this displays:

A window shows information on the text entries already entered.

To delete a text entry, enter its row and column number, then press <F3>.

To change the wording of the text, enter its row and column number, select field #4, and enter the new wording. You can also change the Suppress? information by selecting field #5 and entering a new answer or new field number.

To change the row or column in which the text starts, enter its current row and column numbers. Then select field number 2 or 3 and enter the new row or column number.

Modifying Fields

Sometimes you may need to change the appearance or print location of a field that you have already selected to appear on your label. This section describes how to change a field's appearance or location, delete it, or print it in additional locations on the label.

The first step is to select the field you want to modify by entering its number at Field #.

The screen now displays as follows:

The Field usage window shows how many times you have used this particular field in your label and where you have used it. You can use each field up to four times. In this example, Item number has only been used one time - in row 2, column 10.

Now select the usage of the field you wish to modify by entering its row in Row, and its column number in Column.

For instance, if you choose Row 2, Column 13 in this example and change the column to column 16, the screen displays similar to this:

Use Field number to change ? to change any of the information about this field,

Options 

You may also use the options:

After making changes, press <Enter> at Field number to change ? and you will be back at Field # ready to select another field.

Printing Fields

You can print any field in up to 4 different locations on the label.

To use a field again, enter its number at Field #.

The screen now displays similar to the following:

Enter the new location (row and column), and the remaining information to specify how to print the field in its new location. When you print your labels, this field will print in all of the locations that you have specified.

Printing Layout Lists

This selection prints a report that lists the label layouts you have entered for one or more label formats. For each label layout listed, it shows you the label's general appearance information and the information specifying the appearance and location of each field on the label.

After you have entered all of the layout information for your label, we recommend that you print this report so that you can view all of the layout specifications together at once. Based on the information in the report, you can make adjustments and corrections to your label layout before using Test to print a test label.

Select

Layout list from the Item labels menu.

Label layouts from the Reports menu accesses the same screen.

The following screen displays:

Starting label # and

Ending label #

Enter the range of label numbers for which to print the list. Follow the screen instructions.

Print each form on separate page

Check this box to print each format on a new page. Otherwise, leave it unchecked.

In character mode answer Y to print each format on a new page. Otherwise, answer N.

OK or Cancel

Select OK to select a printer or Cancel to not print and return to the menu.

Testing Label Layouts

Use this selection to test your label layout. It will print a test label, substituting X’s for each field that you have selected to print on the label.

For example, if you have selected the Item number field to appear in row 1 at column 12, and to print its full length of 15 characters, the test label will have XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX printed on row 1, starting at column 12.

This feature is useful for verifying a new label layout prior to actual use and for checking printer alignment.

Select

Test from the Item labels menu.

The following screen displays:

Enter the following information:

Label to test

Enter the number of the layout you want to test.

Options 

You may also use the options:

You will be prompted with Any change?. Make any needed change. If you enter N, the test label will print.

Copying Label Layouts

This selection copies a label layout to a new one.

You can use this selection to quickly produce a new label layout by copying an existing layout that is similar to the new one. After copying the label, tailor the new layout as described in the Modifying Fields section.

Select

Copy from the Item labels menu.

The following screen displays:

Enter the following information:

1. Copy from layout #

Enter the number of the layout you wish to copy.

Options 

You may also use the following options:

2. Copy to layout #

Enter the number to assign to the new layout. You may not copy over an existing layout.

Make any needed changes. When you press <Enter>, the layout is copied. A message informs you that processing is occurring.