The 1.4.0.5 version of cablabel S3 provides, among other things, new wrap-around labels samples, used for example with the WICON applicator for the SQUIX MP printers.
These are available in the samples folder provided with the software, at following location:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\cab\stc\Samples\E48 wrapping

The label creator wizard has also been enriched with these new formats, showing their dimensions and part numbers, as well as the recommended transfer ribbons.

To update cablabel S3, download the Setup from our website, then start the install over your actual version:
cab label software cablabel S3

You want to use the data of a CSV file in cablabel S3 Pro? Here are the main steps to configure this specific connection.

Attention: Microsoft Office associates for example the CSV files with Excel, although it is not the same format as XLS or XLSX files. For this reason, it is not possible to use in cablabel S3 Pro an Excel connection to connect to a CSV file.

Define the folder hosting the CSV file, then copy or create the “schema.ini” file in this same folder.

The “schema.ini” file, which can be modified with a text editor, contains the structure of the CSV data file and must always remain in the same folder as this one.

• [filename.csv] ⇒ Name and extension of the data file.
• ColNameHeader ⇒ “True” or “False” to indicate whether or not the 1^st row of data contains the column names.
• Format ⇒ Character that delimits the columns. For example “TabDelimited” for the tab character, “CSVDelimited” for the comma or “Delimited(;)” for any other character except double quotation marks (").
• MaxScanRows ⇒ Number of rows to scan to determine the column types, with “0” to scan the whole file.
• CharacterSet ⇒ Encoding of the CSV file. For example “ANSI” by default or “65001” for UTF-8.
• Coln ⇒ Name of column “n” as well as the type and the length of its data. For cablabel S3 Pro, raw data in text form should be preferred.

Start the tool “C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe” for Windows in 64-bit or “C:\Windows\System32\odbcad32.exe” for Windows in 32-bit.

Then add a new “System Data Source” and select the driver “Microsoft Text Driver (*.txt ; *.csv)”.

• Data Source Name ⇒ Enter a free name.
• Description ⇒ Optional.
• Directory ⇒ Uncheck “Use Current Directory” and “Select Directory” prepared in step 1.

Add in the label an OLE DB connection and click on button “…” to start the connection string wizard.

Then select the provider “Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers” and use the data source configured in step 2.

Finally create the data query as usual. After that, the data from the CSV file can be used by the objects of the label.

Download example file for cablabel S3 Pro:

• SQUIX 4 (ZIP, 75 KB)

The 1.4.0.3 version of cablabel S3 Pro provides all the functionality needed to support the RFID printers and labels. Here is an overview of the new possibilities described in the Operator’s manual of software.

This new tab specific to RFID devices, allows especially to configure the read / write position and power, as well as to specify the access password when the RFID labels are protected.

This new datasources allow to read the data of an RFID label, which can be located in the TID memory, the EPC memory and the User memory. And as with the other available datasources, they can be used in the different objects of the designer.

This new plugin allows to configure the writing of EPC memory, as well as to configure the reading and writing of user memory.
It is also possible to set an access password to protect the RFID labels and to specify the lock level of the different memories.

Notice: in order to benefit from the features provided by the addition of this new plugin, a reactivation of the software is required after its update.

cab publishes two online tutorials for the label software cablabel S3. The tutorials are presented by Heike Thoma, cab Support. The following topics are presented:

• How to set up a label corretly
• How to insert an Excel file

https://www.cab.de/en/info/tutorials/cablabel/

The human readable text is usually placed under the barcode, in order to reveal us its content in a readable way. It is an integral part of the barcode and adapts automatically according to the dimensions defined for the object in the designer of cablabel S3. It is therefore not possible to move or configure this human readable text directly.

Here is how you can separate and customize the human readable text of a barcode:

1. Disable first the human readable text in the barcode properties.

2. Then create a new text object, having as datasource the barcode. This text object is now linked to the barcode and automatically takes its value.

3. Finally move or configure this new text in the label as you wish.

To go further, it is also possible to reverse the roles of the barcode and the text object. Namely, to select this time the text object as datasource of the barcode. This allows especially to have a single datasource in common for all the barcodes of this label, thus avoiding the individual modification of the value in the properties of each barcode.

Attention: in this second case, the value entered in the text object must comply with the capabilities of the barcode. Otherwise it may cause errors in cablabel S3 or on the printer, because the barcode may not be displayed on the screen or printed on the label.

Download example files for cablabel S3 Lite and Pro:

• Text object having as datasource the barcode (STC, 170 KB)
• Barcode having as datasource the text object (STC, 190 KB)

In addition to the GHS symbols, the latest versions of the cablabel S3 also contain other vector images in SVG format. These are used especially for conformity, packaging, recycling, resin identification and textile.

All pictograms provided with the software, are available in the picture gallery at following location:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\cab\stc\Gallery

Download example file for cablabel S3 Pro:

• Pictograms (STC, 245 KB)

It is possible to create a QR code with a picture, without altering its readability and its content. This is achievable thanks to its error correction system. Here is how you can design one with cablabel S3:

1. Create first the QR code as usual.
2. And select in its properties, the highest error level “H”.

3. Then insert the picture and place it above the QR code.
4. Finally, select and “Pack” the QR code and the picture, to send the objects to the printer as one picture.

Warning: the picture must not hide the 3 squares in the corners, which are necessary for reading the code.

Notice: it is also strongly recommended to print the label, to verify the readability of the QR code and the integrity of the data.

Download example file for cablabel S3 Lite and Pro:

• QR code with a picture (STC, 265 KB)

The 1.4.0.0 version of cablabel S3 Pro provides the possibility to upload the content of a database on a memory media (SD card, USB memory stick, internal memory IFFS…), to use it in standalone mode.

Attention: this feature is only available starting from X4 CPU printers.

Before to perform this, you first have to create a label with a connection type of Access, Excel or OLE DB and a datasource used by the objects of the label, as if you want to print it from the software.

As an example, we will start from the label “printer_parts.stc” and its database “Devices.mdb”, available in the samples folder provided with cablabel S3 Pro.

In this case, three steps are then necessary, in order to configure this label for the standalone mode:

1. Create of a prompt field of standalone type, which will ask here for the article reference directly on the printer.
   The text object resulting from this prompt field can either be deleted or replace the original text linked to the article reference of the datasource.

2. Change the query for the data used by the objects of the label and add a selection filter (SQL keyword WHERE) on the article reference.
   For this select in the list the previously created prompt field, to extract only the data matching to the entry in standalone mode.

3. Create a new query to specify all the data to be transferred in standalone mode.
   For this you need just to select the same fields from the database, as those used in the first query, but this time without the filter.
   
   Notice: the data from all the datasources created in the label are be transferred in standalone mode. But as in this case the first query is now filtered on a record, it is necessary to create this second query to select all the data to be transferred in standalone mode.

Finally save the label to a memory media of the printer as usually and check in addition the option to upload the data in standalone mode.

Good to know: the data transferred in standalone mode are saved in an SQLite file. This data file can for example be edited with the “DB Browser for SQLite” software.

Download example file for cablabel S3 Pro:

• Label configured for the standalone mode (STC, 175 KB)

The orientation

The layout orientation allows to turn the label entirely on the screen, in order to have better working comfort in cablabel S3. This orientation is only visual and does not change the printout.

Notice: cab printers are configured by default in portrait orientation.

Thus, when you need for example to place most of the objects perpendicular to the width, it makes more sense to change the layout orientation, than to rotate each object individually.

In this case you need:

• Either to click on the or icon in the ruler of designer.
• Or to define the layout orientation to landscape in the page setup of label.

As seen in the 1^st part, the size of a label is independent of its orientation. Thereby, cablabel S3 permits to define a layout in portrait orientation, which is wider than high. While it is not always as easy and sometimes even impossible with other software.

Moreover, there is also the possibility to really turn the printout. The setting provided for this purpose is located in the “Image output” tab of the device settings.

Depending on the selected angle, the position and the rotation of each object of the label will be automatically recalculated in the Jscript code. This allows especially:

• To rotate the label, in order to adapt it to the printing width of the printer or to the ribbon width.
• To choose the unwinding direction of the labels, when they are rewound after printing.
• To orient the printed label for labeling with an applicator, depending on the integration of the printer or the passage of the product.
• To optimize the “printing + barcode verification” cycle, by orienting the label so that the barcode is printed and verified earlier.

Good to know: the “180° rotation” option in the “Printing” tab corresponds to the “O R” JScript command. This option is checked by default, so that the not rotated texts in portrait orientation, are printed in the reading direction.

First create a text object, by filling in the data on one line. When you need to add a line break, do not use the “Enter” key on the keyboard, but instead insert the special character “Carriage Return”, using the character map of cablabel S3 Pro.

Then disable the interpretation of Unicode syntax, to display the text as it is in the software. And if you do not want to print this source text, just make it invisible for printing.

Then create a new text object, having as datasource the text object created previously.
Since the interpretation of Unicode syntax is by default enabled, the text is then displayed over multiple lines, because the carriage return is automatically interpreted by the software.

And of course, this multi line text is printed as shown on the screen (What You See Is What You Get).

Notice: since the content of the multi line text is dynamic, this object is sent to the printer as a picture.

Finally create the barcode, having also as datasource the text object created at first.
In this way, when you need to update the data, only modify the source text. The changes are then automatically propagated to linked objects, in this case the multi line text and the barcode.

Good to know: the carriage return is encoded as well and can possibly be interpreted when reading the barcode. This will depend on used reading device and its configuration.

In order to check the contents of a barcode, you can use an app with the smartphone, but not all show the special characters. Another method is to simply connect a barcode reader to the computer, then to create a new text file with Notepad++ and to show all characters.

Finally, this DataMatrix can then be used to automatically fill in the input fields of another label, for example in cablabel S3 Print or even in standalone mode. Thus the operator will perform only one action, that is reading the barcode, instead of having to fill in and validate individually each prompt field.

Attention: in this case, it is strongly recommended to first configure the barcode reader, in order to add a delay after the validation of a prompt field. Because depending on the response time of the computer or the printer, the read information may arrive too fast to be processed correctly.

Download example files for cablabel S3 Pro:

• DataMatrix to read (STC, 150 KB)
• Label to fill (STC, 130 KB)