Overview

A TID is a unique serial number on an RFID tag. This information can now be recorded in the log file as well as printed on the label itself by using a special Field Indicator which is replaced by the driver during print time.

Applicable to 

Drivers by Seagull version 2022.2 and later

Zebra, SATO, IDP, and Printronix AutoID printer models that support the RFID read command

Driver Version Required if Not Using Seagull Drivers

Zebra  - ZPL Driver version 2022.2 or later

SATO - SAT Driver version 2022.3 or later

Printronix - PGL Driver version 2023.3 or later

Honeywell (IDP) - IDP Driver version 2024.1 or later

Information

Calibrate your printer with the media and RFID tags you plan to use. Each printer model may require a different method, so refer to your printer's manual on which step needs to be completed first. Without calibration, your tags will likely print VOID.

Exposing the TID for BarTender to Use

Configure RFID settings to expose the TID to BarTender to use. This involves configuring a printer command field inside the driver itself. You will need access to the driver to configure these settings. These configurations are printer-and driver-specific and will need to be added to each driver configuration where you want to expose the TID.

1. Start in the Control Panel by selecting Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click on the driver and go to Printer Properties.
   • You can also access this menu inside BarTender Designer by selecting File > Print and clicking the Printer Properties... button.
3. Click on the Tools tab.
4. Click the Configure dropdown menu.
5. Click Set Printer Command Field...

5. Click the Printer Command Field dropdown menu.
6. Select New RFID Data Field.

In the dialog, fill out these fields:

• Field ID: this will be used to identify the printer field in BarTender.
• Encoder Type: choose the type that matches your chip.
• Location: only TID is supported at this time.
• Start Block: Set the block at which the data encoding begins.
• Byte to Read: Set the bytes to be read.
• Data Format: Both hexadecimal and text are supported. As of the release of BarTender 2022 R8, EPC+ (TDS 2.0) schemes are available as well.

Once you have filled out all the data to your liking, click OK to close the dialog. Note that you will now have a field listed for RFID in your Printer Command Fields dialog.

Make a note of the Field Indicator on this dialog before closing this and the Properties dialog.

In BarTender, use that Field Indicator to place the TID on the label. During print time, the driver will see this Field Indicator and replace it with the actual TID without the need for any interaction.

1. Open BarTender Designer and create a new label, using the printer you configured as the label's printer.
2. Add an object onto the label such as a text object.
3. Leave the data source type as Embedded Data.
4. Enter the Field Indicator into the text field exactly as written in the Printer Command Fields dialog, minding spaces and upper/lower case.

Adding Logging to Record the TID

Logging will record the TID in a text document. You can use this to keep track of the TIDs used while printing using this printer and driver. These logs are printer- and driver-specific, so each printer will need this turned on.

1. Right-click on the driver in Devices and Printers (or in the Print dialog in BarTender Designer) and go to Printer Properties.
2. Click the Tools tab.
3. Click the Logging Options button to open the logging dialog.
4. From the Log dropdown menu, select New Log to open the Job Logging Wizard. Click Next to begin.
5. Select Log Every Page as your frequency option. Otherwise, RFIDTIDData won't be available below.
6. Name your log and then click Next.

7. Select the format you would like the logs to be in and click Next. CSV is the default.
8. Specify the directory and how logs should be organized.
9. Click Finish to close the wizard and open the logging parameters dialog.
10. Click on the Fields tab.
11. Click Add Field.

12. Locate the RFIDTIDData field and select it. Only certain printers will have the option.
13. Click OK. This adds the field to the logs.
14. Click OK to close all the dialogs.

When you print, the field will show up in the log files as RFIDTIDData.

Additional Resources

In the dialogs mentioned above, if you find yourself stuck or need more information, simply click on the Help button in the bottom right of the dialog to bring up the matching help documentation.