DevicesUsing a Recall-Only Driver

Recall-only drivers only perform recall operations, and store operations are not possible; therefore, you cannot send a label template from Spectrum to the device. Instead, you use third-party software (usually provided by your device manufacturer) to design labels and download them to your device, then use a label template in Spectrum to define the variable data fields. When you print that label template to a recall-only driver, the driver selects the preloaded label in your printer and updates your variable fields.

Requirements and Information for Recall-Only Drivers

  • You must have a third-party label designer software for designing your label template and downloading them to your printer.
  • You must know the name of the label template that exists on the printer, as well as the name of the variable data fields associated with the template.
  • The names of the label template and variable fields in Spectrum must exactly match those on the printer.
  • Some devices use different terminology to refer to the label template. For example, direct marking printers use the term message.
  • If you are using a REST endpoint, Spectrum adds the following keys to the data map indicating the use of a recall-only driver:
    • /!PRINTEROPERATION!
    • /!STOREVARIANT!

Print Using a Recall-Only Driver

To print using a recall-only driver, do the following.

  1. Design your label templates with your third-party designer. Use variable objects (text and barcodes) for all your dynamic data (data that changes). Create unique variable names.
  2. Download your label templates to your printers using your third-party application. Use unique file names for your downloaded label templates.
  3. In Spectrum, create a new label template in Label Design Label Design. Match your Spectrum label template file names to their corresponding third-party label template names.
  4. Add Fixed Text, Variable Text, Barcode, and/or Image (if supported) fields to the label template. Match the Name of each field in Spectrum to the corresponding variable names in your third-party label template.

    Note: Label size, text size, orientation, and object positions are not important here because the label template is already stored on your printer. Spectrum is only being used to define the variable data fields.

  5. On the device in Spectrum, ensure the Store Variant setting on the Advanced tab is set to Recall.
  6. Open the new label template in Print Print. You can click Preview to view the data to be printed (this will look different from the actual printed label because the label template is stored on your printer).
  7. Click Print. Spectrum prints your third-party labels using your recall-only driver.