Oracle MSCA Label Printing:
By using High technology Printers like Zebra Printer (Zebra 810i), we can eliminate usage of third party tools like Loftware.
Pre-Requisite:
Organizations should be WMS enabled.
Approach:
Oracle WMS sends the XML directly to the printer. The label printer is capable of receiving XML that meets Oracle’s label specification and merges with pre-defined label formats to print a label.
XML direct printers work with both Synchronous TCP/IP and Synchronous Generic mode of printing. To enable to print in TCP/IP mode, you need to set ‘WMS Label Print Mode’ to ‘Synchronous – TCP/IP’ and define the TCP/IP IP address and port number for each printer in the network.
List of XML Direct Printers:
List of printers that support this approach are Zebra, Intermec, Cognitive Solutions, Datamax, Toshiba TEC, Printronix and Sato.
Drawbacks:
With ‘XML DIRECT PRINTER’ approach, we cannot print customized labels.
If customer has to print customized labels, it is advised to follow ‘print server partner’ approach.
‘Print server partner’ approach
How to define Label Formats in Oracle:
1) Define Labels
Navigation: Warehouse Manager -> Setup -> Warehouse Configuration -> Printers & Devices -> Define Label Formats
2) Navigation: Warehouse Manager -> Setup -> Warehouse Configuration -> Printers & Devices -> Assign Label Types to Business Flow
3) Once we define Device and assign format, it will be listed out in the Label history.
The XML tag in above screenshot is readable by Zebra printer. Based on the tag information, printer will read the data and perform label printing.
About Direct Printers:
Zebra
We can deploy Zebra thermal printers for printing all the labels. However, Zebra Technologies has embedded an XML parser in its XML-enabled XiIIIPlus printers, so that the printer without additional middleware or server hardware natively understands the output from Oracle WMS and MSCA. ZebraNet Bridge simplifies Label Printing managing a distributed network of printers by allowing us to easily publish a new format to all or some printers at once.
Intermec
Intermec has a ‘Label Loader Utility’, an easy-to-use wizard that guides you through loading the formats to the printers and then testing the format with a generic XML file.
Cognitive Solutions
We can print labels directly with Advantage LX range of printers. However, we need to have knowledge of Cognitive Programming language (CPL) to filter the incoming data and map it the label file stored in the memory of the printer. We can use Nicelabel for designing the label formats.
Datamax
We can print labels directly with I-Class and W-Class printers from DataMax. However, we need to have knowledge of Macro Command Language (MCL) to process the incoming label XML and map it to the label formats stored in the printer memory. For label design and print server, DataMax partners with Loftware.
Printronix
Printronix offers direct thermal industrial label printer with its T5000r range of printers. It has a pre-installed interpreter either from Zebra, TEC, Intermec or SATO. We can optionally install ‘Online Data Validation’ (ODV) to validate our compliance labels. For example, a label field is compulsory and the label XML has a NULL value, then ODV will prevent the printer from printing the label and returns an error.
SATO
We can directly print your labels using CL408e, CL412E, CL608e and CL612e range of printers. Optionally, we can install Web Based Printer Control Server (WPC Server) to control printers and load labels into the network of SATO printers. We can also optionally install Label Gallery Plus to design labels.
Toshiba TEC
We can deploy Toshiba TEC printers for printing all the labels. However Toshiba TEC printers are XML-Direct printers so that no additional middleware or server hardware is needed for label printing from Oracle WMS and MSCA.