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Using the Magnetic Card Reader 4-1
USING THE MAGNETIC CARD
READER
Optional. Your printer may have a magnetic card reader, which reads
up to three tracks of magnetically encoded data from cards conforming to the
ANSI/ISO 7810 and 7811 standards.
Magnetic Card Specifications
The card thickness is 0.76 mm (+/- 0.08 mm)
Track Position
Recording
Density
Recording
Capacity
Number of
Data Bits
Track 1
ISO1 (IATA)
210 BPI 79 Characters 7
Track 2
ISO2 (ABA)
75 BPI 40 Characters 5
Track 3
ISO3 (MINTS)
210 BPI 107 Characters 7
After reading the data, the printer returns the information to the host.
Following is a summary of what occurs when using the reader:
1. The host wakes up the printer by sending it some characters.
2. The printer responds with an XON character.
3. The device starts the reader (ESC M command). The green LED turns on.
4. The user swipes a card.
5. If the swipe was successful, the reader turns off and the printer sends the
data read. If an error occurs, the red LED turns on. If the reader times out,
the printer sends a message.
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