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OCLC Support

Labels

Find out how to customize label printing in Connexion client.

 Note: The client keeps your settings unless you change them again.

Select a printer for labels

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Printing.
  2. Under Labels, select a printer in the Label Printer list.
    Default: Your default printer in Windows.

    Tip: Dedicating a printer for printing labels saves time. You can keep it filled with label stock. You do not need to switch from paper to label stock each time you print labels
  3. When finished, perform one of the following actions:
    1. Click Close or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply the settings without closing the window.

Alternative: Print labels to a text file

Select options for printing labels

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Printing > Labels > Label Options.
  2. Under Format in the Label Printing Options dialog, select a label format.
    Available label formats - Table
    Label format Description
    SL4 Spine label and two four-line pocket labels. Label set produced:
    • 1 spine label: Up to 9 lines of 8 characters each for call number and input stamps
    • 2 card/pocket labels: 5 text lines
    • Call number: 1 line
    • Main entry (author or uniform title): 2 lines
    • Title and any additional tag specified for holding library code: 2 lines
    • No blank lines
    SL6 Spine label and two six-line pocket labels. Label set produced:
    • 1 spine label: Up to 15 lines of 8 characters each for call number and input stamps
    • 2 card/pocket labels: 5 text lines
    • Call number: 1 line
    • Main entry (author or uniform title): 2 lines
    • Title and any additional tag specified for holding library code: 2 lines
    • Blank lines separate text groups
    SLB Spine label and one four-line pocket label. Label set produced:
    • 1 spine label: Up to 9 lines of 8 characters each for call number and input stamps
    • 1 card/pocket label: 5 text lines
    • Call number: 1 line
    • Main entry (author or uniform title): 2 lines
    • Title and any additional tag specified for holding library code: 2 lines
    • No blank lines
    SP1 Spine label only. Label set produced:
    • 1 spine label: Up to 9 lines of 8 characters each for call number and input stamps
    • No card/pocket labels

     Note: The client does not directly support the SP2 format (two spine labels, no card/pocket labels). To produce two spine labels, use the SP1 format and print two copies of the label.

  3. Under Form, select the type of label stock you want to use.
    • Continuous - Print on continuous tractor-feed stock on a dot-matrix printer.
    • Sheet - Print on single-sheet stock using a laser printer. 
  4. Enter a tag for pocket labels.
  5. Select the Prompt for Options check box to specify a column and row to start printing labels.
     Note: This option is only available for sheet label stock.
    • The next time you start label printing, the client opens the Column and Row Options window.
    • Use the window to specify the column and row where you want to start printing the first label set.
  6. (Optional) By default, labels print to your specified label printer. To print labels to a text file:
    With the print-to-file option selected:
    1. Select the Output to Text File check box.
    2. In the adjacent text field, perform one of the following actions:
      1. Enter the full path and file name of a text file.
      2. Accept the default text file and path: X:\\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Application Data\OCLC\Connex\Db\Labels.txt
      3. Click Browse, navigate to another text file, and then click Open.
    • Labels print to the specified file instead of a printer.
    • When you print more labels to the file, they are appended to any existing labels in the file.
    • The client continues to print labels to the file until you clear the check box.
    • Text files support the ALA character set used in the client to enter diacritics and special characters.
       
  7. Specify print offset information:
    1. Under Print Offsets, in the Top and Left boxes, enter a decimal number for the amount of space to add or subtract from the top margin of labels. To subtract space enter a negative number (e.g., -.1 or -.2). See Print offset examples.
      Default: 0.0 for top and left

       Caution: Do not specify the margin (total distance between the edge of the label and the edge of the label text). Enter only the amount of space you want to add or subtract from the margin.

    2. Under Units, select the unit of measurement you want to apply to the offsets.
      • Inches (default)
      • Centimeters
  8. Define automatic stamps for spine labels.
  9. Click Print Alignment Label to print a test label. The client prints a sample label in the current label format using a pattern of Xs to represent placement of text on the label stock.
  10. Perform one of the following actions to return to the Printing tab:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Label Printing Options window.
    2. Click Cancel to cancel changes. You are returned to the Printing tab.
  11. From the Printing tab, perform one of the following actions:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply any other settings you changed in the Printing tab and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply settings without closing the window.
    3. Click Cancel to cancel changes you made in the Printing tab.

Print offset examples

If label text prints... Specify these offsets
On the left edge of the label, with acceptable top
margin
Top: 0
On the left edge of the label, with unacceptable top margin (tops of letters in label text are cut off) Top: .2 in. or .5 cm.

Left: .2 in. or .5 cm.
Too far to the right and too far down (extra space
above label text)
Top: -.2 in. or -.5 cm.

Left: -.2 in. or -.5 cm.

Define automatic stamps for spine labels

Use this feature to supply text to print above or below the call number on all spine labels or on spine labels for a specified holding library code. For example, you can add an automatic stamp that identifies a branch library or a special collection.

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Printing > Labels > Label Options.
  2. In the Label Printing Options window, click Define Automatic Stamps.
  3. In the Define Automatic Stamps window, enter up to three lines of text.
    • Enter up to 8 characters per line.
    • To leave a blank line in the automatic stamp, place the insertion point in the text field for the blank line and press the spacebar once.
  4. To use the stamp for all labels, select Use as default automatic stamp.
    Or
    To use the stamp for labels for a specific holding library, select Assign automatic stamp to holding library code and enter the holding library code in the text field below the button.
  5. Select where the stamp appears on the label.
    • Place stamp above call number - Stamp appears above and to the left of the call number.
    • Place stamp below call number - Stamp appears below and to the right of the call number.
  6. Click Add.
    • If you created a default automatic stamp, it appears by name–Default–in the Automatic Stamps Defined list. The client adds it to all spine labels.
    • If you created an automatic stamp for a holding library code, the stamp appears in the Automatic Stamps Defined list by the holding library code (e.g., oclc). The client adds the stamp to all labels for that holding library.
  7. To delete an automatic stamp:
    1. Select the stamp in the Automatic Stamps Defined list.
    2. Click Delete.
  8. Perform one of the following actions to return to the Printing tab:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Label Printing Options window.
    2. Click Cancel to cancel changes. You are returned to the Printing tab.
  9. From the Printing tab, perform one of the following actions:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply any other settings you changed in the Printing tab and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply settings without closing the window.
    3. Click Cancel to cancel changes you made in the Printing tab.

Define a tag for pocket labels

Enter a MARC tag containing content you want to print automatically following the title data on pocket labels.

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Printing > Labels > Label Options.
  2. In the Label Printing Options window, in the Tag on Pocket Label text field, enter a tag number or tag number and subfield codes that contain content you want to print on pocket labels.
    • Enter numbers and subfield codes with no spaces or delimiters. Examples:
      • 999 (prints all subfields in first 999 field)
      • 999a (prints first 999 field, first $a only)
      • 999ab9 (prints first 999 field, first $a, $b, and $9)
    • Maximum characters in 2-line pocket title:
      • First line - 28 characters
      • Second line - 27 characters (excludes the space the client uses to separate title data from tag data)
  3. Perform one of the following actions to return to the Printing tab:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Label Printing Options window.
    2. Click Cancel to cancel changes. You are returned to the Printing tab.
  4. From the Printing tab, perform one of the following actions:
    1. Click OK or press <Enter> to apply any other settings you changed in the Printing tab and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply settings without closing the window.
    3. Click Cancel to cancel changes you made in the Printing tab.

After you define a MARC tag for pocket labels:

  • The content of the specified tag (field or field/subfields) is printed on the second line of the title on pocket labels.
  • If the title data occupies only the first line, the tag data is placed on the second line and indented one space. If the title data wraps to the second line, the tag data is right-justified.
  • If the second line of the title is 20 characters and the auto stamp is more than 7, the tag data overwrites the second-line title data.
  • If the tag data is longer than 27 characters, it is truncated.
  • Specified subfields print in the order you enter them, not in the order they appear in the record field.
  • The tag you specify works whether you print using View > Label or File > Print Label(s).

Select a font type and size for printing labels

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Fonts > Label Printing.
  2. Select a font from the Font drop-down list. The drop-down list displays all fonts installed on your workstation.
    Default: ALA BT Courier (installed on your workstation when you install the client; includes the ALA character set for displaying and printing diacritics and special characters)
  3. Select a font size from the Size drop-down list or highlight the size shown and enter a font size.
    Default: 12 pt
  4. Perform one of the following actions when you are finished selecting a font and font size:
    1. Click Close or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply the settings without closing the window.

Print labels in boldface or regular type

  1. Navigate to Tools > Options > Fonts > Label Printing.
  2. Select or deselect the Boldface check box.
    Default: Check box is deselected. Labels print in regular type.
  3. Perform one of the following actions when you are finished selecting boldface or regular type:
    1. Click Close or press <Enter> to apply the settings and close the Options window.
    2. Click Apply to apply the settings without closing the window.