PECTAB Programming

[Guest.Visitor]

Hi I am trying to print airline tickets on a ATB-2 printer. As per Printer manufaturer in order to use there printer to print the tickets we have to use PECTABs Print-language. is this the only way to print the tickets ? PECTAB : PECTAB is a set of data structure formats defined by the AEA (Association of European Airlines) to communicate information between computers and locally connected and remote ticket readers/printers. Mainly used with ATB (Automated Tickets and Boarding cards).

[anders.grimsberg@axis.com]

PECTAB Programming

Hi, Normaly this type of printers, termotransfer, use there own language. I have never worked with this printer but other termotransfer printers and it is possible from AS/400 to pritn out. Anders

[Guest.Visitor]

Yes airline printers are quiet different from regular especially if they use pectab. Pectab means Parametric Tables. There are two parts, the table and the data. The printer must receive the table before the data. The table has an id in it and the data pecifies which table it will use -- many tables can be loaded into the printer. The tables contains element. Each element has formatting information. The data has just data preceded by an element number of example 06John Doe#. 06 is the element number, John Doe is the data, the # is the element separator. So the software in the printer finds the matching pectab id and then finds element 6. Element 6 might have something like C06. A is the row number, I believe it goes thru R and 06 is the column number. Also the font indicator is in the pectab. Soe John Doe is printed on row C beginning in column 6 at using the specified font.

Basically, what I have told you is nothing sinc the Pectab spec is very extensive. So where to you get the spec? From AEA -- Association of European Airlines. It will cost you some bucks unless your supplier will get you a free copy. Also, about everyother year the AEA comes out with a new spec and you will need to know what version your printer supports.

Now, there also stuff like CUTE and Arinc. These are two protocols where PECTAB is only a subset of what you will need to know. Both blocks the data send into blocks with a block checksum at the end of each block. After eack block is sucessfully transmitted the printer responds to the host with an ACK or NAK. A NAK means the block is retransmitted. So where do you get the info for CUTE or Arinc, from them.

I know this has not solved problems but maybe it will put you onto the right track.

I was in the airline printer industry for over 12 years. My specialty is bag tag printers which has a pectab but different from the ticketing pectab.

[AOEFINGER]

Searching for AEA consultant

Hi,

Our company (Practical Automation in Ct.) is looking for an AEA consulant to help with he designing and building
on an AEA compatible BagTag printer.
Please contact Art Oefinger AOEFINGER@comcast.net (203-925-9439)

Thanks
Art Oefinger

Yes airline printers are quiet different from regular especially if they use pectab. Pectab means Parametric Tables. There are two parts, the table and the data. The printer must receive the table before the data. The table has an id in it and the data pecifies which table it will use -- many tables can be loaded into the printer. The tables contains element. Each element has formatting information. The data has just data preceded by an element number of example 06John Doe#. 06 is the element number, John Doe is the data, the # is the element separator. So the software in the printer finds the matching pectab id and then finds element 6. Element 6 might have something like C06. A is the row number, I believe it goes thru R and 06 is the column number. Also the font indicator is in the pectab. Soe John Doe is printed on row C beginning in column 6 at using the specified font.

Basically, what I have told you is nothing sinc the Pectab spec is very extensive. So where to you get the spec? From AEA -- Association of European Airlines. It will cost you some bucks unless your supplier will get you a free copy. Also, about everyother year the AEA comes out with a new spec and you will need to know what version your printer supports.

Now, there also stuff like CUTE and Arinc. These are two protocols where PECTAB is only a subset of what you will need to know. Both blocks the data send into blocks with a block checksum at the end of each block. After eack block is sucessfully transmitted the printer responds to the host with an ACK or NAK. A NAK means the block is retransmitted. So where do you get the info for CUTE or Arinc, from them.

I know this has not solved problems but maybe it will put you onto the right track.

I was in the airline printer industry for over 12 years. My specialty is bag tag printers which has a pectab but different from the ticketing pectab.