HK1242002A1 - Method of quickly configuring an rfid printer - Google Patents

Description

Method for rapidly configuring RFID printer

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (S)

This application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional application No. 14/556489, filed on 12/1/2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Background

The present invention relates generally to a method for quickly and efficiently configuring a printer, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) printer. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method of automatically configuring a printer using information and firmware on a converted volume of RFID media in an embedded printer.

An RFID tag (tag) is an electronic device that can be attached to an item whose presence is to be detected and/or monitored. The presence of an RFID tag, and therefore the presence of an item to which the RFID tag is attached, may be checked and monitored by a device referred to as a "reader" or "reader panel". The reader typically transmits a radio frequency signal to which the RFID tag responds. Each RFID tag may store a unique identification number. The RFID tag responds to the signal transmitted by the reader by providing its identification number and additional information stored on the RFID tag based on the reader command to enable the reader to determine the identity and characteristics of the item.

Current RFID tags (tags) and labels (labels) are produced by the construction of an inlay that includes a chip connected to an antenna applied to a substrate. The inlay is then inserted into a single label or tag. These markers or labels are then printed by conventional printing processes such as flexographic printing processes, and then the variable information may be printed together with or separately from the static information. The chip is then encoded in a printer with a reading/encoding device or separately by a reader/encoding device. There may also be a separate RFID reader/encoding device for verifying the information in the chip.

When printers, such as RFID printers, are purchased, they are often not configured, which requires the user to then manually configure the printer device. Configuration of an RFID printer can be time consuming and complex, and is often performed by a technician, due to the many setup and verification options that must be checked and selected during the printer configuration process (e.g., location of inlays in the field, power settings, etc.). If there is no technician at a particular location where the printer is used, it is necessary for someone to travel from another location to configure the printer. This is clearly undesirable and inefficient.

Accordingly, there is a long-felt need in the art for a method of quickly and efficiently configuring a printer, such as an RFID printer. There is also a need in the art for a method of configuring an RFID printer that requires minimal effort on the part of the user. Finally, there is a need for a solution that is relatively simple and inexpensive to implement.

Summary of the invention

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, includes a method of configuring a printer, such as an RFID printer, comprising the steps of: inputting inlay information into the printer; comparing the input inlay information to a list of pre-existing inlay information stored in the printer to determine if a match exists; and, if there is a match, inputting an inlay offset (offset) into the printer. In alternative embodiments, information from the supply roll may be entered via an NFC tag on the roll that is read by the printer, or the information may be transmitted via any of the printer's normal communication channels.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises the steps of: feeding the media into a printer to determine an inlay pitch (pitch) of the media; comparing the inlay spacing to the minimum inlay spacing; and selecting one of the first printer configuration or the second printer configuration based on a result of the comparison, wherein each of the first printer configuration and the second printer configuration comprises one or more of the following settings: a first TID (tag identification) position, a coded zone, a TID singlets (single), a read power, a write power, a flag coded while the web is moving, a position to stop coding, a chip coding speed while the web is moving, and a maximum speed of coding.

In another preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: determining whether new inlay information is available from the communication port, and updating a list of pre-existing inlay information stored in the printer to include the new inlay information.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of one embodiment of a thermal table and industrial printer on which the present invention may be used;

FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear perspective view of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1, with a cover according to the disclosed construction;

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1, without a cover according to the disclosed structure;

FIG. 5 shows a right side perspective view of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a left side perspective view of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the thermal table and industrial printer of FIG. 1, further including an RFID verifier and an RFID encoder;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart disclosing the user prompt phase of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart disclosing the inlay reading phase of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of the update inlay information phase of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a method of using NFC on a smart phone and a roll of supplies to update information in a printer;

FIG. 12 illustrates a method of using a UHF tag that is loosened on a supply core or in a box to update information in a printer;

FIG. 13 shows a roll of RFID transponders and labels placed on the roll; and

fig. 14 shows a label to be placed on a roll of RFID transponders.

Detailed Description

The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a thermal table and/or industrial printer apparatus 100 on which the present invention may be used. In a preferred embodiment, the thermal table and/or industrial printer 100 includes a reader and/or encoding device and an authentication device. The reader and/or encoding device may read and program an RFID device, such as an RFID chip, contained in an inlay, which may or may not be incorporated into a tag, label, or any other desired product, and which may also be printed onto the product without damaging or otherwise adversely affecting the RFID device. The inlay may also be affixed directly to the product, without necessarily being incorporated into a tag or label, such as by affixing the inlay to the product using an adhesive.

In some exemplary embodiments, the products may be arranged in sheets or rolls, and multiple products may be printed, encoded, or authenticated in a continuous manner, simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, at a time. In some exemplary embodiments, the reader and chip/antenna configuration may allow the encoding and verification to occur sequentially, such that printing, encoding, variable data imaging, verification, and collating may all be accomplished in one continuous process. As used herein, continuous processes include roll-to-roll configurations, and sheet feeding processes without process stops. Continuous may also include slight incremental stops, indexes, advances, etc. lasting no more than a few seconds.

Printing as provided herein may be accomplished using any number of processes, including impact and non-impact printers, flexographic, gravure, inkjet, electrostatic, and the like, to provide just a few representative examples. Static printing may include company identification, manufacturer information, size, color, and other product attributes. Variable printing may include identification numbers, bar codes, pricing, store location, sales details, and other information as a retailer or brand owner may decide is desired.

Exemplary RFID devices, e.g., inlays, labels, tags, and the like, are available from elli danesen RFID and elli danesen retail information services, located respectively in greens borro, north carolina and Westborough, MA. Such devices may be provided in any number of antenna and size configurations depending on the needs or end use application for which the product is intended.

Fig. 1-7 disclose various views of an industrial printer 100 and are described below. Printer 100 may be any suitable size, shape, and configuration known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the internal and/or external shape of printer 100 and many other shapes of printer 100, as shown in fig. 1-7 for illustrative purposes only, are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions (i.e., length, width, and height) of the printer 100 are important, the printer 100 may be any shape that ensures optimal high-speed encoding and authentication.

Referring generally to fig. 1, a thermal tabletop and industrial printer 100 has a generally rectangular shape with a printer cover 101, an access door 12, and a handle 1. Access door 12 may be actuated by handle 1 to gain access to the front of printer 100

And loading the supply. Once the front door 12 is opened, the user mounts the supply roll 3 on the supply roll holder 4. The supply roll 3 contains a supply for printing by the printer 100. The liner spool 5 then serves as a rewind support for the waste liner of the adhesive backed label.

Further, the printer 100 includes a supply damper 6 that helps remove vibration from the supply roll 3 to improve print quality, and an out-of-stock switch 7 provides an on/off indication if supplies are loaded in the printer 100 or if the printer 100 requires supplies. A supply guide or frame 8 holds and concentrates supplies. Further, an array sensor (35 as shown in fig. 2) is attached to the supply guide to detect and accommodate a slight change in the hole position. The upper guide 11 guides supplies in the printer 100, and the loading of a tag (18 as shown in fig. 2) is a tag that instructs a user to load supplies into a supply path in the printer 100. The printer also includes a printhead 14. The print head 14 is a thermal print head so that the printer 100 automatically detects dot density. Further, the printer includes a printhead holder 15, the printhead holder 15 being a cast aluminum piece on which the printhead 14 is mounted to secure the printhead 14 in place. Further, when necessary, the release handle 10 releases the print head 14 from the holder 15.

The printer 100 also includes a ribbon spindle 16 and a ribbon tape 17. The ribbon spindle 16 is a DC motor controlled supply for the ribbon and the ribbon tape 17 is a DC motor controlled take-up for the ribbon. Further, the wireless antenna 2 is also included in the printer 100. The wireless antenna 2 may be any suitable wireless antenna known in the art for communicating with a router or other device, such as an 802.11b/g/n dual band antenna. In a preferred embodiment, the printer includes two other antennas. An RFID antenna 9 to allow RFID encoding of the supply and an RFID verifier antenna 13 which is an external antenna for reading RFID supplies.

Referring generally to fig. 2, the printer 100 includes a top LED (light emitting diode) sensor cover 19 that covers a top LED board 20 that is a reflective supply sensor LED. In addition, the printer includes an LED cover 21 that supplies a sensor reflector for reflection and an index sensor 35 that is a unique array sensor that senses the markings for the auto-detection holes. Specifically, the illuminated sensor array 35 automatically senses the position of the hole through the web arrangement for the sensing mark and properly indicates the printing onto the RFID label. By using the sensor array 35, the printer 100 can determine which individual sensors within the array should be used for indexing to account for manufacturing variations. The thermal print head (see fig. 1) may be removed for replacement by releasing the sheet through a printer shown in 36. The supply path is illuminated for the convenience of the user, as indicated by the supply path light embedded in the supply guide 22.

Referring generally to FIG. 3, the back of the printer 100 includes a back cover 26 that covers the electronic panel (as shown in FIG. 4). The display panel 25 displays a user interface, and the wireless antenna 2 can also be seen on the back of the printer 100 (as shown in fig. 1). Referring generally to fig. 4, the back of the printer 100 is shown without the cover 26. A CPU board 29 or host PC board is shown, as well as an RFID I/O board 27, the RFID I/O board 27 being a module containing an encoding and authentication module. A power supply 28, which is the main supply of power in the printer 100, is also shown on the back of the printer 100. In addition, both the display panel 25 (shown in fig. 3) and the wireless antenna 2 (shown in fig. 1) can also be seen in fig. 4.

Referring generally to FIG. 5, the right side of the printer 100 is shown. The right side of the printer 100 shows the front cover 32 and the wireless antenna 2 (shown in fig. 1). Further, a CPU board 29 (shown in FIG. 4) is shown, as well as an I/O switch 30 and an I/O port (outlet) 31. The communication ports on the CPU board 29 are visible in this view. They include USB host ports, USB device ports, serial ports, and ethernet IEEE 802.3 compliant ports. Referring generally to fig. 6, the left side of the printer 100 is shown. The left side of printer 100 shows wireless antenna 2 (shown in fig. 1) and supply door 22 that protects supply roll 3 and allows access to supply roll 3. Also disclosed is an NFC I2C chip 23 that provides unique capabilities to the printer 100 and allows the printer 100 to communicate directly with the host processor through a bridge (bridge). Further, the printer 100 includes a display panel 25, and the display panel 25 includes a keypad 24. In another embodiment, the display panel 25 may be a touch screen.

In the preferred embodiment, the printer 100 includes a plurality of keys, including a keypad 24 and a trigger key. Keypad 24 may be used to input alpha-numeric data to printer 100. Alternatively, keypad 24 may have only a limited number of keys actuatable in accordance with information depicted on display 25 for selecting a number of operations of the printer, such as feeding a roll of recording elements through printer 100, displaying status information, etc. In another form, an HID-USB compatible device may be plugged into the CPU board 29, enabling a greater degree of key use. The trigger key may be actuated by a user in various modes of printer 100 to actuate the printing system and/or RFID read/write module 34. Alternatively, one or more of these devices may be automatically actuated by a controller of printer 100 according to a stored application. In addition to displaying status information or data entered via keypad 24, display 25 may be controlled to provide a user with a prompt to actuate a trigger key and/or other keys in order to control various operations of printer 100.

Referring generally to FIG. 7, a top perspective view of printer 100 discloses RFID validator 33 and RFID encoder 34 (shown as antennas 9 and 13, respectively, in FIG. 1). Specifically, RFID encoder 34 encodes an RFID tag while the web is moving, and RFID validator 33 validates the data encoded to the RFID tag.

In another embodiment, printer 100 includes a microprocessor and memory (not shown). The memory includes non-volatile memory such as flash memory and/or ROM such as EEPROM. The memory also includes RAM for storing and manipulating data. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microprocessor controls the operation of the printer 100 according to an application program stored in the flash memory. The microprocessor may operate directly from the application program. Alternatively, the microprocessor may operate indirectly in accordance with the application program as interpreted by an interpreter program stored in memory or another area of flash memory.

The microprocessor is operable to select an input device to receive data therefrom and to manipulate the received data in accordance with a stored application program and/or to combine it with data received from a different input source. The microprocessor couples the selected, combined, and/or manipulated data to the printing system for printing on the recording component. The microprocessor may select the same or different data to be written to the external RFID chip. The microprocessor couples the selectively written data to the RFID read/write module where the data is written in encoded form to an external RFID chip. Similarly, the microprocessor may select the same or different data for storage in the transaction record in RAM and for uploading to the host via the communication interface. The processor is operable to select data to be coupled to the printing system independently of the processor selecting data to be coupled to the RFID read/write module to provide greater flexibility than has heretofore been possible.

A roll of RFID tags containing RFID transponders is shown in fig. 13. The label 1320 is contained on the core 1310 and is shown in fig. 14. Inlay number and set back (setback) distance are programmed onto the inlay at the point of manufacture. The NFC tag may then be read by any NFC reader/encoder that may be included in a smart phone as shown in fig. 14. The NFC reader/encoder may then be used to send information to the NFC reader/encoder, which may then be used to send information to an I2C NFC tag (shown in fig. 723) accessible by the main CPU board (shown in fig. 4). This process is illustrated in the flow chart of fig. 11. Alternatively, marker 1320 may comprise a UHF inlay programmed with an inlay number and setback distance. The inlay will be read with a high power read on an RFID antenna (on antenna 9 as shown in fig. 1) or an RFID antenna embedded in a supply cradle. The inlay will enable the printer to read the required information from the inlay. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, a separate tag may be included, and an RFID roll may be placed over the RFID reader/encoder for the purpose of configuring the printer.

Having now described one example of the types of thermal tables and/or industrial printers 100 on which the present invention may be used, a method of quickly and efficiently configuring the printer 100 will now be described. As shown in fig. 8-10, and described in more detail below, the method of the present invention can be generally described in three stages: prompting by a user; reading inlay information; and updating the inlay information. An alternative method of reading inlay information will be described in figures 11 and 12.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart generally disclosing the user-prompting phase of the method of the present invention, which is preferably an offline process, wherein a user (not shown) would enter the process at block 110 by placing a tagger in the printer core and entering or selecting an inlay number or indicator (which may be obtained from the tagger the user wishes to use) from the front screen of printer 100 at block 120. During the user prompt phase, information is being entered. It is also contemplated, however, that the inlay number/indicator may be automatically provided by the production system. If the user does not have access to the inlay number or indicator on the quick configuration tag or wishes to use RFID media that is not currently in the inlay database, the user will exit the process at block 180.

By way of background, while the use of inlay numbers/indicators is well known in the art, their format and location on a label or tag is often inconsistent and the indicators are not always complete, which can further complicate the printer configuration process as it currently exists. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, (i) a uniform term will be used for each marker type indicator; (ii) the position of the inlay is expressed by 3-digit numerical integer value, and millimeter is taken as a measurement unit; and (iii) a consistent tag format is used at each production site. Further, with respect to (i) above, by way of example, the following format may be used for the inlay indicator: "AD-xxxyyyz", where AD will represent the identity of the manufacturer, xxx will represent the model, yyy will represent the chip suffix, and z will be N or W for NEL or WEL, or E or F for FCC or ETSI. It is contemplated that the inlay indicator/number and inlay location may be provided to the user in a consistent location and manner on the label on the supply core. Of course, other types of indicator terms may be employed without affecting the overall concept of the invention.

Returning now to FIG. 8, at block 130, a determination is made as to whether the inlay number has been successfully entered (i.e., is currently in the inlay database) or selected from a list of inlays in the inlay database. If the inlay number is not successfully entered, the user prompts the process to exit at block 180 and the user will need to restart the process or manually configure the printer 100. On the other hand, if the inlay numbering has been successfully entered (i.e., it matches the inlay number in the inlay database), the number will be stored in the printer 100 at box 140, and the user will be prompted to enter an inlay offset (which will also be available on the taggant) at box 150, as measured from the sensing mark on the taggant to the top of the taggant. Recall from the above that in a preferred embodiment, inlay position will be expressed as a 3-digit integer value, using millimeters as a unit of measurement, although other formats and units of measurement may be employed without affecting the overall concept of the invention.

At block 160, it is determined whether the inlay offset has been successfully entered. If the inlay offset is not successfully entered, the user returns to box 150 and is again prompted to enter the inlay offset. On the other hand, if the inlay offset has been successfully entered, the inlay offset is stored in the printer 100 at block 170, and the user prompts the stage to terminate and exit at block 180.

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart generally disclosing the inlay information phase of the method of the present invention, wherein the entered inlay indicator and inlay offset from the user prompt phase are used to find additional information needed for proper operation of the printer 100. This process is complete after the printer is initially configured with the inlay indicator and inlay offset. For proper operation to occur, the marker length must be known and the printer will deliver the marker to determine the marker length. More specifically, when the printer/encoder 100 receives a print/encode job or task, the flow chart in FIG. 9 is entered in block 190. At block 200, the printer 100 compares the current inlay number to a stored inlay list to see if there is a match. If the current inlay does not match an inlay in the stored inlay list, the process exits at block 270. On the other hand, if the current inlay number matches an inlay in the stored list of inlay numbers, the process continues to block 210 where the printer 100 delivers a tag or label to determine the length of the tag or inlay spacing. In block 220, it is determined whether the marker delivery of block 210 was successful. If the marker delivery is not successful, the process will return to block 210 until delivery is successful and the inlay spacing is determined.

Once the marker delivery success is determined and the marker spacing is determined, the process proceeds to block 230 where the start coding position is calculated by adding the inlay start coding position to the inlay offset input at block 150. The printer 100 will also set the code region as an inlay code region read from the database and the process will proceed to block 240. At block 240, a determination is made as to whether the inlay spacing determined in block 210 is greater than or less than the minimum inlay spacing.

If the inlay pitch from box 210 is less than the minimum inlay pitch, then the Gen2RFID TIDs are required to individually separate (single) RFID transponders and the minimum inlay pitch is used, and at box 250, the maximum print speed, read and write power, use area, and stop encoding location will be automatically configured. A list of fields stored in the inlay database is shown in figure 15. The printer saves the active settings from the database from the selected inlay. Further, the short pitch will be set to true and the first TID position will be set to the sum of the inlay offset entered in box 150 plus half the inlay length. Further, the position at which the encoding is stopped is equal to the difference between the selected inlay offset and the input inlay offset. The process then proceeds to block 262 to determine whether the data to be encoded is a 96-bit epc, access code and lock code as a typical encoding case. In block 264, the current print speed is compared to the maximum print speed for a typical use case of 96-bit EPC, access code, and lock code. If the current speed is greater than the maximum speed, the current speed is set to the maximum speed in block 270 and exited at block 280. If the user is encoding data other than typical use cases, the encoding time will be determined by accessing the following information in the inlay database: EPC field time, user store time, access Code time, lock Code time, and Kill Code time (Kill Code time) to determine the time of encoding in block 266. Alternatively, the printer 100 may perform sample writing to determine the encoding time in block 266. In block 268, the time in the region is calculated by determining the speed of one step and multiplying it by the number of steps in the encoded region. In block 272, the encoding time is compared to the time in the region. If it is less than the time within the zone, the process exits in block 80. If the encoding time exceeds the amount of time in the encoded region, the printing speed is reduced and the encoding time is rechecked in block 274. If no value is found for the code while the web is moving, the printer will be set to stop the code. The read inlay information phase then ends and will exit at block 270.

If the inlay spacing from the box 210 is greater than the minimum inlay spacing, then the Gen2RFID TIDs are not needed in order to individually separate the RFID transponders, and the process proceeds to box 260. At block 260, the maximum encoding speed, read and write power, area of use, and location where encoding is to be stopped will be automatically configured. Further, if the time required to encode a label exceeds the amount of time that printer 100 is available for encoding, the printer will stop encoding the label. Further, the position at which the encoding is stopped is equal to the difference between the selected inlay offset and the input inlay offset. The read inlay information phase then ends and will exit at block 270.

Figure 10 shows a flow diagram generally disclosing the inlay information update phase of the method of the present invention, wherein the process begins in block 300 by searching for the availability of updated inlay information from one of the printer communication ports, which may include, but is not limited to, serial, USB host, USB device, Near Field Communication (NFC), bluetooth, wired ethernet, and/or wireless communication. In block 310, the printer 100 determines whether new or updated inlay information is available from the communication port. If no new inlay information is available, the process returns to block 300 and waits for new or updated inlay information to become available from the communication port. On the other hand, if new or updated inlay information is available from the communication port at block 310, the new/updated inlay information is read from the input source at block 320 and verified and stored in the printer 100 at block 330. If the inlay information received from the communication port is an update of the inlay information already stored in the printer 100, the newly received inlay information will replace the old inlay information. After storing the new/updated inlay information at block 330, the update inlay information phase ends and will exit at block 340.

In summary, the method of the present invention enables a user to quickly configure a printer, such as an RFID printer, by merely entering an inlay indicator and an inlay offset in the printer 100 and running firmware. Printer settings that can then be automatically configured include, but are not limited to: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID monomer, RF read power, RF write power, a flag encoded while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, if the term "includes" is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims (20)

1. A method of configuring a printer comprising the steps of:

inputting inlay information into the printer; comparing the input inlay information to a list of pre-existing inlay information stored in the printer to determine if a match exists; and

if there is a match, an inlay offset is entered into the printer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of using the input inlay information and the inlay offset to configure one or more of the following settings of the printer: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID singlets, a read power, a write power, an encoded flag while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

feeding media into the printer to determine an inlay pitch of the media;

comparing the inlay pitch to a minimum inlay pitch; and

selecting one of the first printer configuration or the second printer configuration based on a result of the comparison.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first printer configuration is selected if the inlay spacing is greater than the minimum inlay spacing, and further wherein the first printer configuration comprises one or more of the following settings: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID singlets, a read power, a write power, an encoded flag while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second printer configuration is selected if the inlay pitch is less than the minimum inlay pitch, and further wherein the first printer configuration comprises one or more of the following settings: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID singlets, a read power, a write power, an encoded flag while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of updating a list of the pre-existing inlay information stored in the printer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer is an RFID printer.

8. A method of configuring one or more settings of an RFID printer, comprising the steps of:

selecting an inlay indicator from a list of available inlay indicators stored in the RFID printer;

inputting an inlay offset into the RFID printer;

feeding media into the RFID printer to determine an inlay pitch of the media;

comparing the inlay pitch to a minimum inlay pitch; and

selecting one of the first RFID printer configuration or the second RFID printer configuration based on a result of the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first RFID printer configuration is selected if the inlay spacing is greater than the minimum inlay spacing.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the second RFID printer configuration is selected if the inlay pitch is less than the minimum inlay pitch.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the first RFID printer configuration and the second RFID printer configuration comprises one or more of the following settings: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID singlets, a read power, a write power, an encoded flag while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of: calculating a starting encoded position of the media by summing (a) an inlay starting encoded position and (b) an input inlay offset.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of calculating a stop encode position for the media by subtracting the input inlay offset from inlay setback.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of calculating a first TID position by summing (a) the input inlay offset and (b) half of the inlay pitch.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of: determining whether one or more new inlay indicators are available from a communication port, and updating a list of available inlay indicators stored in the RFID printer to include the one or more new inlay indicators.

16. A method of configuring an RFID printer, comprising the steps of:

inputting an inlay indicator into the RFID printer;

determining whether the inlay indicator is in a list of available inlay indicators stored in the RFID printer, and, if so;

inputting an inlay offset to the RFID printer;

storing the inlay offset in the RFID printer;

feeding media into the RFID printer to determine an inlay pitch of the media;

comparing the inlay pitch to a minimum inlay pitch; and

selecting one of the first RFID printer configuration or the second RFID printer configuration based on a result of the comparison.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each of the first RFID printer configuration and the second RFID printer configuration comprises one or more of the following settings: a first TID position, an encoded zone, a TID singlets, a read power, a write power, an encoded flag while the web is moving, a position to stop encoding, and a maximum speed of encoding while the web is moving.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of calculating a start encode position for the media by summing (a) an inlay start encode position and (b) the inlay offset.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of calculating a stop encode position for the media by subtracting the input inlay offset from inlay setback.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of: determining whether one or more new inlay indicators are available from a communication port, and updating a list of available inlay indicators stored in the RFID printer to include the one or more new inlay indicators.