How to set the Notch position and distance on a Stimare printer

The notch (also known as band) on a ticket is a sensor alignment mark. A Stimare SML / CLS / CMP printer detects the notch to establish where one ticket ends and the next one begins. This ensures text and barcodes are printed in the same place on each ticket.

The notch settings are stored in a setup file on the printer. This file is only accessible when setting the printer to mass storage mode.

In this article we’ll guide you through the steps to set mass storage mode on your printer and change the notch position and distance.

To set the notch position and distance, you’ll work through the following steps:

Measure your ticket stock
Activate mass storage mode on your printer to access the setup file
Set the notch position and distance
Deactivate Mass Storage Mode

How do I measure my ticket stock?

Before you work through the steps in this article, you’ll need to measure your ticket stock. Measure the distance from the leading edge of the ticket to the notch. For example:

How do I access the printer's notch settings?

To access the printer’s notch settings, you’ll need to set your printer into mass storage mode. In this mode, your printer will appear as a flash drive on your computer where you can access the notch settings in the setup file.

Click the tab below depending on which printer you’re using.

Before you begin, make sure your printer is switched off.

To put the printer into mass storage mode, follow these steps:
1. Press and hold the FF button on the back of the printer while switching it on:
2. Your printer will be displayed as a flash drive in My Computer:
It may take a few moments for the flash drive to appear. To learn how to change notch settings, jump to How do I set the Notch position and distance?
To change notch settings, you’ll need to put the printer into mass storage mode. This is done by printing the printer settings on a ticket and modifying the value for mass storage mode.

Insert the ticket with the notch nearest to the leading edge of the ticket, thermal side up. Once you’ve loaded the tickets, power off the printer.

Follow these steps:
1. Open the top of the printer. Press and hold the red LF button on top of the printer while powering the printer on:
2. You’ll see the setup menu print on your ticket:
3. Open the top of the of the printer and press the red LF button to enter printer setup.
4. Press the red FF button to go through each setting until you get to USB Mass Storage...:Disabled:
5. Press the red LF button until you see USB Mass Storage...:Enabled.
6. Press the red S2 button to save this change and exit setup:
It may take a few moments for the flash drive to appear. To learn how to change notch settings, jump to How do I set the Notch position and distance?
To change notch settings, you’ll need to put the printer into mass storage mode. This is done by printing the printer settings on a ticket and modifying the value for mass storage mode.

Insert the ticket with the notch nearest to the leading edge of the ticket, thermal side up. Once you’ve loaded the tickets, power off the printer.

Follow these steps:
1. Open the top of the printer. Press and hold the red LF button on top of the printer while powering the printer on:
2. You’ll see the setup menu print on your ticket:
3. Open the top of the of the printer and press the red LF button to enter printer setup.
4. Press the red FF button to go through each setting until you get to USB Class......:Printer:
5. Press the red LF button until you see USB Class......:Mass Storage.
6. Press the red S2 button to save this change and exit setup:
It may take a few moments for the flash drive to appear. To learn how to change notch settings, jump to How do I set the Notch position and distance?

How do I set the notch position and distance?

Once you’ve placed the printer into mass storage mode, you’ll see the printer as a flash drive on your PC.

To set the notch position and distance, follow these steps:

Double click on the flash drive on your PC (the drive letter may be different on your computer:
Double click the SETUP.INI file. If it doesn’t open in Notepad, right click and select Open with > Notepad
Look for Notch/B.Mark Position and Notch Distance [mm] =:
Set the notch position and distance by following the guidance below. Click File > Save to apply your changes.

Notch/B.Mark Positions

Change the value based on which printer sensor you’re using:

Position = 1: Bottom sensor (most common, non-thermal side)
Position = 2: Top sensor (if notch is on thermal side)
Position = 3: Both sensors

Notch Distance

Update the notch distance value in mm. For example, if the notch is 3cm back from the leading edge of the ticket, the notch distance should read:

Notch Distance [mm] = +30.0

REMINDER: Once you’ve set the notch position and distance, save your settings by clicking File > Save.

Next you’ll need to deactivate mass storage mode to be able to print tickets.

How do I deactivate Mass Storage Mode?

Once you’ve set the notch position and distance, you’ll need to deactivate mass storage mode to be able to print tickets.

Access the printer’s setup.ini file. If you need to access the file again, follow steps 1 and 2 in How do I set the Notch position and distance?

Click on the tab below depending on your printer.

Once you’ve set the notch distance and position, you’ll need to deactivate mass storage mode to be able to print tickets.

Follow these steps:
1. In the Setup.ini file, scroll to the [INTERFACE] section
2. Look for USB Class = 1:
3. Change USB Class = 1 to USB Class = 0:
4. Click File > Save.
Once you’ve set the notch distance and position, you’ll need to deactivate mass storage mode to be able to print tickets.

Follow these steps:
1. With the Setup.ini file still open, scroll to the [INTERFACE] section.
2. Look for USB Mass Storage = 1:
3. Change the value next to USB Mass Storage from 1 to 0:
4. Click File > Save.
Once you’ve set the notch distance and position, you’ll need to deactivate mass storage mode to be able to print tickets.
1. With the Setup.ini file still open, scroll to the [INTERFACE] section.
2. Look for USB Class = 2:
3. Change the value next to USB Class from 2 to 0:
4. Click File > Save.