Print a code128 barcode starting with the character 'C'

Question

I've written label printing software (Windows, WPF, C#, .net 4.5) that happily prints barcodes with a Datamax H-Class printer, with one exception, when printing a barcode that starts with the character C

When I attempt this, the barcode is truncated up until the first numeric character within it.

Lower case c works fine, but as some of our model codes do start with C, I need to find a way to work around this.

I guess there must be some sort of escape character that would allow this? But I've not managed to find it via Google.

I'm not 100% sure it's a code128 issue either, could it be related to the Datamax H-Class printer, the Datamax Windows C# SDK or possibly the code128 font we're using on the printer?

Sorry the details are so vague, any help or advice on what to check next would be very much appreciated.

Update.

Just in case this is of any use (I doubt it though sadly) the code I'm using to send barcodes to the printer (successfully in the case of all barcode strings not starting with C ) is as follows:

ParametersDPL paramDPL = new ParametersDPL();

paramDPL.Align = ParametersDPL.Alignment.Left;
paramDPL.Rotate = ParametersDPL.Rotation.Rotate_270;

paramDPL.IsUnicode = false;
paramDPL.TextEncoding = Encoding.ASCII;
paramDPL.WideBarWidth = 7;
paramDPL.NarrowBarWidth = 4;
paramDPL.SymbolHeight = 60;

//if the stockCode starts with 'C' the barcode will be truncated                
docDPL.WriteBarCode("E", String.Format("{0} {1}", stockCode, serialNumber), COL_1, ROW_5, paramDPL);

The ParametersDPL object is from the Datamax C# SDK. The only possible problem I could see with the code is perhaps the setting of the IsUnicode or TextEncoding properties, but I've experimented with them quite a bit to no effect. None of the other properties on the ParametersDPL seemed like likely culprits either.

Answer 1

I'm unfamiliar with Datamax PCL, but the symptoms suggest that the "C" is being used to select subalphabet "C" of code128. It might be useful to try a stock code starting "A" or "ZB" and see whether the "A" or "B" disappears. If it does, then the first character may be being used to select a subalphabet ("A" is caps-only ASCII, "B" is no-controls ASCII.)

You'd then need to look very closely at Datamax PCL format - it may be that there's a (possibly opional) formatting character there, which makes it leading-character-sensitive. Perhaps forcing in a leading "B" would cure the problem.