Zebra DS2208 and DS2278: add or remove Enter or Tab after scans

Out of the box, the DS2208 and DS2278 send only the bar code data, with no Enter or Tab after it. Most till, warehouse and spreadsheet workflows need one of the two, so the cursor moves on after each scan. Both settings take a single programming bar code.

Before you start

• Open the DS2208 Product Reference Guide or the DS2278 Product Reference Guide (PRG). The bar codes below are in chapter "User Preferences & Miscellaneous Options".
• The Enter and Tab bar codes are also printed under "Useful Bar Codes" in the DS2208 Quick Start Guide and the DS2278 Quick Start Guide.
• Check what your software expects. Some programs add their own Enter after a scan, and a second Enter from the scanner then skips a field.

Add Enter after each scan

1. In the PRG, go to "Miscellaneous Scanner Parameters", section "Enter Key".
2. Scan Add Enter Key (Carriage Return/Line Feed). A high/low/high/low beep confirms the new setting.
3. Open Notepad and scan a bar code. The cursor now jumps to the next line after the data.

Or add Tab after each scan

Tab moves the cursor to the next field or spreadsheet cell instead of confirming the entry.

1. In the same PRG section, find "Tab Key".
2. Scan Tab Key.
3. Test in a spreadsheet: each scan should land in the next cell to the right.

Remove the Enter or Tab again

1. In the PRG, go to section "Scan Data Transmission Format".
2. Scan Data As Is. This is the factory default and sends the data with no prefix or suffix.

A reset with Set Factory Defaults also removes the suffix, but it resets every other setting too, such as the keyboard layout. See our DS2208 troubleshooting guide before you reset.

Add a prefix or a custom suffix

For anything beyond a plain Enter or Tab, the scanner can add one prefix and up to two suffixes. You pick a format, then give each part a value.

The PRG has three more combinations using suffix 2. Prefix, suffix 1 and suffix 2 all start with the value 7013, which is the Enter key.

1. Scan the format you want from section "Scan Data Transmission Format". Zebra says to set the format first.
2. Go to section "Prefix/Suffix Values" and scan Scan Prefix, Scan Suffix 1 or Scan Suffix 2.
3. Look up the four-digit value of the key or character in Appendix I, ASCII Character Sets.
4. Scan those four digits from Appendix G, Numeric Bar Codes. If you make a mistake, scan Cancel in Appendix G and start the value again.
5. Test in Notepad.

Useful values from Appendix I: 7013 sends Enter and 7009 sends Tab. For a Tab suffix, use 7009. The value 1009 sends Ctrl+I to a USB keyboard host unless Function Key Mapping is switched on.

Example: prefix and Enter

Scan <PREFIX> <DATA> <SUFFIX 1>, then Scan Prefix followed by the four digits for your prefix character. Suffix 1 is Enter by default, so you only need to set it if you changed it earlier.

Set it with 123Scan instead

If you configure several scanners, use 123Scan. Connect the DS2208 by USB cable, or the DS2278 through its cradle. Set the prefix and suffix in the configuration wizard, then load the settings over USB or print them as one programming bar code for the other scanners. 123Scan also offers data formatting rules for more complex changes to the data.

Characters that change after adding a prefix usually point to a keyboard layout mismatch: see our keyboard layout guide.