Wise Helix PrintDNA 1.0 · Professional · Standard
Design it.
Fill it.
Print it.
A WYSIWYG designer for text, barcodes, images and tables on any label stock, filled from your data and printed on any Windows printer, from a thermal roll to an A4 sheet.
- For
- Label printing inside a workflow
- Adds
- MySQL, PostgreSQL and ODBC, Lua scripting, command-line printing and BarTender-compatible mode
Everything in Standard
- For
- One designer at the screen
- Includes
- The whole designer, every barcode, the stock library, CSV, SQLite, JSON and XML data, print and PDF export
Per-printer licensing · every edition
The designer
Everything a label needs, on one canvas
Place text, barcodes, images, shapes, grids and tables exactly where they print, at any zoom and in the unit you measure in. The whole designer is in every edition, so a Standard seat can build any label the product can render.
A WYSIWYG canvas, object by object
Every object on the label is set from one property window: its identity, geometry, font, fill, border and content. What you see on the canvas is what the printer gets.
- Rulers in inches, millimetres, centimetres or points, chosen per document
- Named layers you can show, hide or lock while you work
- Bring to front, send to back, and everything between, within a layer
- Unlimited undo and redo, including changes made in the property window
- Several labels open at once, in tabs
| Object | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Text | Any installed font, hugging its content or sized to fill its box |
| Barcode | Linear and 2D symbologies, with optional human-readable text |
| Image | A logo or photo, embedded in the label or linked to a file on disk |
| Rectangle, circle, line | Panels, rules and borders, with fill and border style |
| Grid and table | Repeating cells for dosage charts, panels and multi-part labels |
Any label stock, measured exactly
Pick a layout from the stock library and every measurement fills in at once, or describe your own: rows, columns, margins, gaps and corners, with a live preview of the sheet.
- Twenty ready-made Avery sheets and Zebra and Dymo rolls
- Continuous roll media that matches no standard sheet size
- Letter, A4 and Legal at their true sizes: A4 is 210 × 297 mm, not an approximation
- Square or rounded label corners
| Media | Examples |
|---|---|
| Letter sheets | Avery 5160 to 5167 address, shipping and return-address labels, and 5395 name badges |
| A4 sheets | Avery L7160, L7163, L7165, L7169 and L7651, from mini to parcel labels |
| Thermal rolls | Zebra 4×6 shipping, 4×2 carton, 3×2 product and 2×1 barcode labels |
| Desktop rolls | Dymo 30252 address, 30256 shipping and 30336 multipurpose labels |
| Custom | Any page size and grid you can measure, including continuous stock |
Every barcode symbology
Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13 and UPC-A, plus QR Code, Data Matrix, PDF417 and Aztec, all in every edition, so a label with a QR code prints from any seat.
Images, embedded or linked
Embed a logo so it travels with the label, or link it to a file on disk so one change updates every design that uses it.
Grids and tables
Repeating cell layouts at any size, for the panels and charts that would otherwise be dozens of hand-aligned boxes.
Print preview
See the sheet page by page, exactly as it will print, before committing stock to it.
Export to PDF, PNG and SVG
A print-ready PDF of the whole run, or an image of each page at the resolution you choose, for a proof or for artwork elsewhere.
Autosave and crash recovery
Open work is copied aside on a timer and offered back after an unexpected shutdown.
How it works
From a layout to a print run
One design becomes one label per record. The same six steps take you from an empty canvas to a stack of printed labels, whether you click Print or a scheduler does.
- Set up the stockChoose a layout from the stock library, or measure your own sheet or roll.
- DesignPlace text, barcodes, images and tables on the canvas, in layers.
- ConnectPoint the label at a CSV, SQLite, JSON or XML file, or a live server database.
- BindDrag fields, print-job values and serial numbers from the data source panel onto any object.
- PreviewPage through the run exactly as it will print, record by record.
- PrintSend it to any Windows printer, export a PDF, or run it from a command line.
A label keeps its data connections, its printer and its serial-number counters in the file, so the next run starts where the last one stopped.
Data and content
Labels that fill themselves in
Any object can take its value from the data behind the label: a field from a file or a database, a value from the running print job, a counter, or a combination of all three with formatting applied.
Read from a file, or from the server your team runs
Connecting a data source turns one design into a print run. The connection is stored in the label, so the document reconnects the next time it opens.
- Choose tables, or write your own query
- Store server credentials with the connection, so an unattended run never stops to ask
- A connection a seat cannot make is reported by name and skipped; the rest of the label still opens and prints
- Small fixed lists can be embedded in the label itself, with no file to ship beside it
| Source | What it reads |
|---|---|
| Text | A CSV or any delimited file, or text embedded in the label |
| SQLite | A SQLite database file beside the label |
| JSON and XML | An array of records, or an XML document of them |
| MySQL and MariaDB | A live server (Professional) |
| PostgreSQL | A live server (Professional) |
| ODBC | SQL Server, Oracle, Access and anything else with a driver (Professional) |
Print job fields
Twenty-four values from the running job: printer name, driver and port, record and page numbers, totals, document revision, user and computer name.
Serial numbers
A counter that belongs to the label, with a start, an increment, zero padding and an optional range that rolls over. It keeps its place between runs.
Value formatting
Number, currency, percentage, date and time, upper and lower case, with a prefix and suffix, applied to content from any source.
Several values on one object
Combine fields, text and formatting on a single object, rather than aligning three objects by hand.
Data source panel
Drag a database field, a date, a serial number or a script onto the label.
Database manager
Add, edit and remove the data sources a label uses, and see how each one is configured.
Professional · automation and scripting
Printing that runs without you
Standard is what one person does at the screen; Professional is what happens without them. A server database, a Lua script and a command line are the same idea: a label that prints from something other than a designer clicking Print.
Print from a command line
Open, print and export a label from a batch file, a scheduled task, an ERP system or any program that can start an executable.
- Choose the record range, the copies and template mode on the command line
- Print silently to the label’s own printer, or open the print dialog or the preview for an operator
- Export a PDF of the run from the same command line
- BarTender-compatible mode, so integrations already scripted against BarTender need no rewrite
REM Records 100 to 200, three copies each, to the label's printer C:\labels>helixprintdna.exe /F=C:\labels\product.lbl /P /R=100-200 /C=3 REM A PDF proof of the design alone, with no data C:\labels>helixprintdna.exe /F=C:\labels\product.lbl /E=C:\proofs\product.pdf /T REM An existing BarTender integration, unchanged C:\labels>helixprintdna.exe /FA=C:\labels\product.lbl /PD
/P and /E run with no window and exit when the work is done; /PS and /PP put an operator in the loop.Shape a label with Lua
When a value has to be computed rather than looked up, write it in Lua in the Script Editor, with completion, syntax highlighting and a Script Assistant listing what is in scope.
- Conditional text, check digits and lookups, computed per label
- Nine events, from opening the document to each record, each set of copies and the end of the job
- Per-object transforms that reshape a value without touching the data behind it
- Script libraries shared across labels
-- A storage warning only where the batch needs one local temp = tonumber(db["batch"]["records"]["store_temp_c"]) if temp and temp <= 8 then return "KEEP REFRIGERATED" end return ""
pj, db and items hold the job, the current record and the other objects.Document event scripts
Run code when the document opens, saves or closes, and when a job starts, reaches each record, repeats a copy, advances a serial number, ends or is cancelled.
Script access to job and data
Read print-job values, the current record and other objects’ resolved values while a job runs.
Script trust levels
A label from someone else is someone else’s code. Run scripts never, only in trusted folders, after asking, or always; an untrusted document runs with no files, programs or network.
Execution limits
A runaway loop is stopped with a named error, and the piece resolves empty rather than taking the print job with it.
Server databases
MySQL and MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and anything with an ODBC driver, by DSN or connection string.
Command-line export
Produce a print-ready PDF of a run from a script or a scheduler, with no window opened.
Help and licensing
Documented, and licensed by the printer
Every seat ships with the full manual, and every edition licenses printers the same way.
The Reference Manual, installed with the product
From the first label to command-line automation and the scripting API, the User Guide is on every seat, so the answer is there when the network is not.
- Searchable help, opened from the product
- A printable PDF of the same pages
- Every switch, script event and data source, with worked examples
- Per-printer licensing, identical in every edition: the tier you buy never limits how many printers a seat may drive
- Your support identifier and maintenance expiry, visible in the product
Editions
Wise Helix PrintDNA 1.0 editions
Standard is the whole designer: everything one person needs to lay out a label at the screen and print it. Professional adds the unattended half: live server databases, scripting, and printing from a command line with no one present.
| Feature | Professional | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Layout | ||
| Visual label designerPlace text, shapes, barcodes, images, grids and tables on a WYSIWYG canvas at any zoom, with rulers in your chosen unit. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text objectsAny installed font, with colour, borders, and alignment within the box. Text either hugs its own content or is sized automatically to fill the space you give it. | ✓ | ✓ |
| ImagesPlace a logo or a photo, embedded in the label so it travels with the file, or linked to a file on disk so it stays maintained in one place. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shapes and linesRectangles, circles and lines with fill, border width and border style. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Grids and tablesRepeating cell layouts for panels, dosage charts and multi-part labels, at any size. | ✓ | ✓ |
| LayersGroup objects into named layers, then show, hide or lock each one while you work. | ✓ | ✓ |
| ArrangeBring to front, bring forward, send backward and send to back, within a layer. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Select All and DuplicateTake the whole label in one keystroke, or copy an object in place without disturbing the clipboard. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited undo and redoEvery edit is undoable, including layout changes made by the property window. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Property windowOne place to set identity, geometry, font, fill, border and content for the selected object. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple documentsOpen several labels at once and work between them in tabs. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Barcodes | ||
| Linear symbologiesCode 128, Code 39, EAN-13 and UPC-A, with optional human-readable text. | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2D symbologiesQR Code, Data Matrix, PDF417 and Aztec. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data-driven barcodesFill any symbology from a database field, a print-job field, a serial number or a script — the same content types the rest of the label uses. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full colour and border controlForeground, background and border are yours to set for print or for on-screen proofing. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Page Setup and Stock | ||
| Label stock libraryTwenty ready-made layouts — Avery sheets, Zebra and Dymo rolls — that fill in every measurement at once. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom and roll mediaDescribe any page, including continuous roll stock that matches no standard sheet size. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full layout controlRows, columns, margins, gaps, and square or rounded label corners, with a live preview of the sheet. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Letter, A4 and LegalStandard paper sizes, measured exactly — A4 is 210 × 297 mm, not a rounded approximation that reports a good layout as not fitting. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unit of your choiceInches, millimetres, centimetres or points, per document, applied to every measurement and both rulers. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data and Content | ||
| Embedded contentType a value straight onto the object — the simplest label, and the fastest to produce. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print job fieldsTwenty-four values resolved from the running job: printer name, driver and port, record and page numbers, totals, document name, revision and save number, user and computer name. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Serial numbersA counter that belongs to the label — start, increment, zero padding, and an optional range that rolls over. It keeps its place between print runs. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Value formattingNumber, currency, percentage, date and time, upper and lower case, with a prefix and suffix — applied to any content, from any source. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Several values on one objectCombine fields, text and formatting on a single object rather than aligning three objects by hand. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data source panelDrag a database field, a date, a serial number or a script onto the label. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text and delimited filesRead records from a CSV or any delimited file, or from data embedded in the label itself. | ✓ | ✓ |
| SQLite databasesRead records from a SQLite file sitting beside the label. | ✓ | ✓ |
| JSON and XML filesRead records from a JSON array or an XML document — no server, no driver, no connection to configure. | ✓ | ✓ |
| MySQL and MariaDBConnect to a live server, with stored credentials. | ✓ | – |
| PostgreSQLConnect to a live server, with stored credentials. | ✓ | – |
| ODBC data sourcesSQL Server, Microsoft Access, Oracle and anything else with a driver — by DSN or connection string, choosing tables or writing your own query. | ✓ | – |
| Database managerAdd, edit and remove the data sources a label uses, and see how each one is configured. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Printing and Output | ||
| PrintAny Windows printer, including thermal and label printers, at the device's own resolution. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Print previewSee the sheet as it will print, page by page, before committing stock to it. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Record range and copiesPrint all records, a range of them, or a template sheet with no data at all. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to PDFA print-ready file of the whole run, laid out exactly as it prints. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to PNG and SVGAn image of each page, at a resolution you choose, for a proof or for artwork elsewhere. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Autosave and crash recoveryOpen work is copied aside on a timer and offered back after an unexpected shutdown. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automation and Scripting | ||
| Command-line printingPrint a label from a script, a scheduler or another application — choose the record range, the copies, the template and the printer, with no one at the screen. | ✓ | – |
| Command-line exportProduce a PDF of a run from the same command line. | ✓ | – |
| BarTender-compatible modeDrive existing integrations that already speak BarTender's command-line arguments. | ✓ | – |
| Lua script editorWrite the scripts that shape a label as it prints, with completion and syntax highlighting. | ✓ | – |
| Document event scriptsNine events — open, save, close, job start, each record, each set of identical copies, job end and cancel. | ✓ | – |
| Per-object transformsReshape one object's value as it is resolved, without touching the data behind it. | ✓ | – |
| Script access to job and dataRead print-job values, database records and other objects' values from a script while a job runs. | ✓ | – |
| Script librariesShare procedures across labels by pointing a document at a library file. | ✓ | – |
| Licensing and Support | ||
| Per-printer licensingPrinters are licensed by count, identically in every edition — the tier you buy never limits how many printers a seat may drive. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Help and reference manualThe full User Guide, installed with the product, as searchable help and as a printable PDF. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support entitlementSupport identifier and maintenance expiry, visible in the product. | ✓ | ✓ |
Every symbology is available in every edition. A label that carries a QR code prints from any seat, which is what keeps a design usable across a team that is not uniformly licensed.
A label authored against a server database still opens, prints and keeps its layout on a Standard seat; the connection it cannot make is reported by name and skipped rather than failing the document.
Scripting is a Professional capability at both ends: writing a script and running one. A label carrying scripts opens and prints on a Standard seat — the design, the data and the layout are all there — but the values its scripts would compute are not computed. Where a design depends on scripting, the seats that print it need Professional too.
Wise Helix PrintDNA is sold in two editions. Standard is the whole designer — everything one person needs to lay out a label at the screen and print it. Professional adds the unattended half: labels driven by a live database, shaped by scripts, and printed from a command line without anyone present.
This document describes the product as released. Features described here are subject to change; nothing in this document is a commitment to deliver functionality not yet generally available.