# Escape character for printing **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-Code-Samples\ **Created:** [December 11, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/escape-character-for-printing/79764 "2008-12-11T12:12:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/escape-character-for-printing/79764/1 "2008-12-11T12:12:54Z")
I need to use the escape character to print barcodes to a tally printer. How would i define and write the escape sequence, any suggestions please? Escape character : 1B (hex) define data local 1 #esc (A4) end-define assign #esc = ‘H"1B32’ write (1) #esc end ---
**Author:** ![Douglas\_Kelly](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/douglas_kelly/32/102_2.png) [@Douglas\_Kelly](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Douglas_Kelly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/escape-character-for-printing/79764/2 "2008-12-11T21:40:29Z")
You’re close! Put the H’ qualifier outside the quotes… #esc need only be 2 characters. assign #esc = H’1b32’ If Natural’s print management gets in the way (sometimes happens with sending special characters to the print device), try using WRITE WORK FILE 1 #ESC stuff… instead. Downside is that you have to do all the line spacing, page ejects, headings, titles yourself, but for special device output like this that’s not always a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/escape-character-for-printing/79764/3 "2021-04-02T14:51:16Z")