Abiao Label Designer · Component System

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4Component System — Building Blocks of a Label

Components are the "parts" that make up a label. Each component displays one type of content — text, barcode, image, shape, etc. You can freely combine them to create any label design.

4.1 All Components at a Glance

Component	What It Does	Typical Use
Text	Display text with customizable font, size, color, alignment Supports data binding (auto-read from database/Excel)	Product name, price, address, descriptions
Multi-line Text	Display multi-line paragraph text with auto-wrap and line spacing control	Product descriptions, address info, long text
Arc Text	Text arranged along a curved path, adjustable radius and angle	Round label text, circular logo text
Rich Text	HTML-formatted text with mixed colors and fonts	Formatted descriptions, terms text
Barcode	Generate 1D barcodes, 18 symbologies supported (incl. EAN-8, IMB)	Product barcodes, tracking numbers, asset IDs
QR Code	Generate QR codes scannable by phone	Product traceability links, vCards, URLs
Line	Draw horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines	Dividers, table lines, decorative lines
Rectangle	Draw hollow or filled rectangles with optional rounded corners	Borders, background blocks, button areas
Ellipse	Draw hollow or filled ellipses / circles	Circular badge backgrounds, decorations
Shape	Draw polygons: triangles, diamonds, stars, hexagons, arrows, etc.	Direction arrows, warning signs, decorations
Image	Insert images (PNG/JPG/SVG/etc.), embedded or linked	Company logo, product photos, background images
Table	Dynamic data table with data binding, pagination, conditional coloring	Product lists, data reports, price lists
RFID	Configure RFID tag data encoding and writing, supports EPC/ISO standards	Warehouse logistics, asset mgmt, anti-counterfeiting
Formula	Perform calculations or string operations, display results dynamically	Total amounts, data concatenation, format conversion
Script	Run custom script logic (C#/VB) and return results	Complex data processing, conditional logic

4.2 Text Component (Most Common) — Detailed Guide

The text component is the most basic building block — almost every label uses it. Let's learn its settings in detail.

How to Add and Edit Text

Drag "Text" from the component toolbox to the canvas.

Edit text content — Two ways:

Way 1: Double-click the text on the canvas to enter edit mode, then type directly
Way 2: In the Properties Panel on the right, find the "Text Content" field and modify it

Adjust text style — Select the text component, go to Properties Panel → Text Format:

Font: Choose any font installed on your computer
Size: Larger number = larger text (unit: pt)
Bold (B): Make text bold
Italic (I): Make text italic
Underline (U): Underline the text
Color: Click the color swatch to choose a text color
Alignment: Horizontal (Left/Center/Right) and Vertical (Top/Middle/Bottom)

Adjust position and size: In Properties Panel → Position & Size, enter exact X, Y coordinates, width, and height. Or drag directly on the canvas.

Text Data Binding (Make Text Dynamic)

One of the text component's most powerful features: instead of typing text manually, it can automatically read from a database or Excel. For example, if you have 1000 products to label, each with a different name — just design one label template, bind it to the "ProductName" field, and the software handles the rest.

See Chapter 7 "Data Binding" for details.

Text Component Advanced Settings

Rotation: 0~360 degrees, rotate text at any angle
Opacity: 0 (fully transparent) ~ 255 (fully opaque), for watermark effects
Line spacing / Character spacing: Adjust spacing between lines and characters
Auto wrap: Automatically wrap text when it exceeds component width
Minimum font size: When text is too long, it shrinks down to this minimum size

4.3 Arc Text Component

Use this when text needs to follow a curved path (e.g. round seals, circular logo text).

Arc radius: Radius of the arc (larger = flatter curve)
Start angle: Where text starts on the arc (0°=right, clockwise)
Sweep angle: How many degrees the text spans (90° = quarter circle)
Direction: Clockwise or counter-clockwise

4.4 Rich Text Component

Use this when you need mixed fonts, colors, and sizes in one text (e.g. "This product costs $99.00 — limited offer").

HTML tag input: <b>bold</b>, <span style="color:red">red</span>
Click "Edit" in the Properties Panel to open the rich text visual editor
Supports data binding (store HTML templates in database for dynamic rendering)

4.5 Barcode Component

Barcodes (1D codes) encode numbers or letters for fast scanning.

Supported Symbologies (18 total)

Symbology	Description	Common Uses
CODE128	Most versatile, supports mixed letters and numbers	Shipping numbers, asset IDs (recommended)
CODE128A/B/C	Subsets of CODE128 (A=uppercase+control, B=full ASCII, C=double-density digits)	Specialized needs
EAN-13	13-digit international product code	Retail barcodes (supermarket products)
EAN-8	Shortened EAN-13 (8 digits)	Small packages (limited space)
UPC-A / UPC-E	North American product barcode standard	Export to North America
CODE39	Early standard, supports letters and digits	Industrial IDs, automotive industry
CODE93	Compact version of CODE39	High-density scenarios
CODABAR	Legacy format, digits plus a few special characters	Libraries, blood banks, shipping
ITF-14	14-digit logistics packaging code	Outer case barcodes
GS1-128	Supply chain standard barcode	Logistics with application identifiers
GS1-Databar	Modern compact barcode with more data capacity	Perishable food, small medical items
PDF417	Stacked 2D barcode	ID documents, shipping labels
DataMatrix	Square 2D matrix code, can be very small	Electronic component IDs, surgical instruments
MaxiCode	UPS format	Package sorting
Aztec	QR-like code with a bullseye center	Transportation tickets, boarding passes

How to Add a Barcode

Drag "Barcode" from the component toolbox to the canvas.

Choose symbology: In Properties Panel → Encoding dropdown (CODE128 is a good default)

Enter data: In Properties Panel → Data Binding, bind to a data source field, or type static content

Adjust appearance: Set barcode height, narrow bar width (density), and whether to show human-readable text

💡 Tip: A newly added barcode shows "12345678" by default. When you bind a data source, it will automatically display real data.

4.6 QR Code Component

QR codes store more information and can be scanned by phone cameras.

Error correction: L (7% damage tolerant), M (15%), Q (25%), H (30%). Higher levels tolerate more damage/obscuring but create denser patterns
Module size: Size of each black dot
Quiet zone: White margin around the QR code
Color: Custom foreground (default black) and background (default white)

4.7 Line / Rectangle / Ellipse / Shape Components

These are geometric shape components for decoration, borders, dividers, etc.

Component	Main Settings
Line	Start/end coordinates, line width, style (solid/dashed/dotted), color, end caps (dot/arrow)
Rectangle	Width/height, corner radius (0 = square), fill color, border color/width
Ellipse	Width/height (equal = circle), fill color, border color/width
Shape	Type (triangle/diamond/star/hexagon/arrow/etc.), fill color, border color, rotation

📝 Design tips:

Use a Rectangle as an overall label border for a professional look
Use Lines to separate information areas for clearer layout
Set a light gray Rectangle fill for section background shading
Arrow shapes can indicate direction (e.g. "Open this side")

4.8 Image Component

Place logos, product photos, icons, etc. on your label.

Supported formats: PNG, JPG, BMP, GIF, SVG (vector), WMF, EMF

How to add an image:

Drag "Image" from the component toolbox to the canvas.

Click "Select Image" in the Properties Panel to choose a file.
Or: drag an image file from your folder directly onto the canvas image component.

Choose image source type:

Embedded: Image data is stored inside the .lbt file (larger file but self-contained)
Linked: Only stores the file path (smaller file, but image location must not change)
Data Binding: Image path comes from a database/Excel field (for batch printing with different images)

Set scale mode:

Stretch: Image is stretched to fill the component (may distort)
Fit: Maintains aspect ratio, fits entirely within the component (recommended)
Center: Maintains aspect ratio, centered (may crop)
Tile: Repeats image if it's smaller than the component

4.9 Table Component

Display multi-row data on a label — product lists, price lists, data reports.

Basic settings:

Rows/Columns: Set the number of rows and columns
Column width / Row height: Adjust each column and row individually
Header: Optional header row that repeats on every page during printing
Borders: Border color and thickness for cells
Alternating row colors: Different colors for odd/even rows, improving readability
Fonts: Separate font settings for header and content

Data binding:

Bind the table to database query results or Excel data
SQL query: Write SQL directly in the table properties to query a database and populate the table
Conditional formatting: Highlight certain cells in different colors based on data values

Pagination:

If data rows don't fit on one page, set "Rows per page"
The software automatically paginates and repeats the header on each page
Page numbers can be displayed

4.10 Formula Component

Perform calculations or text processing — e.g. display "unit price × quantity = total" on a label.

Supported operations:

Arithmetic: + - × ÷, power (^), modulo (%)
Statistical: SUM, AVG, COUNT, MIN, MAX
Logical: IF (conditional), CONCAT (string join)
Text: UPPER, LOWER, LEN, LEFT/RIGHT/MID
Math: ROUND, CEIL, FLOOR
Date: NOW, DATE (formatting), TEXT (type conversion)

💡 Formula examples:
IF({quantity} > 10, "Wholesale", "Retail") — show "Wholesale" if quantity > 10, else "Retail"
ROUND({unit_price} * {quantity}, 2) — calculate total with 2 decimal places
UPPER({product_code}) — convert product code to uppercase

4.11 Script Component

More powerful than formulas. Write C# or VB code for any custom processing.

Access all data source fields
Call built-in API functions
Return the result as the component's displayed content

4.12 RFID Component

Configure RFID tag data encoding and writing, supports EPC Class 1 Gen 2 standards.

EPC encoding formats (SGTIN, SSCC, GRAI, etc.)
Configurable write power and antenna port settings
Simultaneous RFID tag writing during print

4.13 Common Component Operations (Right-Click Menu)

Right-click on any component to see a context menu:

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Cut (Ctrl+X)                          │
│ Copy (Ctrl+C)                         │
│ Paste (Ctrl+V)                        │
│ Delete (Delete)                        │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Bring to Front (Ctrl+Shift+↑)         │
│ Bring Forward (Ctrl+↑)                │
│ Send Backward (Ctrl+↓)                │
│ Send to Back (Ctrl+Shift+↓)           │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Align → Left / Right / Top /         │
│         Bottom / Center Horizontally  │
│         Center Vertically / Distribute │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Rotate → 90° / 180° / 270°           │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Lock/Unlock — prevents moving/editing │
│ Properties — opens the right panel    │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

📝 About Z-order: Components on a label are layered — newer components appear "on top" of older ones.
If an image covers your text, use "Bring to Front" to move the text above, or "Send to Back" to move the image behind.

Creating Labels Contents Properties Panel