diff --git a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/IsoValue.java b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/IsoValue.java
index 4145706..e3ac609 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/IsoValue.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/IsoValue.java
@@ -76,7 +76,11 @@ public class IsoValue<T> implements Cloneable {
 			}
 		} else if (type == IsoType.LLBIN || type == IsoType.LLLBIN) {
 			if (custom == null) {
-				length = ((byte[])value).length;
+				if (value instanceof byte[]) {
+					length = ((byte[])value).length;
+				} else {
+					length = value.toString().length() / 2 + (value.toString().length() % 2);
+				}
 			} else {
 				//TODO special encoder, NO strings
 				String enc = custom.encodeField(value);
@@ -177,9 +181,17 @@ public class IsoValue<T> implements Cloneable {
 		} else if (value instanceof Date) {
 			return type.format((Date)value);
 		} else if (type == IsoType.BINARY) {
-			return type.format(encoder == null ? HexCodec.hexEncode((byte[])value) : encoder.encodeField(value), length * 2);
+			if (value instanceof byte[]) {
+				return type.format(encoder == null ? HexCodec.hexEncode((byte[])value) : encoder.encodeField(value), length * 2);
+			} else {
+				return type.format(encoder == null ? value.toString() : encoder.encodeField(value), length);
+			}
 		} else if (type == IsoType.LLBIN || type == IsoType.LLLBIN) {
-			return encoder == null ? HexCodec.hexEncode((byte[])value) : encoder.encodeField(value);
+			if (value instanceof byte[]) {
+				return encoder == null ? HexCodec.hexEncode((byte[])value) : encoder.encodeField(value);
+			} else {
+				return encoder == null ? value.toString() : encoder.encodeField(value);
+			}
 		}
 		return encoder == null ? value.toString() : encoder.encodeField(value);
 	}
@@ -273,7 +285,11 @@ public class IsoValue<T> implements Cloneable {
 			}
 		}
 		if (binary && (type == IsoType.BINARY || type == IsoType.LLBIN || type == IsoType.LLLBIN)) {
-			outs.write((byte[])value);
+			if (value instanceof byte[]) {
+				outs.write((byte[])value);
+			} else {
+				outs.write(HexCodec.hexDecode(value.toString()));
+			}
 		} else {
 			//Just write the value as text
 			outs.write(toString().getBytes());
diff --git a/src/main/resources/com/solab/iso8583/parse/j8583.dtd b/src/main/resources/com/solab/iso8583/parse/j8583.dtd
index 79bf080..b886a63 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/com/solab/iso8583/parse/j8583.dtd
+++ b/src/main/resources/com/solab/iso8583/parse/j8583.dtd
@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@
 <!ELEMENT field ( #PCDATA ) >
 <!ATTLIST field num NMTOKEN #REQUIRED >
 <!ATTLIST field length NMTOKEN #IMPLIED >
-<!ATTLIST field type ( ALPHA | NUMERIC | AMOUNT | DATE10 | DATE4 | DATE_EXP | TIME | LLVAR | LLLVAR ) #REQUIRED >
+<!ATTLIST field type ( ALPHA | NUMERIC | AMOUNT | DATE10 | DATE4 | DATE_EXP | TIME | LLVAR | LLLVAR | BINARY | LLBIN | LLLBIN ) #REQUIRED >
diff --git a/src/test/java/j8583/TestBinaries.java b/src/test/java/j8583/TestBinaries.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4d3b99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/j8583/TestBinaries.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package j8583;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import junit.framework.Assert;
+
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import com.solab.iso8583.IsoMessage;
+import com.solab.iso8583.MessageFactory;
+import com.solab.iso8583.util.HexCodec;
+
+/** Test binary message encoding and binary fields. */
+public class TestBinaries {
+
+	private MessageFactory mfactAscii = new MessageFactory();
+	private MessageFactory mfactBin = new MessageFactory();
+
+	@Before
+	public void setup() throws IOException {
+		mfactAscii.setConfigPath("config.xml");
+		mfactBin.setConfigPath("config.xml");
+		mfactAscii.setAssignDate(true);
+		mfactBin.setAssignDate(true);
+		mfactBin.setUseBinaryMessages(true);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMessages() {
+		//Create a message with both factories
+		IsoMessage ascii = mfactAscii.newMessage(0x600);
+		IsoMessage bin = mfactBin.newMessage(0x600);
+		//HEXencode the binary message, headers should be similar to the ASCII version
+		String hexBin = HexCodec.hexEncode(bin.writeData());
+		String hexAscii = new String(ascii.writeData());
+		System.out.printf("bin:   %s%nascii: %s%n", hexBin, hexAscii);
+		Assert.assertEquals("0600", hexBin.substring(0, 4));
+		//Should be the same up to the trace (first 64 chars)
+		Assert.assertEquals(hexAscii.substring(0, 64), hexBin.substring(0, 64));
+		//Parse both messages
+		//Compare values, should be the same
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/src/test/resources/config.xml b/src/test/resources/config.xml
index 312e1fe..a198a0a 100644
--- a/src/test/resources/config.xml
+++ b/src/test/resources/config.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,15 @@
 	<field num="126" type="LLLVAR">...and yet another fixed field.</field>
 </template>
 
+<template type="0600">
+	<field num="4" type="AMOUNT">000000123400</field>
+	<field num="11" type="NUMERIC" length="6">123</field>
+	<field num="41" type="BINARY" length="8">abcdef</field>
+	<field num="43" type="ALPHA" length="40">Field of length 40</field>
+	<field num="62" type="LLBIN">0123456789abcdef</field>
+	<field num="102" type="LLLVAR">Field of type LLLVAR</field>
+</template>
+
 <!-- The server example uses this to read the requests -->
 <parse type="0200">
 	<field num="3" type="NUMERIC" length="6" />
@@ -88,4 +97,15 @@
 	<field num="126" type="LLLVAR" />
 </parse>
 
+<!-- this is for binary tests (message encoding AND fields) -->
+<parse type="0600">
+	<field num="4" type="AMOUNT" />
+	<field num="7" type="DATE10" />
+	<field num="11" type="NUMERIC" length="6" />
+	<field num="41" type="BINARY" length="8" />
+	<field num="43" type="ALPHA" length="40" />
+	<field num="62" type="LLBIN" />
+	<field num="102" type="LLLVAR" />
+</parse>
+
 </j8583-config>