Using Zebra Barcode Printers and ZPL Fonts

What is ZPL?

A ZPL printer uses a print language that provides basic shapes, bitmap fonts and Unicode character mapping. There are many more commands available in this programming language. Zebra has a great guide to help you learn the details of this programming language.

When you use Zebra printers, you must follow a sequence of flashes to ensure correct print performance. If you are having a problem with a particular printer, you should try resetting the printer to its default settings. If this does not work, you may need to recalibrate the printer. This may take several minutes.

If the printer is using the Line Mode printing feature, you can print individual lines. This type of print is not suited for complex element placement. For example, if you are printing a 4 by 6 inch label, you should set the label’s maximum length to 12 inches. In addition, you should make sure the label is high quality. You should also check the printhead’s cleanliness. If it is dirty, it could lead to printing errors. You should consider replacing the printhead if it is damaged.

If you are using a G-Series printer, you can download fonts using the ZebraSetup Utility. In addition, you can configure your printer to run a downloaded label form. If your printer supports this feature, you can use a wedge device or a keyboard display unit to load the form onto the printer.

The label template is composed of several ZPL commands. The first command, XA, signals the start of the label. The second command, XZ, signals the end of the label. The next four commands are used to define the elements of a ZPL label.

For a complete list of commands, refer to the ZPL Programmers Guide. In addition, there are many other ZPL commands that are useful in creating labels. Some of these are discussed below. However, there are also additional tips and tricks that you can learn through further exploration.

If you are using EPL (EPL2), you can also download fonts for your printer. This is done through the ZebraNet(tm) Bridge. You can also convert ZPL commands to the ESC/POS graphic format with EPSON ESC/POS NV Binary output format.