ZPL shipping labels for Zebra and Rollo printers
ZPL is the command language a Zebra or Rollo label printer reads. The file is plain text: the label is a short list of commands, not a picture of a label.
What one label contains
- One format per label, opened with
^XAand closed with^XZ. A batch is those blocks one after another in one file, and the printer starts a fresh label at every^XA. ^PW812sets the print width and^LL1218sets the label length. At 203 dots per inch, that is 4 by 6 inches, the same 4 by 6 inches as the PDF layout.- Address text is escaped, so a caret or a tilde in a name or reference prints as a character instead of being read as the start of a command.
- A Code 128 barcode prints with
^BCand a QR code with^BQ, from the value you supply. Text is sent as UTF-8, so accented names print as typed.
Steps
- Get a file. ZPL is a paid format: the Free plan serves PDF only, and ZPL is included on Pro and Business. The single label form on the home page downloads PDF, so a ZPL file comes from the CSV tab or the API.
- On the CSV tab, upload the orders, choose 4x6 thermal, and choose ZPL as the format. Download the .zpl file when the batch reports done.
- Open it in a text editor if you want to check it. It starts with
^XA, ends with^XZ, and has one block per label. - Send the file to the printer. It is already in the printer's own language, so nothing has to convert it first, and the printer sets the label size from the commands in the file.
What the file is not
It is label artwork, in text form. It carries no postage, connects to no carrier account, and does not check that an address exists. Required fields and a two letter country code are checked, and a state and ZIP for a US address; that is all.
Makes the label. Does not buy postage.