Configuring ZPL Labels

ZPL Labels are essentially product labels written in Zebra Programming Language. As explained in the Building Product Labels page, Product Labels and ZPL Labels are useful for labeling products with specific information and are setup as Part Forms in DEACOM. ZPL Labels, specifically, allow users to create a variety of labels with any combination of text, barcodes, and graphics, specifically for smaller label sizes. Some key features of the Zebra Programming Language include:

  • Serialized label fields, with user-selected starting value and increment/decrement value.
  • Simple line graphics to eliminate label pre-printing.
  • Scaleable fonts.

Once the appropriate scale models have been setup, users will need to create the appropriate ZPL labels to use with the scales and DEACOM AutoFinisher application. The DEACOM AutoFinisher currently only prints labels via ZPL.

Configuration

  • The "Print outs menu" and "Printouts -- maintenance" security settings must be set to "Yes" for users who will build and modify product labels. Additionally, a ZPL printer must be installed on the computer that will print the labels. Directions for this process are included below.
  • Users should also reference the "Configuration" section of the Managing Part Forms page prior to creating any part form.
  • Reference the Printer Configuration page for information on installing ZPL printers.

Process

General process information on designing Part Forms can be found in the Managing Part Forms page. Additional information can also be found in the Building Product Labels page.

Designing ZPL labels

  1. Navigate to Print Outs > Maintenance > Part Forms.
  2. Click "New" to open the Edit Part Form and begin creating the label.
  3. Enter a name for the label then set the "Print Type" and "Print Destination" based on the Part(s) that will utilize this label.
  4. Set the "Default Type" to "Item Label".
  5. Set the "Print Method", which defines how the label is coded, to "ZPL". ZPL will utilize the "ZPL Definition" field, while Designer will utilize the Report Designer. For process information on creating labels using the Report Designer, refer to the Building Product Labels page.
  6. Enter the ZPL commands that will be used to generate the label in the "ZPL Definition" field. EXAMPLE:
  7. ^XA~TA000~SH30^PR12,12,12^LH0,0 ^FT<<ROUND(u_30,0)>>,<<ROUND(u_31,0)>>^AD<<IIF(u_wheat = .T., "I", "N")>>,36,14<<IIF(u_wheat = .T., "^FR", "")>>^FD<<ALLT(pr_descrip)>>^FS ^FT<<ROUND(u_30,0)>>,<<ROUND(u_31+100, 0)>>^BY1,3.0^AD<<IIF(u_wheat = .T., "I", "N")>>,24,14^BC<<IIF(u_wheat = .T., "I", "N")>>,70,Y,N,N,N<<IIF(u_wheat = .T., "^FR", "")>>^FD<<F_BARCODE("128b", 12, SUBSTR(pr_codenum,1,4) + SUBSTR(TIME(),1,2) + SUBSTR(TIME(),4,2)+ RIGHT(ALLT(TRANS(fi_lotnum, "9999999999")), 2) + PADL(ROUND(fi_catchwgt*100, 0), 6, '0')+ SUBSTR(pr_codenum, 5,2))>>^FS ^PQ1^XZ
    1. NOTE: In the above example, the system will print 1 copy of the label. To have the system print the number of labels based on the value the user inputs in the "Print Quantity" field, the example above needs to be modified and above/before the ending ^XZ tag, ^PQ<<labelqty>> must be added.
  8. Some helpful sites dealing with ZPL commands are:
    1. http://labelary.com/docs.html - Describes various ZPL commands and includes an online viewer where you can type in ZPL commands and see a presentation of what the finished label will look like.
    2. https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra/manuals/printers/common/programming/zpl-zbi2-pm-en.pdf - Zebra Programming guide.
  9. On the ZPL Definition form, click "Save" to save the commands as entered then exit the form.
  10. Back on the Edit Part Form , click "Save" then close the form to complete the process.

Note: To assign a ZPL Label as the system default or an item-specific label, follow the steps in the "Assigning default and item-specific labels" section of the Building Product Labels page.

Setting up the ZPL printer

  1. Plug the ZPL printer into the computer. This action should automatically install the device on most Windows computers.
  2. Set the printer to print by Mark or Black Mark (they mean the same thing) if using labels with black marks on the back, which most do.
  3. Download Zebra Setup Utilities using the following link: https://www.zebra.com/us/en/products/software/barcode-printers/zebralink/zebra-setup-utility.html.
  4. Enable ZPL print mode if using the ZPL language. Line print is for Report Designer Part Forms and DSD printouts.