ZPL Programming for Memory Management

ZD888TA/ZD230TA Thermal Transfer Desktop Printer User Guide

The ZPL programming language has various printer memory locations that are used to run the printer, assemble the print image, and store formats (forms), graphics, fonts, and configuration settings.

ZPL treats formats (forms), fonts, and graphics similar to the way it treats files. It treats memory locations like disk drives in the DOS operating system environment.

Memory Object Naming supports up to 16 alphanumeric characters followed by a three alphanumeric-character file extension (for example:

123456789ABCDEF.TTF

Legacy ZPL printers with V60.13 firmware and earlier can use only an 8.3 filename format instead of today’s 16.3 filename format.

Allows moving objects between memory locations and deleting objects.

Supports DOS directory style file-list reports as printouts or status to the central device or host computer.

Allows use of wildcards (

) for file access.

ZPL object management and status report commands are listed below.

Command	Name	Description
^WD	Print Directory Label	Prints a list of objects and resident barcodes and fonts in all addressable memory locations.
~WC	Print Configuration Label	Prints a configuration Status Receipt (Label) Same as FEED button mode one-flash routine.
^ID	Object Delete	Deletes objects from printer memory.
^TO	Transfer Object	Used to copy an object or group of objects from one memory area to another.
^CM	Change Memory Letter Designation	Reassigns a letter designation to a printer memory area.
^JB	Initialize Flash memory	Similar effect as formatting a computer hard disk—erases all objects from the specified memory locations B: or E: .
~JB	Reset Optional Memory	Similar effect formatting a computer hard disk—erases all objects from the B: memory (factory option).
~DY	Download Objects	Downloads and installs wide variety of printer usable programming objects: fonts (OpenType and TrueType), graphics, and other object data types. Use ZebraNet Bridge for downloading graphics and fonts in the printer.
~DG	Download Graphic	Downloads an ASCII Hex representation of a graphic image. This is used by ZebraDesigner (label-creation application) for graphics handling.
^FL	Font Linking	Appends secondary TrueType font or fonts to the primary TrueType font to add glyphs (characters).
^LF	List Font Links	Prints a list of the linked fonts.
^CW	Font Identifier	Assigns a single alphanumeric character as an alias to a font stored in memory.

Some factory-installed ZPL fonts in your printer cannot be copied, cloned or restored to your printer by reloading or updating firmware.

If these license-restricted ZPL fonts are removed by an explicit ZPL object delete command, they must be repurchased and reinstalled using a font activation and installation utility. EPL fonts do not have this restriction.