1. ZPL II, ZBI 2, Set-Get-Do, Mirror, WML Programming Guide
  2. Advanced Techniques
  3. Printer Control Commands
  • ZPL II, ZBI 2, Set-Get-Do, Mirror, WML Programming Guide
Printer Control Commands

Printer Control Commands

The following commands control various printer operations:
Command
Function
^PF
(Slew Given Number of Dot Rows)
Causes the printer to slew labels (move labels at a high speed without printing) a specified number of dot rows, at the bottom of the label. This allows faster printing when the bottom portion of a label is blank.
~PH
 or
^PH
(Slew to Home Position)
Causes the printer to feed one blank label.
  • The
    ~PH
     command feeds one label after the format currently being printing is done or when the printer is placed in pause.
  • The
    ^PH
     command feeds one blank label after the format it is in prints.
~PP
(Programmable Pause)
Stops printing after the current label is printed (if one is printing) and places the printer in the Pause mode.The operation is identical to pressing the PAUSE button on the front panel of the printer. The printer will remain paused until the PAUSE button is pressed or a
~PS
 command is sent to the printer.
^PP
(Programmable Pause)
This command pauses the printer after the format it is in prints. Because this command is not executed immediately, several labels may be printed before the printer is paused.The operation is identical to pressing the PAUSE button on the front panel of the printer. The printer will remain paused until the PAUSE button is pressed or a
~PS
 command is sent to the printer.
^PQ
(Print Quantity)
This command gives control over several printing operations. It controls the number of labels to print, the number of labels printed before the printer pauses, and the number of replications of each serial number.
^PR
(Print Rate)
Determines the media speed during printing and the slew speed (feeding a blank label). The printer will operate with the selected speeds until the setting is resent in a subsequent format or the printer is turned off.
Limitations of Higher Print Speeds
Print speed is application specific. Because print quality is affected by media and ribbon, printing speeds, and printer operating modes, it is very important to run tests for your applications.
  • With high print speeds, use thermal transfer mode only.
  • Horizontal bar codes with a minimum x dimension of 5 mil may be printed at print speeds of 2 in. (51mm) per second.
  • Rotated bar codes are limited to a minimum x dimension of 10 mil (modulus 2) at higher print speeds. At x dimension of 5 mil (modulus 1), they may be printed at 2 in. per second.
  • At high print speeds, Font A at a magnification of 1 is not recommended; all other fonts are acceptable.
~PS
(Print Start)
Causes a printer in the Pause mode to resume printing. The operation is identical to pressing the PAUSE button on the front panel of the printer when the printer is already in the Pause mode.