Free ZPL Label Designer
Lay out a Zebra label on screen, then copy the ZPL. Text, Code 128, QR, Data Matrix, EAN-13, lines and boxes, positioned in dots for your printer's resolution.
The label designer
Everything runs in your browser: your design is never uploaded or sent anywhere. It is kept only in this browser so you can come back to it, and the Reset button erases it.
The preview is an approximation. Fonts, the text under barcodes and Data Matrix packing are emulated, so the printer output is the authority. Test every design on a real printer before you print a roll.
Label
Drag elements to move them, or tab to one and press the arrow keys (Shift moves 10 dots). Delete removes it, Ctrl+D duplicates, Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y undo and redo. You can also type exact positions in the properties panel.
Elements
Properties
The file starts with ^CI28, so accents such as á, é or ñ print as UTF-8. Turn on ASCII-only output if the tool you send the ZPL with changes file encodings; the label prints the same.
Sending it to the printer
- Windows: paste it into Zebra Setup Utilities, "Open Communication with Printer".
- Network: send the file as raw text to the printer's IP address on TCP port 9100.
- No printer at hand? Send it to LabelScope, a free virtual ZPL printer for Windows, to see the label.
How to design a Zebra label
- Set the label and the printer. Pick a size (or type your own) and the resolution of your printer: 203 dpi for most ZD and ZT models, 300 or 600 for fine print. Positions are shown in dots for that resolution.
- Add elements. Use the buttons above the label to add text, barcodes, a QR code, a Data Matrix, boxes and lines. Or start from one of the four templates and change it.
- Place and adjust them. Drag on the label, use the arrow keys, or type the exact X and Y in the properties panel. Change sizes, rotation and the barcode data there too. Undo and redo are always one click away.
- Copy the ZPL and test it. Copy or download the ZPL, send it to the printer and check the printed label. Adjust and repeat until it is right, then keep the file or hand it to your WMS.
Looking for sequential pallet labels or GS1 SSCC-18 numbers? The LPN and SSCC label generator builds batches with the check digit calculated. For a single barcode, the barcode generator is quicker.
ZPL commands used
These are the commands the designer writes. Read the output next to this table and you will see how a label is built.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
^XA / ^XZ | Start and end of one label format. The printer prints when it reads ^XZ. |
^CI28 | Selects UTF-8 input, so accented characters such as á, é and ñ print correctly. |
^PW | Print width of the label in dots. |
^LL | Label length in dots. |
^LH | Label home: the origin, here 0,0 (top left), that every ^FO is measured from. |
^FX | A comment. The printer ignores it; the designer uses it to name each element. |
^FO | Field origin: where the next field starts, in dots from the label home. |
^FD / ^FS | Field data (what is printed or encoded) and the field separator that ends the field. |
^FH | Lets the following ^FD use hex escapes such as _5E. The designer uses it for the characters ^, ~ and _, so typed text can never be read as a command, and for accents when ASCII-only output is on. |
^A0 | Scalable font 0: orientation (N, R, I, B for 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees), height and width in dots. |
^FB | Text block: width, maximum lines, line spacing and alignment. The printer wraps the text and \& is a line break. |
^BY | Barcode defaults: width of the narrowest bar in dots, wide-to-narrow ratio and default height. |
^BC | Code 128: orientation, height and whether to print the human-readable line. |
^B3 | Code 39: orientation, check digit, height and human-readable line. |
^BE | EAN-13: orientation, height and human-readable line. Send 12 digits; the printer adds the check digit. |
^BQ | QR code (model 2) with a magnification factor. The data starts with the error-correction level and input mode, for example MA,. |
^BX | Data Matrix: orientation and the size of each module in dots. Quality 200 selects the modern ECC 200 symbol. |
^GB | Graphic box: width, height and border thickness in dots. A thin height draws a line. |
^PQ | Print quantity: how many copies of the format to print. |
Every command in full is in Zebra's ZPL programming guide; our ZPL resources page explains the structure of a label, a command cheat sheet, calibration and how a WMS fills a template with each transaction's data.
What this designer does not do
- The preview is not the printer. Text widths, the line under barcodes and Data Matrix size are close estimates. A QR code is always drawn 10 dots lower than its Y value, as the printer does. To see how the ZPL itself renders without a printer, use LabelScope, our free virtual ZPL printer for Windows; it is a preview tool too, so still scan-test important labels.
- No variable data, data merge or batches. Content is fixed text: no
^FNplaceholders, serial counters or data from a spreadsheet or database. Use^PQfor copies, the LPN and SSCC generator for numbered pallet labels, or Rotula, our free open-source Windows designer, which merges CSV, Excel and database data and has serial counters. - Only the built-in font. Text uses scalable font 0. There are no downloaded fonts, no logos or images, and no right-to-left or Asian scripts.
- Barcodes are checked, not certified. The tool validates your data, but it cannot tell you whether your scanner or your customer will accept the symbol. Print one and scan it.
- Test on your printer. Media, darkness and calibration change how a label looks. Always print a test label before a full roll.