NETWORK CONNECT

FOR AUTOMATION

Developer Guide

P1096306-002 Rev. B
© 2018 ZIH Corp. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. ZEBRA and the stylized Zebra head are
trademarks of ZIH Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

For further information regarding legal and proprietary statements, please go to:

COPYRIGHTS: www.zebra.com/copyright
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END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: www.zebra.com/eula
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Terms of Use
Proprietary Statement This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its
subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for the information and use of parties operating and
maintaining the equipment described herein. Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed
to any other parties for any other purpose without the express, written permission of Zebra Technologies.

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specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

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manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and
disclaims liability resulting therefrom.

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or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever
(including, without limitation, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss
of business information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra
Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or
limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

Part Number: P1096306-002 Rev. B

 Contents

About This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Communications Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EDS File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Supported Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Identity Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TCP/IP Interface Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ethernet Link Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
I/O Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Printer Input Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Printer Output Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Add the Printer to the I/O Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Create I/O Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2 • Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Download and Install ZebraDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Download the Sample Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Modify the Template File in ZebraDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Recalling and Printing with a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Create Your Own Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

3 • Raw Parser Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Embedded Parser Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Configuration Commands Inside Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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4 Contents

Using More Than Five Field Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Sending Data More Than 500 Bytes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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 About This Document

This section provides you with contact information, document structure and organization,
and additional reference documents.

Contents
Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1/24/20 P1096306-002
6 About This Document
Who Should Use This Document

Who Should Use This Document

This Developer Guide is intended for use by any person who needs to learn more about
using Ethernet/IP with the printer.

How This Document Is Organized

The Developer Guide is set up as follows:

Section Description
Introduction on page 7 This guide provides information on the use of
Network Connect for Automation (NC4A).
Designing and Exporting a Template This section describes how to use
in ZebraDesigner on page 25 ZebraDesigner, our label design application, to
create a label template, and then export it. We’ll
use an example template called “EIP” as an
example.
Raw Parser Data on page 39 This section describes how to utilize the raw
parser data section of the Printer Input
Assembly.

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 1

Introduction

This guide provides information on the use of Network Connect for Automation (NC4A).

Contents
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Communications Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EDS File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Supported Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Identity Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TCP/IP Interface Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ethernet Link Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
I/O Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Printer Input Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Printer Output Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I/O Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Add the Printer to the I/O Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Create I/O Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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8 Introduction
Setup

Setup
The following components are required for initial setup and a fully functional Zebra
Industrial Ethernet solution.
• Link-OS Ethernet/IP capable printer (such as a ZT400 printer)
• Special firmware SP004629A
• A PC running Windows 7, or higher
• An Industrial Ethernet PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) that supports
EtherNet/IP such as CompactLogix
• Ethernet switch or router (if not connecting directly to a PLC) and Ethernet cables
• Sample applications to help accelerate development.

Communications Profile
The EtherNet/IP interface on the printer supports CIP Adapter functionality. The device
can receive, or be the target of, I/O connections from a CIP Scanner, but is not able to
originate connections itself. The interface supports the Generic device profile. The
Generic profile provides for all CIP objects that are required by the EtherNet/IP
specification.

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 Introduction 9
EDS File

EDS File
The EtherNet/IP EDS file describes the Identity and I/O capabilities of the printer. The file
is used by PLC configuration tools to configure the I/O connections and data tags used to
communicate with the printer over the EtherNet/IP network.
The EDS file is keyed by Rockwell for EDS AOP usage (a custom Rockwell AOP will be
available from Zebra or in the latest version of Studio 5000). See Figure 1. The latest EDS
file can be acquired from the printer directly using RSLinx Classic – RSWho and uploading
the EDS file from the device.

Figure 1

Supported Objects
The EtherNet/IP interface will support the following CIP objects:
• Identity
• Message Router
• TCP/IP Interface
• Ethernet Link

Identity Object
The Identity object provides the ability to get device information, product name, product
code, revision, serial number, and the ability to reset the printer.

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10 Introduction
I/O Assemblies

TCP/IP Interface Object

The TCP/IP Interface object provides only the ability to get TCP/IP configuration
parameters, set is NOT supported at this time. The IP address configuration can only
occur via existing configuration methods on the printer, and may NOT be set through the
TCP/IP Interface object. This is known as being hardware configurable. All changes will
require a device reset before any changes take effect. Address Conflict Detection is not
supported.

Ethernet Link Object

The Ethernet Link object provides the ability to only get the MAC address. Getting the
duplex is not supported.

I/O Assemblies
The EtherNet/IP interface includes two Assembly object instances that hold parameters
and data used in printing forms, configuring the printer, and monitoring system status.

Printer Input Assembly

Instance: 112

Access: Set

Size: 496 bytes

See Table 1. The printer input assembly allows for ZPL formats to be recalled and printed
as well as sending additional ZPL or other device language commands.

Table 1
Sequence Number 2 bytes
Format Number 2 bytes
XF Format Name (^XF) 24 bytes*
XF Field 1 (^FN1) 68 bytes*
XF Field 2 (^FN2) 20 bytes*
XF Field 3 (^FN3) 20 bytes*
XF Field 4 (^FN4) 20 bytes*
XF Field 5 (^XF5) 20 bytes*
Raw Parser Data 320 bytes*
*These ASCII NULL terminated strings contain 2 bytes of string
length data in the beginning of the SINT array, which are
ignored by the printer. When writing data as an array, start at
index 2 instead of index 0.

The sequence number is used to specify that new data is available for the printer to send
to the parser. This number must be incremented each time new data is present and ready
to process on the printer. When the limit is reached for the sequence number, reset the
value and roll it back to zero to begin incrementing again.

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 Introduction 11
I/O Assemblies

The format number should be set to ‘1’ at all times.

The format name should be used to specify the location of the ZPL format used for
printing. The format of this data should be:
X:Y.Z
where X is the drive, Y is the file name, and Z is the extension
The ^FN field data sections are used to specify field data for the corresponding field
numbers as referenced by the format name. If the field’s first character is a NULL, the field
will be ignored. Field 1 is the only field that supports a larger amount of characters
compared to Fields 2 through 5.
The raw parser data section has two modes. If the format name is not NULL, the raw
parser data shall be inside the ^XA ^XZ of the recalled format. If the format name is NULL,
the raw parser data shall NOT be inside any ^XA ^XZ, and will have to be specified in the
raw parser data.

Printer Output Assembly

Instance: 100

Access: Get

Size: 100 bytes

See Table 2. The printer output assembly holds the current system status of the printer as
well as any return data from additional parser commands.

Table 2
Previous Sequence Number 2 bytes
Previous Format Number 2 bytes
System Status 44 bytes
Parser Return Data 52 bytes*
*These ASCII NULL terminated strings contain 2 bytes of string
length data in the beginning of the SINT array, which are
ignored by the printer. When writing data as an array, start at
index 2 instead of index 0.

The system status is the same format as the following Set Get Do command:
! U1 getvar "zpl.system_status"
with a result that looks like:
0,0,00000000,00000000,0,00000000,00000000
Each section is separated by commas for a total of 7 sections:
• Section 1 – 1 byte, denotes if the printer is paused (1 yes, 0 no)
• Section 2 – 1 byte, denotes if the printer has an error (1 yes, 0 no)
• Section 3 – 8 bytes, currently reserved

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12 Introduction
I/O Assemblies

• Section 4 – 8 bytes, has the following bit values (those not specified are reserved):
MEDIA_OUT = 0x00000001
RIBBON_OUT = 0x00000002
HEAD_OPEN = 0x00000004
CUTTER_ERROR = 0x00000008
HEAD_OVERTEMP = 0x00000010
MOTOR_OVERTEMP = 0x00000020
HEAD_ELEMENT = 0x00000040
HEAD_DETECTION_PROBLEM = 0x00000080
THERMISTOR_OPEN = 0x00000200
PRINTER_PAUSED = 0x00010000
BASIC_RUNTIME_ERROR = 0x00100000
BASIC_FORCED = 0x00200000
RIBBON_AUTH_ERROR = 0x00400000
• Section 5 – 1 byte, denotes if the printer has a warning (1 yes, 0 not)
• Section 6 – 8 bytes, currently reserved
• Section 7 – 8 bytes, has the following bit values (those not specified are reserved):
PRINTHEAD_MAINT = 0x00000002
REPLACE_HEAD = 0x00000004
HEAD_UNDER_TEMP = 0x00001000
RIBBON_IN_DT_MODE = 0x00002000
BATTERY_LOW = 0x00004000
RFID_ERROR = 0x00008000
RIBBON_LOW = 0x00010000

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 Introduction 13
I/O Connections

I/O Connections
The EtherNet/IP interface supports a single I/O connection that is used to transfer printer
format and status to and from the PLC.

Exclusive Owner Connection

Trigger and Transport: Class 1, Cyclic

RPI Range: 100 - 1000 ms

O -> T

Connection Point: 112

Size: 496 bytes

Format: Assembly instance 112

T -> O

Connection Point: 100

Size: 100 bytes

Format: Assembly instance 100

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14 Introduction
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication

Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication

Add the Printer to the I/O Configuration

In order for the PLC to communicate with the printer, it must be added to the I/O
configuration in the program.

To add the I/O configuration:

1. Expand the I/O Configuration tree in the Organizer pane to display the Ethernet
network.
2. See Figure 2. Right-click on the Ethernet node in the tree and select New Module…

Figure 2

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 Introduction 15
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication

3. See Figure 3. The Select Module Type dialog will be displayed. Search for ‘Zebra’ to
see only products from the Zebra Technologies vendor.
The Link_OS_Printer displays in the device list.

Figure 3

4. Select the Link_OS_Printer from the list and click Create.

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16 Introduction
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication

5. See Figure 4. The New Module dialog will be displayed. Enter the desired name and
IP address of the printer.

Figure 4

6. Press OK.

7. See Figure 5. The printer is added to the I/O configuration, and appears in the tree.

Figure 5

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 Introduction 17
Configuring Rockwell ControlLogix Communication

Create I/O Tags

All I/O connection parameters and I/O Tags are automatically configured when the module
is added to the I/O Configuration. Looking at the controller tags you will notice the input in
Figure 6:

Figure 6

As well as the output in Figure 7:

Figure 7

Both of which are fully described in I/O Assemblies on page 10. The only additional item is
in the Input side under the name ConnectionFaulted, which is active when the PLC is no
longer able to communicate with the printer (printer offline). Also, there are no
configuration tags used for this printer.

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18 Introduction
Example

Example
Note • Some values will vary, based on the resolution (Dots per Inch, or DPI) of your
printer.
Example • The example shown here is for a 203 DPI printer.

1. Send a sample ZPL form to the printer which makes use of field number 1 and 2.
^XA
^DFE:EIP.ZPL
^FO10,10^XGZ:LOGO.PNG^FS
^FO125,10^A0,20,20^FDNetwork Connect^FS
^FO105,75^A0,20,20^FDFor Automation^FS
^FO50,100^A0,30,20^FN1^FS
^FO50,130^B3,,10^FN2^FS
^XZ
The above ZPL creates a form called EIP.ZPL and saves it on the E: FLASH drive of
the printer. It displays two text strings, and then has text for field number 1, and a
Code-39 barcode for field number 2.

2. Create a new Studio 5000 project, and add the printer to the I/O configuration as
described earlier (or feel free to use ZT400-Sample.ACD).

Note • All of the following strings input into arrays must begin at index 2 and not 0 as
the first two bytes are ignored.

3. See Figure 8. In the Controller Tags Output Connection for the printer, change the
XF_Format_Name to “E:EIP.ZPL”.

Figure 8

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 Introduction 19
Example

4. See Figure 9. Change the XF_Field_1 to “Example”.

Figure 9

5. See Figure 10. Change the XF_Field_2 to “12345”.

Figure 10

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20 Introduction
Example

6. See Figure 11-Figure 13. Set the remaining fields (XF_Field_3,4,5) to ‘$00’ NULL for
the first SINT.

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

7. See Figure 14. Add a simple ZPL command to get return data back from the parser by
putting “~HI” in the Raw_Parser_Data section.

Figure 14

8. See Figure 15. In the MainRoutine, add an XIC (Examine On) ladder element to rung
0 and link it to the I.System_Status_0.0.

Figure 15

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 Introduction 21
Example

9. See Figure 16. Now, add an OTE (Output Energize) ladder element to rung 0, and link
it to one of the PLC’s LED lights.

Figure 16

10. The entire rung should look like Figure 17.

Figure 17

11. Save the project, download it to the PLC, and switch into run mode.

12. See Figure 18. In the Controller tags, increment the Sequence_Number.

Figure 18

13. Now that the sequence number has been updated, the data will be sent to the printer.
In the steps above, this would be equivalent to sending the following ZPL.
^XA
^XFE:EIP.ZPL
^FN1^FDExample^FS
^FN2^FD12345^FS
~HI
^XZ

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22 Introduction
Example

This prints out the label shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19

14. Press PAUSE on the printer and verify the LED lights up on the PLC. Press PAUSE
again to verify the LED on the PLC turns off.

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 Introduction 23
Example

15. See Figure 20. Verify that the return data from the ZPL command ~HI is in the
Return_Data controller tags section (remember that the first two bytes of data are
reserved and ignored).

Figure 20

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24 Introduction
Example

Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

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 2

Designing and Exporting a

Template in ZebraDesigner

This section describes how to use ZebraDesigner, our label design application, to create a
label template, and then export it. We’ll use an example template called “EIP” as an
example.

Contents
Download and Install ZebraDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Download the Sample Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Modify the Template File in ZebraDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Recalling and Printing with a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Create Your Own Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

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26 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

Download and Install ZebraDesigner

This procedure describes how to download and install the ZebraDesigner software.
1. The ZebraDesigner software can be downloaded from our website. To open the
download page, visit http://www.zebra.com/zebradesigner.
2. Click the download link. You will be directed to the End User License Agreement.

3. To download the software, you must review and agree to the terms of the End User
License Agreement.
If you agree, click the ACCEPT AND BEGIN DOWNLOAD NOW button.

4. On your computer, browse and locate the downloaded file and double-click it to start
the installation wizard.
Follow the on screen instructions to complete the ZebraDesigner installation.

Download the Sample Template

This procedure describes how to acquire the EIP Label template that you will modify in the
ZebraDesigner software.
The EIP sample label was designed using the ZebraDesigner software and is an attached
file to this PDF.

1. In Acrobat, click the Attachments icon. This is usually located on the left side of
the window.
2. Right-click on the eip-label-template.zip file and select Save Attachment.
Specify the location where you want save the file.

3. Unzip the files on your desktop.

4. Note the location of the downloaded file as this is the template file that will be modified
in ZebraDesigner in the next section.

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 27
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

Modify the Template File in ZebraDesigner

This procedure describes how to open the label file in ZebraDesigner and make a simple
modification to it. It will then be transferred to your printer for use with your PLC-based
program.

1. First, it’s necessary to install the Windows printer driver that was used in the design of
the template.
a. From the Start menu browse to the Zebra Technologies program group and then
launch Printer install from the ZebraDesigner 2 folder.
b. If required, click yes on the User Account Control dialog.
The printer installation wizard will be displayed.
2. Click Next.

3. Click Install Printer.

4. From the list of printers, select ZDesigner ZT410-203dpi ZPL, and click Next.

5. In the available ports list select FILE: and click Next.

6. Uncheck all boxes on the Additional Install Options dialog and click Finish.
The driver installation will complete and the installation wizard will close automatically.
7. From the Start menu, browse to the Zebra Technologies program group and launch
ZebraDesigner 2 from the ZebraDesigner 2 folder.
The Welcome Wizard will be displayed.

8. Select the Open other existing label option and click Finish.
The Open dialog will be displayed.

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28 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

9. Browse to the location of the template file that was downloaded in the previous
section. Select the eip.lbl file and click Open.

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 29
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

10. The template file should be displayed in ZebraDesigner. You will be adding a fixed
text “company name” field to the template. If you want to, you can use your mouse to
draw a box around the existing fields on the label, and then drag them downward to
create space for the new field.

11. Click the Create new Text object option, and then click in the space created at the
top of the template.
The Text Wizard will be displayed.

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30 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

12. Enter your company name or some other text in the Content area and click Finish.

13. Adjust the position of the text field as necessary. To center the field relative to the
label, press and hold the CTRL key and click the Center button on the alignment
toolbar.

14. Click on the Picture icon on the left hand tool bar and then on the
label design area to add an image to the label.
15. Navigate the location of your image file and select the image – we recommend using a
.PNG file.
An example file is included on the previously mentioned Box site.

16. You can grab the edge of the image and drag to resize the image.

17. Click Save to save the changes to the label.

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 31
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

18. Select the Export to Printer option, and then click Internal Flash – and then OK.

This will send the template to your printer, storing it in the E memory location.

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32 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Download and Install ZebraDesigner

19. For your reference, using the eip.lbl file as described and edited here will result in the
following ZPL commands being sent to the printer.

Note • Some values will vary, based on the resolution (Dots per Inch, or DPI) of your
printer.
Example • The example shown here is for a 203 DPI printer.

^XA
^DFE:eip.ZPL^FS
~TA000~JSN^LT0^MNW^MTT^PON^PMN^LH0,0^JMA^PR6,6^MD15^LRN^
CI0
^MMT
^PW812
^LL0406
^LS0
^FO672,0^GFA,02048,02048,00016,:Z64:
eJztlLFOwzAQhm3SqBUSTZHite1LIAUUxalEdldypPYt+gQ0iIGtvEIf
o0gMlRjY6NIVKYiNCTZLVAlXhvjOEwsL4O3r53N/
2+cw9j9+fhw4zFPKXkkw5YrMLj1DWPEJqTbUM03rWeV4Qf1scLXCrPwR
8VX7heTTfJxilpcfBVme5aQ+KOc7zL4SGsf3jKwRc65CPN1bm3iIy1MV
9rB/M3GE65UKyQI7Eyc4gJ6EIQ4gV3EicX6oFzg/1B8WDbb8CVn/
wAPfofnxBK8A38X5od5HfhnFSYDz98DbCdx0wLfL5oct2/u04Qu29/
aKBXjh2ysYFAn4quGjFNI92RNoL2H3tfVcwe5z6/
kuKFmNTnALf448m0P/
StRiAvob5WPBGsIX+ASQZPsbHBJ22hdu0GHtsHRYOBysKeNwXwGWlN33
yUqHXT9kf2jkIhspe0S8lpv3yn7CuD7Jxjk6wn7UPd1cN56FvdZxhvoz
An9/M2u4J7Ix9kZunuuFfeIqPJ/
qlv0ElFBfDZr+4ymsr+0nhr+eLW4fkzubT2TTzL5Qr4L8D6v+d7f/
q8Yn1KBy+w==:1C22
^FT403,165^A0N,45,45^FB0,1,0,C^FH\^FN12"EnterJobID"^FS
^BY2,3,61^FT263,311^BCN,,Y,N,N,A
^FN11"EnterOrderID"^FS
^FT48,147^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDJOB NUMBER:^FS
^FT48,221^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDORDER ID:^FS
^FT221,74^A0N,48,48^FH\^FDZebra Techologies^FS
^XZ

The next step is to create your PLC-based program so that it can recall the template
and populate it with data at print time. See the section of this document that details
Recalling and Printing with a Template on page 33.

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 33
Recalling and Printing with a Template

Recalling and Printing with a Template

Using the template previously created by ZebraDesigner, we will recall and update the
template format fields with custom data and print it from the PLC.
1. Create a new Studio 5000 project and add the printer to the I/O configuration as
described earlier (or feel free to use ZT400-Sample.ACD).
2. See Figure 21. In the Controller Tags Output Connection for the printer, change the
XF_Format_Name to "E:EIP.ZPL".

Figure 21

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34 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Recalling and Printing with a Template

3. See Figure 22. Set the XF fields (XF_Field_1,2,3,4,5) to ‘$00’ NULL for the first
SINT. The fields used in ZebraDesigner start with 11 and 12, so we cannot use the
ones built-in for support in the data model. (Only field 3 is shown below.)

Figure 22

4. See Figure 23. Set the Raw Parser Data section to fill in field number 11 with data
(^FN11^FD12345^FS).

Figure 23

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 35
Recalling and Printing with a Template

5. See Figure 24. Set the remaining Raw Parser Data section to fill in field number 12
with data (^FN12^FD5^FS).

Figure 24

6. Save the project, download it to the PLC, and switch into run mode.

7. See Figure 25. In the Controller tags, increment the Sequence_Number.

Figure 25

8. The effective ZPL this will produce internally on the printer looks like this:
^XA
^XFE:EIP.ZPL
^FN11^FD12345^FS
^FN12^FD5^FS
^XZ

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36 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Recalling and Printing with a Template

9. See Figure 26. This should print out a label that looks like this:

Figure 26

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 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner 37
Create Your Own Solution

Create Your Own Solution

Using the techniques described in the above sections of this document along with
information from the Developers Guide, create your own solution by following the steps
below.

1. Create your own template using ZebraDesigner based on tasks performed in the
Modify the Template File in ZebraDesigner on page 27.
a. To access the Software Tutorials tab, go to
http://www.zebra.com/zebradesigner
b. Click on ZebraDesigner.
c. Click on the Software Tutorials tab.
2. Transfer your template to your printer.

3. Create your PLC-based program to recall and populate the variable fields on your
label.

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38 Designing and Exporting a Template in ZebraDesigner
Create Your Own Solution

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 3

Raw Parser Data

This section describes how to utilize the raw parser data section of the Printer Input
Assembly.

Contents
Embedded Parser Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Configuration Commands Inside Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using More Than Five Field Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sending Data More Than 500 Bytes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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40 Raw Parser Data
Embedded Parser Commands

Embedded Parser Commands

There are two ways of sending parser commands: one is embedded within a ZPL format,
and another is entirely on its own. The first method of embedding it inside a format was
described in the Example on page 18. The ~HI ZPL command (Host Information) was
sent along with the ZPL format. The return data from that command was then populated in
the Printer Output Assembly.
The second method occurs when the format name is not specified (NULL as the first byte
of XF_Format_Name).

Figure 27

In this situation, the printer will only process what is in the Raw Parser Data section and
ignore all the other fields.
For example, if you input the data shown in Figure 28 in the raw parser data section
(! U1 getvar "appl.name"):

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 Raw Parser Data 41
Embedded Parser Commands

Figure 28

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42 Raw Parser Data
Embedded Parser Commands

After incrementing the sequence number, you would receive the output shown in Figure
29 (SP75-004629A):

Figure 29

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 Raw Parser Data 43
Configuration Commands Inside Format

Configuration Commands Inside Format

Some customers may want to change the label length, print quantity, or any other
configuration of the label or printer within a format. This can be achieved in much the
same way as described previously when printing a format. You only need to add the
desired ZPL configuration commands to the raw parser data section and they will be sent
within the format.
For example, to change the label length to 500 dot rows (^LL500) and print two labels
(^PQ2), you can add the following shown in Figure 30 to the raw parser data section:

Figure 30

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44 Raw Parser Data
Using More Than Five Field Numbers

Using More Than Five Field Numbers

Currently the data model for the printer input assembly supports up to five format fields to
be specified. If more fields are desired in a particular ZPL form, you can add the
commands to support them inside the raw parser data section.
Say, for example, you would want to support a form with 7 total fields, you could use the
following ZPL data in the raw parser data section. First, specify the field number (^FN),
then the field data (^FD), and the field separator (^FS). The sixth field might look like
Figure 31:

Figure 31

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 Raw Parser Data 45
Sending Data More Than 500 Bytes

The seventh field would immediately follow the sixth and end with a NULL terminator as
shown in Figure 32:

Figure 32

Sending Data More Than 500 Bytes

In some cases, you may need to send more data than what fits within the existing Printer
Input Assembly size of 496 bytes. If this is the case, the raw parser data section must be
used exclusively by breaking up the data into chunks that fit inside the raw parser data
size of 320 bytes.

1. Ensure that the XF Format Name is set to NULL.

2. Put as much of the ZPL data into the raw parser data section that will fit:
^XA… up to 320 bytes
3. Increment the sequence number to send that data to the parser.

4. Put the next chunk of ZPL data into the raw parser data section, and increment the
sequence number each time more data is sent to the parser until the end of the data.
remaining data…^XZ

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46 Raw Parser Data
Sending Data More Than 500 Bytes

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