Introduction to ^XA and ^XZ — start and end of a ZPL label

ZPL course · ZPL FAQ

Command reference: Labelary ZPL introduction.

Below, commands are bold, parameters are colored, field data stays plain.

Introduction to ^XA and ^XZ — start and end of a ZPL label

Goal

Print your first label: open a format with ^XA and close it with ^XZ.

Description

Every ZPL label is one format: it must open with ^XA and close with ^XZ. Nothing outside this pair prints.

Example

^XA
^FX One label: a start bracket, fields, an end bracket.
^FO20,20^A0N,32,32^FDHello ZPL^FS
^XZ

Result

The smallest complete label: a single text field between the brackets. Line by line: ^XA opens the label; ^FX is a comment the printer ignores; ^FO 20,20 places the field; ^A 0N,32,32 picks the font and size; ^FD…^FS wraps the text Hello ZPL; ^XZ closes the label and prints it. The next lesson unpacks ^XA line by line, then ^XZ gets its own deep dive.

Article author: Andrei Olegovich