Konvertierung von Druckersprachen
Convert ZPL to TPCL: printing Zebra designs on Toshiba TEC printers (B-EX, B-SA, B-FV)
ZPL to Toshiba TEC TPCL equivalents, the format/data command pairs, metric 0.1 mm positioning, a worked example and what to check in retail and food lines that run Toshiba.
Dieser Artikel ist auf Englisch und Spanisch verfügbar.
Toshiba TEC printers are common in European retail and in food processing, and they speak TPCL: commands enclosed in braces, with positions in tenths of a millimeter and a two-step pattern where a format command defines a field and a data command fills it. A ZPL label translated to TPCL therefore becomes two lines per object, and all coordinates change from dots to metric.
Command equivalents
| Operation | ZPL (Zebra) | TPCL (Toshiba TEC) |
|---|---|---|
| Start / end | ^XA … ^XZ | {C|} clears; {XS;…|} issues the label |
| Label size | ^PW812 ^LL609 (dots) | {D0762,1016,0762|} pitch, width, length in 0.1 mm |
| Text | ^FO40,30 ^A0N,36,36 ^FDHello^FS | {PC001;0050,0038,1,1,A,00,B|} + {RC001;Hello|} (format then data) |
| Code 128 | ^BY2 ^BCN,90,Y,N,N ^FDdata^FS | {XB01;0050,0163,3,1,02,0,0114,+0000000000,1,0,00|} + {RB01;data|} |
| Line / box | ^GB300,2,2^FS | {LC;x1,y1,x2,y2,0,2|} |
| Copies | ^PQ5 | {XS;I,0005,0002C3000|} |
| Units | dots | 0.1 mm regardless of resolution |
What actually changes
- Units: TPCL is resolution-independent — 0050 means 5.0 mm on any printer. ZPL dots must be divided by the dpi and multiplied by 254 (at 203 dpi, 40 dots ≈ 50).
- Format/data split: every text (PC/RC) and barcode (XB/RB) needs a matching number; the format can be sent once and only RC/RB data repeated for each label, which is efficient for batches.
- Fonts: TPCL fonts are letter codes (A–Z, plus outline fonts) with integer magnifications; ZPL's ^A0 sizes round to the nearest combination.
- Barcode types are numeric in XB (3 = Code 128 in most firmware, 0/1 EAN/UPC variants, 9 = Data Matrix, T = QR on newer models); narrow bar and ratio are explicit.
- Issue command: {XS;…} carries the copy count, cut interval, sensor type and print mode — details ZPL spreads across ^PQ, ^MM and ^MN.
Before and after (simplified)
^XA ^PW812 ^LL609 ^FO40,30 ^A0N,36,36 ^FDSafety Harness^FS ^FO40,130 ^BY2 ^BCN,90,Y,N,N ^FD7501234567893^FS ^PQ1 ^XZ
{D0762,1016,0762|}
{C|}
{PC001;0050,0038,2,2,A,00,B|}
{RC001;Safety Harness|}
{XB01;0050,0163,3,1,02,0,0114,+0000000000,1,0,00|}
{RB01;7501234567893|}
{XS;I,0001,0002C3000|}
How EtikStudio does it
Because the design is stored in millimeters, TPCL export is a natural fit: positions go out in 0.1 mm without rounding to dots, each object becomes its numbered format/data pair, and batches are sent as one format plus per-label data. The ZPL output of the same design stays available for the Zebra units.
Die Befehlsbeispiele sind zur Verdeutlichung vereinfacht; die genaue Syntax variiert je nach Modell und Firmware. Testen Sie immer auf dem Zieldrucker.