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.
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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.
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