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Arabic text prints reversed or broken in CPCL
Published:
A receipt from a Zebra mobile printer shows the Arabic customer
name backwards, or with every letter in its isolated form instead of joined.
The data is correct Unicode; the problem is what TEXT does with
it.
Why it happens
Arabic and Hebrew are written right to left, and Arabic letters change
shape depending on their neighbours. Both need a layout step before printing:
reorder the characters for display (the bidirectional algorithm) and pick
the joined form of each letter (shaping). We found no CPCL command for
either in Zebra's CPCL programming guide. A CPCL TEXT command
may therefore print the characters in the order received, each in its
isolated form. Whether a given printer and font do better depends on the
firmware; test on the actual device.
Three ways to print it correctly
Send the text as an image. Render the line (or the
whole label) as a picture on the computer, where the operating system does
the layout, and send it with CPCL EG
(EXPANDED-GRAPHICS). In EG a 1 bit prints black.
Image to ZPL can output this directly:
choose CPCL (EG) as the output language and you get a ready session
(! header, PAGE-WIDTH, EG,
PRINT).
Switch the job to ZPL. Most Zebra mobile printers also
understand ZPL. Zebra documents ^PA (advanced text properties)
for bidirectional layout and character shaping on Link-OS printers, used with a
TrueType font that contains Arabic. Check your printer's firmware
documentation before relying on it.
Prepare the text in the application. Shape and reorder
the string before sending it (libraries exist for this in most languages).
This only works if the printer font contains the Arabic presentation forms;
many built-in fonts do not.
Find it before you print
The CPCL viewer flags any TEXT
line that contains right-to-left letters (rule CPC2005) and draws
EG graphics, so you can check the image route on screen first.
Our CPCL support follows Zebra's CPCL guide and has not been verified on a
physical CPCL printer.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Arabic text print backwards on my Zebra mobile printer?
Arabic needs reordering and letter shaping before printing. We found no CPCL command for either in Zebra's CPCL guide, so CPCL TEXT may print the characters in the order received, each in its isolated form.
What is the most reliable way to print Arabic with CPCL?
Render the text as an image where the operating system does the layout, and send it with CPCL EG (EXPANDED-GRAPHICS), in which a 1 bit prints black.
