Manufacturing, Product and Pallet Labels

Verify batch, serial and pallet labels before sending them to the production line.

The problem

Manufacturing labels usually involve serial numbering: the same template is printed hundreds of times with an incrementing number. A mistake in the template ruins not a single label but the whole batch. Production labels are also exposed to dust, moisture and abrasion; if the barcode's module width is too small, the read rate drops and the problem only surfaces at shipping.

What does Labelixa do?

See serial numbering first

For templates that generate an incrementing number, pick and preview the label at any position in the sequence; compare the first and last label without printing.

Module width check

Change the barcode module width and compare the output; a narrow module causes read problems on the production floor.

GS1 and industrial symbologies

Common industrial symbologies are supported, including GS1 DataBar, Data Matrix and PDF417.

Pallet and box labels

Produce labels of different sizes from the same endpoint; you specify the size in the request URL.

Example label

This image was produced from the ZPL beside it with the Labelixa engine.

Try your own ZPL code →

^XA
^FO25,20^A0N,30,28^FDBATCH LABEL^FS
^FO25,58^A0N,20,18^FDItem: Bearing 6205-2RS^FS
^FO25,84^A0N,20,18^FDBatch: 2026-P-0417^FS
^FO25,110^A0N,20,18^FDProduced: 2026-07-23^FS
^BY3,3,80^FO25,142^BCN,80,Y,N,N^FD2026P0417^FS
^FO330,142^BXN,6,200^FD2026-P-0417^FS
^FO25,250^A0N,20,18^FDQuantity: 500 units / Pallet 1/4^FS
^XZ

Commonly used symbologies

How to integrate

1. Preview the batch template; visually confirm which field the incrementing number grows in.
2. Choose the barcode module width for your production environment and compare the output.
3. Preview the first and last label in the sequence separately — overflow usually appears as the number grows.
4. Automate it with an API call from your manufacturing execution system.

Production labels in practice: lot, expiry, serial number

Lot and expiry date on the same label

Food, cosmetics and non-pharma chemicals carry three fields together: lot number, production date and expiry date. All three are variable; a date typed into the template means hundreds of labels with the same date. The ready-made lot/expiry template keeps the three fields variable and uses the GS1-128 application identifiers (10) for lot and (17) for expiry. Product lot/expiry template · Same date on every label

Let the printer count the serial number: ^SN

You do not need to send a separate ZPL job per label to get an incrementing number: ^SN increments the number in a field by the given step on every copy, and with ^PQ one job yields hundreds of numbered labels. The preview shows the first label; check separately that the last number still fits the field (0999 → 1000). ^SN command · ^PQ command

A barcode that survives dust and abrasion

On the shop floor the module width decides the read rate: a 3-dot module instead of 2 in ^BY makes the barcode about half as wide again at 203 dpi and keeps it readable on a scuffed surface. When a small part leaves no room, Data Matrix fits the same data into a few square centimetres. The causes of a barcode that prints but does not scan have their own guide. ^BY command · Data Matrix · Barcode not scanning

Batch labels from a production list

A production order is usually a table: part number, lot, quantity. One template plus the rows of that table produces the labels in bulk; the template is verified once, the rows change. A hundred-row CSV instead of a hundred hand-edited labels. ZPL labels from Excel/CSV

Go to the API reference →

Frequently asked questions