^FO — Field Origin
Places the next field at position x,y measured from the top-left corner.
Syntax^FOx,y,z
CategoryPositioning and text
When to use ^FO
^FO sets where the next field starts: x dots from the left and y dots from the top, measured from the label home (0,0 unless ^LH moves it). Put one before every text, barcode and graphic field — the position belongs to the field it opens, and after ^FS the next field needs its own ^FO. x and y take 0–32000 dots; the optional z is the justification (0 left, 1 right, 2 auto), and the preview always left-justifies. Use ^FT instead when text must line up on its baseline, for example two font sizes on one line.
In the preview
This command is supported by the preview engine.
Example
^FO100,120
Runnable example
^XA^PW609^LL406^FO50,50^A0N,40,40^FDSAMPLE TEXT^FS^XZ
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Worked example
^XA
^PW609^LL406
^LH20,20
^FO0,0^GB569,366,3^FS
^FO30,30^A0N,40,40^FDSHIP TO^FS
^FO30,90^A0N,28,28^FDACME LOGISTICS^FS
^FO30,170^BY2^BCN,100,Y,N,N^FD12345678^FS
^XZ
^LH20,20 moves the label home 20 dots right and down, so ^FO30,30 lands 50 dots from both edges — about 6 mm at 203 dpi, where 8 dots are 1 mm — and the frame at ^FO0,0 starts exactly at the home point. Each field (frame, two text lines, barcode) has its own ^FO and is closed by ^FS. The label is 609 × 406 dots: 3 × 2 inches at 203 dpi.
Open this label in the editor →
Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Type | |
|---|
x | horizontal position from the left edge in dots | int | Default: 0 · Range: 0–32000 |
y | vertical position from the top edge in dots | int | Default: 0 · Range: 0–32000 |
z | justification; the preview only left-aligns (0=left, 1=right, 2=auto) | enum | Default: 0 · Options: 0, 1, 2 |
Common mistakes
- Reading the numbers as millimetres. ^FO100,100 is 100 dots: 12.5 mm at 203 dpi (8 dots per mm) but about 8.3 mm at 300 dpi (12 dots per mm), so a layout sent to a printer with another resolution moves and shrinks. ZPL dots, millimetres and inches →
- Leaving a field without ^FO: it is placed at the label origin (0,0), and two such fields overprint each other in the top-left corner. ZPL2002 →
- Forgetting ^FS after the field data: printers read field data up to ^FS and may swallow the next ^FO and its field as data. ZPL2001 →
- Mixing ^FO and ^FT with the same y: ^FO's y is the top of the field, ^FT's y is the text baseline, so the two lines do not line up. ^FT →
- Overlooking an earlier ^LH or ^LS: ^FO is measured from the label home, and a non-zero ^LS shifts every field horizontally. ^LS →
- Values outside 0–32000: what the printer does with them varies by model — clamp, ignore or misprint. ZPL3002 →
Source
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN), page 201.
^FT · ^FD · ^FH · ^A · ^FB · ^FW · ^FR · ^FV · ^TB · ^PA · ^CW
Try this command in the preview
