ZPL status, query and diagnostic commands
ZPL commands that ask the printer for its status, memory, configuration and sensor data, print diagnostic labels and set printhead maintenance alerts.
These commands do not draw anything on your label. They return information to the host (the ~H… and ^H… family), print a report label (~WC, ^WD, ~WQ) or control printhead tests and maintenance reminders. Answers usually arrive framed by STX and ETX control characters on the same port the command was sent to.
Commands on this page: ~HB · ~HD · ^HH · ~HI · ~HM · ~HQ · ~HS · ~HU · ^HV · ^HZ · ~WC · ^WD · ~WQ · ^LF · ^HT · ~JD · ~JE · ~JG · ^JT · ~JN · ^MA · ^MI · ^JH
~HB — Battery Status
Syntax: ~HB · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Mobile printers only: returns the head voltage, battery voltage and battery temperature in °C as <STX>hh.hh,bb.bb,bt<ETX><CR><LF>. It reports the power-supply battery, not the battery-backed RAM.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 218. Zebra guide page → Printers: mobile printers.
~HD — Head Diagnostic
Syntax: ~HD · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Echoes a status report to the terminal: head and ambient temperature, head test result, darkness, print/slew/backfeed speeds, label pitch lengths, the prefixes and the delimiter.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 219. Zebra guide page →
^HH — Configuration Label Return
Syntax: ^HH · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Sends the content of the configuration label back to the host as text.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 222. Zebra guide page →
~HI — Host Identification
Syntax: ~HI · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns the printer model, firmware version, dots per millimetre (6, 8, 12 or 24), memory size and detected options, e.g. XXXXXX,V1.0.0,dpm,000KB,X.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 224. Zebra guide page →
~HM — Host RAM Status
Syntax: ~HM · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns three numbers in KB: total RAM installed, the maximum RAM available to the user and the RAM currently available.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 225. Zebra guide page →
~HQ — Host Query
Syntax: ~HQquery-type · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Answers a query: ES status with error and warning flags, HA hardware address of the wired print server, JT printhead test summary, MA maintenance alert settings, MI maintenance information, OD odometer, PH printhead life history, PP plug-and-play string, SN serial number, UI USB product ID.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 226. Zebra guide page →
~HS — Host Status Return
Syntax: ~HS · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns three status strings: communication settings, paper out, pause, label length, formats in the buffer and temperature flags; head up, ribbon out, print mode, labels remaining and stored graphics; and the password and static RAM flag. No answer comes while media or ribbon is out, the head is open, the rewinder is full or the head is over temperature.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 233. Zebra guide page →
~HU — Return ZebraNet Alert Configuration
Syntax: ~HU · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns the configured ZebraNet Alert table, one line per ^SX condition (condition, destination, set/clear flags, address, port). Without any ^SX alerts the printer does not answer.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 238. Zebra guide page →
^HV — Host Verification
Syntax: ^HV#,n,h,t,a · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns the data of a field numbered with ^FN or ^RF to the host: field number 0–9999, 1–256 bytes (default 64), an optional header and terminator (both ^FH-capable), once per format (F) or per printed label (L).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 239. Zebra guide page →
^HZ — Display Description Information
Syntax: ^HZb · ^HZO,d:o.x,l · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Returns printer description information as XML: a everything, f format settings, l object directory, r printer status; ^HZO returns the data of one stored object, with 8- or 16-character names (l).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 243. Zebra guide page → Firmware: V60.13.0.5 or later.
~WC — Print Configuration Label
Syntax: ~WC · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Prints the printer configuration label: sensor type, network ID, ZPL mode, firmware version and data on the R:, E:, B: and A: devices.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 359. Zebra guide page →
^WD — Print Directory Label
Syntax: ^WDd:o.x · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Prints a directory label: stored objects with their size, resident barcodes (Z:*.BAR) or fonts with the identifier to use in ^A. Devices R:, E:, B:, A:, Z: (default R:); * and ? are wildcards.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 361. Zebra guide page →
~WQ — Write Query
Syntax: ~WQquery-type · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Prints the answer to a query on a label instead of returning it: the same query types as ~HQ (ES, HA, JT, MA, MI, OD, PH, PP, SN, UI).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 363. Zebra guide page →
^LF — List Font Links
Syntax: ^LF · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Prints the list of font links set with ^FL (firmware V60.14.x, V50.14.x or later).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 292. Zebra guide page → Firmware: V60.14.x, V50.14.x or later.
^HT — Host Linked Fonts List
Syntax: ^HT · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Sends the complete list of font links to the host over the communication port (firmware V60.14.x, V50.14.x or later).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 237. Zebra guide page → Firmware: V60.14.x, V50.14.x or later.
~JD — Enable Communications Diagnostics
Syntax: ~JD · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Starts communications diagnostics: the printer prints every character it receives as ASCII and hex, with any communication errors.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 255. Zebra guide page →
~JE — Disable Diagnostics
Syntax: ~JE · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Ends diagnostic mode and returns to normal label printing.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 256. Zebra guide page →
~JG — Graphing Sensor Calibration
Syntax: ~JG · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Prints a graph of the media sensor values (the sensor profile); the HC100 prints the profile without calibrating.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 258. Zebra guide page →
^JT — Head Test Interval
Syntax: ^JT####,a,b,c · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Runs a printhead test every 0000–9999 labels (0000 = off, the default); with a=Y only the elements b to c (0–9999) are tested.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 277. Zebra guide page →
~JN — Head Test Fatal
Syntax: ~JN · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Turns on head test fatal: a failed head test halts the printer until ~JO turns the option off or power is cycled.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 270. Zebra guide page →
^MA — Set Maintenance Alerts
Syntax: ^MAtype,print,printlabel_threshold,frequency,units · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Sets maintenance alert labels for head replacement (R, 0–150 km) or head cleaning (C, 100–2000 m), whether a label prints, how often the alert repeats (metres) and the odometer units; firmware V60.15.x, V50.15.x or later.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 298. Zebra guide page → Firmware: V60.15.x, V50.15.x or later.
^MI — Set Maintenance Information Message
Syntax: ^MItype,message · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Sets the text of the head cleaning (C) or head replacement (R) alert: up to 63 characters, no commas. Whether it prints is controlled by ^MA.
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 303. Zebra guide page → Firmware: V60.15.x, V50.15.x or later.
^JH — Early Warning Settings
Syntax: ^JHa,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j · In Labelixa's preview: Printer setting — no visual effect
Configures early warning messages on the LCD: supplies warning, labels per roll (100–9999), ribbon length, media and ribbon replaced, head maintenance and cleaning interval. Most parameters apply only to specific models (XiIIIPlus, Xi4, PAX, ZE500, ZM400/ZM600, S4M).
Zebra ZPL II Programming Guide (P1134473-11EN Rev A), page 259. Zebra guide page →
^XA · ~JO
ZPL commands list and reference →
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