Label Printing from Once Track using ZPL (Zebra Programming Language)
Label printing for one or multiple orders is available from the menu on the left hand order details column.
We currently support using Zebra label printers, or any printer that supports ZPL.
See: Zebra Programming Language - Wikipedia or An Introduction to ZPL
Once Track has been tested with Zebra ZD200 Series printers but any printer supporting ZPL should work.
Currently only Windows PCs are supported for Label Printing, mainly due to the Zebra printer drivers and the label designer.
Zebra supply a Label Designer application that runs on a Windows PC so you can design your own labels or edit examples that can be downloaded from the links at the bottom of this article.
A recommended printer and label supplier is https://www.dragon-solutions.com/ who are experienced at supplying the window blind industry. The Barcode Warehouse is another recommended supplier.
These suppliers offer full support in addition to hardware, labels and consumables. They will advise on the type of printer and labels for your needs, In addition to the label sizes there are considerations such as the adhesive, durability and permanence of the labels.
Label Templates in Once Track
Label templates contain substitution fields that are replaced by the actual label text.
e.g. {custName} is replaced by the customer name when the label is printed.
For the full range of substitution fields see below.
A label template being edited in ZebraDesigner on Windows (not supported on Mac):
The Zebra Designer, Document Properties is used to set automatic or fixed paper size and landscape or portrait format.
Example label templates for editing in Zebra Designer can be downloaded from the links at the bottom of this article.
To add your label template to Once Track:
- In ZebraDesigner, Click the Test Print button and save the printer file with a suitable name. e.g. label1.prn
- In Once Track, label printing dialog, click the menu and select Add Template to select the label1.prn from your save location or drag and drop label1.prn onto the dialog.
- Click the Preview button to see an image of the first printed label.
This uses the API at http://labelary.com/ to convert the ZPL to an image and download it for display. As this is a free service there is no guarantee of its availability.
You can move the slider to expand the image.
Contact support@onceconnected.co.uk for assistance with printing.
Substitution fields
The substitution values must be enclosed in {} brackets in the label template. They will be replaced by actual values.
| orderID | The order reference |
| custName | Customer Name. |
| NofN | The item (e.g. blind) number and total number in the order |
| room | |
| product | |
| range | |
| color | |
| fabricCode | Only if you have Fabric codes in your ranges tables. Normally only applies if you are sending orders to Blindata. |
| width | always in mm |
| drop | always in mm |
| fixType | Fixing Type |
| fixheight | Fixing Height in mm |
| custAdd | Customer address (excludes customer name, and postcode). Line breaks will be replaced by ", " (comma space). |
| custAddr | Customer name, business name, address and postcode. Line breaks will be replaced by ", " (comma space). |
| custName | Customer Name |
| custEmail | Customer email |
| custPcode | Customer postcode |
| Date format | Current date and optional time when printed. e.g. Example Print Output |
| Extra:extra_group | Print an Extra and its value. e.g. Example Print Output
{Extra:Motor} Motor: Hard Wired
{Extra:Slat Width} Slat Width: 50mm |
You can include multiple values in the same field by separating the with a + e.g. {product + range + color} will include all 3 values separated by a space character. This is needed as ZPL typically sets a fixed position for each field making the layout difficult if each value was in a different {} field.
The links below are files for editing in the ZebraDesigner tool.