Label Size and Media – ^PW, ^LL, Gaps and Sensors

Getting the label size right is the foundation of reliable printing.

Width: ^PW

^PW600          ; 75 mm @ 203 dpi = 600 dots

The printer prints nothing outside the configured width.

Length: ^LL and media sensing

^LL400          ; 50 mm @ 203 dpi = 400 dots
^MNY            ; media type: Y = gap/notch, N = continuous, M = mark

• Gap/notch media (most labels): the printer detects the gap between labels. ^MNY.
• Continuous media: no gaps; length comes from ^LL or the cutter. ^MNN.
• Mark media (black marks on the back): ^MNM.

Calibration

~JC             ; calibrate media sensor

After calibration the printer knows the gap length and label length. If labels drift, calibrate again – wrong sensor settings are the #1 cause of misaligned printing.

DPI – why it matters

DPI	dots/mm	60 mm label	readable at
203	8.0	480 dots	normal
300	11.8	709 dots	fine barcodes
600	23.6	1417 dots	very small text

The same design at a different DPI changes its physical size unless all coordinates are recalculated (the designer does this automatically via the DPI setting).

Tips

• The gap sensor position matters for edge-to-edge labels – check the printer manual.
• If the last label of a batch is missing or cut wrong: check ^LL and the cutter mode.
• Use the zplCloud DPI Calculator to convert between mm, inches and dots.