Printing

Print Control – Darkness (^MD), Speed (^PR), Cut (^MMC), Mirror (^PM)

These commands control the physical print result. zplCloud exposes them in the Label settings dialog.

These commands control the physical print result. zplCloud exposes them in the Label settings dialog.

Darkness `^MD` (−30 to 30, relative)

^XA
^MD20^FO50,50^A0N,30,30^FDDarker^FS
^XZ

Higher = darker/more burn. Too high → smearing and printhead wear; too low → weak, unscannable barcodes. ^MD shifts the darkness set on the printer relatively; ~SD sets the absolute value (00–30).

Speed `^PR` (1–14 ips)

^PR8^XZ        ; 8 inches per second

Faster = lower quality. For fine graphics/QR start at 4–6 ips.

Cut / peel

^CNY^XZ        ; kiosk printers: cut now
^MMC^XZ        ; print mode: C = cutter (printer dependent)
^MMP^XZ        ; print mode: P = peel-off

Only on printers with a cutter/peel option.

Mirror / rotation

^PMY^XZ        ; mirror the whole label horizontally
^PON^XZ        ; normal orientation (^PO only supports N and I)
^POI^XZ        ; rotate 180°

Mirror (^PM) and rotation (^PO) are different commands – do not confuse them.

Media settings

^PW600         ; print width in dots
^LL400         ; label length in dots (continuous media)
^MNN           ; media type: Y = gap/notch, N = continuous, M = mark
~JC            ; calibrate media sensor

Tips

After changing media or ribbon, run a media calibration (~JC or the printer button) before judging darkness/speed.
The Zebra Tools tab in zplCloud sends ~JC and SGD commands directly to the printer.

Darkness ^MD (−30 to 30, relative)

Speed ^PR (1–14 ips)