How to preview ZPL without a printer
You can see what ZPL prints without a printer. The free LabelZoom ZPL viewer renders the label in your browser, including barcodes, fonts, and graphics.
Preview the label
Section titled “Preview the label”To preview a label, follow these steps:
- Copy your ZPL from a file, your application’s output, or an API response.
- Open the ZPL viewer. To test across printer models, use the ZPL simulator instead.
- Set the density and label size to match your printer. For density values, see Printer density.
- Click Quick Preview.
Printer density
Section titled “Printer density”ZPL positions everything in dots, so a preview is the right size only at your printer’s density. At a different density, the label looks too small or too large.
| Density | DPI | Typical printers |
|---|---|---|
| 6 dpmm | 152 | Older models |
| 8 dpmm | 203 | Most desktop and industrial Zebra printers (ZD420, ZD621, GK420, ZT231) |
| 12 dpmm | 300 | 300 dpi models (ZD621-300, ZT411-300) |
| 24 dpmm | 600 | High-resolution models (ZT610 class) |
8 dpmm (203 dpi) is the most common density.
Automate previews
Section titled “Automate previews”To generate previews from code, call POST /api/v2/convert/zpl/to/png. The response body is the PNG image. To set the density, see Conversion parameters.