^GE - Graphic Ellipse

^GE draws an ellipse inscribed in a bounding box of a given width and height. Equal sides give a circle, so

^GC is a convenience for the case where one diameter is enough.

Syntax

^GEw,h,t,c

Support

Supportedparsed: full · state: full · rendered: full

Every documented parameter renders the same output Labelary produces.

Labelary renders this command.

Parameters

wEllipse widthoptional · dots

Width of the ellipse's bounding box in dots.

Default: the value of t
Accepted range: 3 to 4095 dots
Invalid value: clamped to the nearest allowed value
Test coverage: Bounds pinned: below the minimum (2), above the maximum (4096). No test at the minimum or maximum. The invalid-value rule is pinned by 2 tests.

hEllipse heightoptional · dots

Height of the ellipse's bounding box in dots.

Default: the value of t
Accepted range: 3 to 4095 dots
Invalid value: clamped to the nearest allowed value
Test coverage: Bounds pinned: above the maximum (4096). No test at the minimum or maximum. The invalid-value rule is pinned by 2 tests.

tBorder thicknessoptional · dots

Thickness of the outline, drawn inwards. A thickness of at least half the shorter axis fills the ellipse solid.

Default: 1
Accepted range: 1 to 4095 dots
Invalid value: clamped to the nearest allowed value. As with ^GC, the real minimum is 1, not the 2 the guide documents, and the renderer reports only values below 1. We measured this on 2026-07-12.
Test coverage: Bounds pinned: minimum (1), above the maximum (4096), past what the shape can hold (100). No test at the maximum. The invalid-value rule is pinned by 2 tests.

cLine colouroptional · one of a set

Color of the outline and fill.

Default: B
Invalid value: discarded, and the default applies. Any value other than B or W draws black.
Test coverage: Values exercised: W. Not exercised: B. The invalid-value rule is not pinned by a test.

B: Black (default)
W: White, which erases what the ellipse covers

The preceding ^FO or ^FT positions the bounding box, and ^FS ends it. ^FO places the top-left corner, so the center of the ellipse lands at half the width and half the height beyond it. Nothing draws the box itself.

Both axes are limited to 4095 dots, four times tighter than the 32000 that

^GB accepts. On an 8 dpmm printer 4095 dots is about 512 mm, so the limit reaches only very large media. It is hard: the renderer clamps a larger value to 4095 and does not reject it.

The thickness draws inwards from the outline. At half the shorter axis the outline meets itself and the ellipse is solid. As for ^GC, the guide gives a minimum thickness of 2 and a default of 1. The real minimum is 1, and it draws a single-dot outline.

Color W draws white over what is already on the label, and hides what precedes it in the format.

Tested behavior

Differences from the specification

Labelary against the ZPL II guide

Where Labelary — our compatibility target — behaves differently from the printed specification.

The guide contradicts itself as it does for ^GC: minimum 2, default 1, for the border thickness. The real minimum is 1. We measured this on 2026-07-12. — pinned by test_ge_thickness_one_is_silent

Example

A wide outlined ellipse, a solid one, and a circle drawn as an ellipse with equal axes:

^XA
^FO50,50^GE240,120,3^FS
^FO330,50^GE240,120,60^FS
^FO50,220^GE120,120,3^FS
^XZ

Open in viewer

^GB Graphic BoxDraws a rectangle, a line or a filled block.
^GC Graphic CircleDraws a circle.
^GD Graphic Diagonal LineDraws a diagonal line across a bounding box.
^FO Field OriginSets the top-left corner of the next field.