zpl.tools
Print control

~PL - Additional Present Length

Extends how far the media is ejected during a present cycle.

~PL lengthens the present cycle: the printer pushes the label this much further than it normally does. A peel-off or tear-off configuration needs it when the default stop position leaves the label out of reach. Like ^PN, it is absent from the ZPL II guide, so Labelary's reference is the only source for its argument.

Syntax

~PLl

Support

Recognised, deliberately skippedparsed: none · state: none · rendered: none

Accepted and skipped, because it configures the printer rather than the label. It cannot change the rendered output, and Labelary skips it too.

A media-handling distance, which cannot change the image. The renderer does not parse this command. It reports IGNORED_COMMAND at info severity, which does not reach X-Warnings. Labelary is also silent, so the rendered label is identical in both engines. — not pinned by a test

Labelary renders this command.

Parameters

lExtra lengthoptional · integer

How much further to eject the label, in millimeters.

Default
0
Accepted range
0 to 255 mm
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse or measure this command.
Test coverage
No test at the minimum, maximum or one step outside the range.

Behavior

The ~ prefix makes this an immediate command. A printer acts on it as it arrives, not at the end of a format. A format therefore sends it on its own, outside any ^XA…^XZ block. It adds to the present distance rather than replaces it, and 0 restores the plain distance.

The distance is in millimeters and never appears on the label. The renderer does not parse this command. It reports IGNORED_COMMAND at info severity, which does not reach X-Warnings. Labelary is also silent, so the rendered label is identical in both engines.

Differences from the specification

Labelary against the ZPL II guide

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

  • ~PL is absent from the 2006 edition of the guide, as ^PN is. Labelary's reference is the only source for its argument. — not pinned by a test

Example

Sent before the format, as an immediate command:

~PL10
^XA
^FO50,50^A0N,40,40^FDTake me^FS
^XZ

Open in viewer