^PP / ~PP - Programmable Pause

^PP puts the printer into pause mode, exactly as the PAUSE button on its front panel does. It takes no arguments: a pause has no duration, and it ends only when an operator presses PAUSE again or a ~PS arrives. A format carries one to stop the run at a known point, so an operator can change the media or check a label.

Syntax

^PP

Also accepted with the other prefix: ~PP.

Support

Not implementedparsed: none · state: none · rendered: none

Recognised as valid ZPL and not implemented, with no plan to.

A pause has no meaning for a request that renders and returns. Labelary does not support it either, so no compatibility target exists. — not pinned by a test

Labelary does not implement it either, so there is no parity reference.

Parameters

^PP / ~PP takes no arguments.

Behavior

Neither prefix pauses at the moment the printer reads it. In the guide, ~PP stops after the label in progress finishes, and ^PP is "not immediate". ^PP pauses after the current format prints, and the printer can already hold more work, so several labels can come out first.

A request that renders and returns cannot use the command: a pause needs something to wait on it, and nobody presses PAUSE. Labelary does not implement it either, and its command table marks it unsupported. A format with ^PP renders in full in both engines (confirmed 2026-07-30). Split a format that needs an operator break into separate requests instead.

Example

A pause requested after this label:

^XA
^PP
^FO50,50^A0N,40,40^FDPause after this^FS
^XZ

Open in viewer

~PS Print StartResumes the print that `^PP` paused.
^PQ Print QuantityPrints the label more than once, the one command here that changes how many pages come back.