User Manual

RFID Guidelines
ZPL II Commands for RFID
R4Mplus User Guide 71
ZPL II Commands for RFID
Printing and encoding (writing) of “smart” labels is handled through the use of Zebra
Programming Language (ZPL). The printer segments the ZPL RFID and non-RFID related
commands that it receives. The printer executes the RFID commands first, followed by the
others (such as the printing commands for bar codes or human-readable text). Each
transponder has memory that can be written to and read from through ZPL commands.
The ZPL commands also provide for exception handling, such as setting the number of
read/write retries before declaring the transponder defective. If an RFID tag is declared
defective (fails to program correctly or cannot be detected) the printer ejects it and prints the
word “void” across the entire label. This process will continue for the number of RFID tags
specified in the ^RS command using the same data and format, assuming that the problems
persist. After the last tag is ejected, the printer removes the customer format from the print
queue and proceeds with the next format (if one exists in the buffer).
The following pages provide the ZPL II commands that can be used for RFID applications. If
a parameter is designated as not applicable, any value entered for the parameter will be
ignored, but the place holder for the field is required.