Zebra label configuration¶

In Odoo, labels printed in the Zebra Programming Language (ZPL) file format are designed to fit a four-by-six inch label. To resize (or reformat) text to fit a variety of ZPL label sizes, navigate to the ZPL label view, and alter the ZPL code.

Warning

When customizing code in Odoo, please note that upgrading the database to newer versions may break custom ZPL code. Customers are responsible for maintaining their custom code.

Refer to the following sections for explanations, and example code, for frequently requested Zebra label customizations.

Adjust margins
Enlarge/minimize barcodes
Rotate elements

Navigate to ZPL label view¶

To begin customizing a Zebra label in Odoo, turn on developer mode, and on the main Odoo dashboard, type Reports. From the search results that appear in the resulting pop-up window, choose Settings / Technical / Reporting / Reports to open the Reports page.

Note

To manually navigate to the Reports page, go to Settings app ‣ Technical ‣ Reporting: Reports.

Show global search result for "Reports".

On the Reports page, in the Search… bar, type ZPL, and hit Enter. Upon doing so, Odoo presents a list of available Zebra labels in Odoo. Select the desired Zebra label from the list to modify it on a separate page.

Note

Printable ZPL labels in Odoo:

lot/serial number
operation type
package barcode
product label
product packaging
finished product (Odoo Manufacturing app required)

Next, click the Qweb Views smart button, and choose the desired label view.

Show Qweb smart button on the Lot and Serial Number (ZPL) report.

Lot and Serial Number (ZPL) report, highlighting the Qweb smart button.¶

On the resulting view form, go to the Architecture tab to view the ZPL code.

Important

To ensure the customization is not overwritten during an update, click the (bug) icon on the view page. Then, select the View Metadata option from the resulting drop-down menu, in order to open the View Metadata pop-up window. Then, ensure the No Update field is set to true (change). Click Ok to exit the View Metadata pop-up window.

Adjust margin¶

Text gets cut off from standard ZPL labels printed in Odoo when the line exceeds fifty-five characters. To fit long product names, or lot numbers, on a single line, adjust the margin.

To begin, navigate to the ZPL code of the label in the Architecture tab. In the ZPL code for product labels, look for the ^FT command, which specifies where to start placing the text, or graphic element, on the label. The two numbers immediately following ^FT define the x-coordinate and y-coordinate in dots (similar to pixels for printers) from the left and top margins.

Important

When customizing lot/serial number labels, look for the ^FO command, instead of ^FT.

Example

The following is an example where the product’s name gets cut off with Odoo’s default ZPL formatting. In the Fixed tab, the x-coordinate of the starting position of the label is changed from ^FT100,80 to ^FT0,80, to fit the entire name.

Code:

^XA^CI28
^FT100,80^A0N,40,30^FD[E-COM11] Cabinet with Doors (wood: Cherry, handles: brass)^FS
...
^XZ

Code:

^XA^CI28
^FT0,80^A0N,40,30^FD[E-COM11] Cabinet with Doors (wood: Cherry, handles: brass)^FS
...
^XZ

Resize barcode¶

To adjust the size of the barcode to scale, begin by navigating to the ZPL code of the label in the Architecture tab. Look for the ^FO command (typically in the third line), which is the starting point of the margin for the barcode.

The ^BY command configures barcode size, and takes three numbers: bar width, width of wide bars relative to narrow bars, and bar height. By default, ZPL code in Odoo uses ^BY3, setting the bar width to three dots, a typical size that is easy for barcode scanners to read.

Example

To shrink the barcode to scale, ^BY3 is reduced to ^BY2.