Printing and Labels

1. What exists

Part	What it does	Web screen?
Label definitions	Name, size and DPI of a label. Point to a template.	Yes, in the label designer (see below). Also by API.
Label templates	The layout (JSON).	Yes, in the label designer (see below). Also by API.
Printer configurations	Network printers (host and port).	No. API only.
Printer assignments	Which printer a user, zone, owner or warehouse uses.	A form printer_assignments_list_form exists, but no menu item or tab opens it.
Zone printer settings	Default printers in a putaway zone.	Yes. Topology > Putaway Zones > Printer Settings.
Label renderer	A separate service that turns a template into ZPL.	Setting LABEL_RENDERER_URL.
Barcode formats	Rules to read scanned barcodes (GS1 and others).	Yes. Sidebar > Barcode Formats.

Labels are made in ZPL for Zebra printers. The server sends the ZPL to the printer's network port (default 9100).

There is no web screen for printer configurations. Use the API methods (section 7).

Label design has a web screen. Open Sidebar > Reports. If you pass the Studio-admin check, the page shows the buttons Report designer and Label designer above the frame. Label designer opens the designer of the report service (/designer?surface=labels). It reads and writes label_definitions and label_templates, the same tables the printing code uses. Users who are not Studio admins do not see these buttons.

2. Seeded labels

Table label_definitions (all active, DPI 203):

Code	Name in the database	Category	Size (mm)	Used by
pallet_label	Паллетная этикетка	pallet	100 x 150	API print_label.
sku_label	Этикетка товара	sku	50 x 30	API print_label.
location_label	Этикетка ячейки	location	70 x 40	API print_label.
lpn_id_label	LPN ID этикетка	lpn	100 x 50	Auto-print after a receive (Auto-Print LPN), and LPN print on the move path.
handling_unit_label	Handling unit label	custom	100 x 50	Printed once for each registered handling unit.
shipping_label	Shipping label	shipping	100 x 150	Printed when a pack carton is closed.

Label missing in English: Паллетная этикетка (pallet_label). Label missing in English: Этикетка товара (sku_label). Label missing in English: Этикетка ячейки (location_label). Label missing in English: LPN ID этикетка (lpn_id_label).

The code looks up a label by its exact, case-sensitive code. Do not rename the codes lpn_id_label, handling_unit_label, shipping_label. If the lookup fails, best-effort callers log it and print nothing.

Seeded templates: pallet_100x150, sku_50x30, location_70x40, lpn_id_100x50, handling_unit_100x50, shipping_100x150 (status applied).

3. Printer settings in a putaway zone

What you will do

Set default printers for a zone and turn on automatic printing.

Before you start

• Role: ADMIN or MANAGER.
• The zone exists.

Steps

1. Open Sidebar > Topology > Putaway Zones.
2. Open the zone. Open the tab Printer Settings.
3. Fill the fields. Click Save.

Caption: the Printer Settings tab of a zone. Focus: 1 Default Label Printer, 2 Default Report Printer.

Field reference

Field	Meaning	Allowed values	Example
Default Label Printer	Name of the label printer.	Text up to 45 characters.	ZEBRA-01
Auto Print Addr Label	Print an address label automatically.	On or off.	off
Default Report Printer	Name of the report printer.	Text up to 45 characters.	HP-OFFICE
Auto Print Carton Label	Print a carton label automatically.	On or off.	off

What you should see

• The values are saved with the zone.

If something goes wrong

Message	Meaning	Fix
Nothing prints	No printer is resolved.	Check the printer assignments (section 5).

What this affects later

• These fields do not change where a label prints. A label printed at a place goes to the Zone printer assignment of that place first (section 5).

These zone fields are plain text. They are not linked to printer_configurations, and no printing code reads them. The printer is chosen only from printer_assignments (section 5). To make a zone use a printer, add a Zone assignment whose Scope ID is the zone id (putawayzone.id). The same holds for the fields zone_code and is_default of a printer configuration: they are stored, but the lookup does not use them. Auto Print Addr Label and Auto Print Carton Label are not read by any printing code either.

4. Printer configurations (API)

Table printer_configurations. Methods create_printer_configuration, update_printer_configuration, list_printer_configuration (create, update and delete: ADMIN, MANAGER; read: all roles).

Field	Meaning	Allowed values	Example
code	Key.	Text up to 50 characters.	ZEBRA-01
name	Display name.	Text up to 200 characters.	Dock printer
printer_host	Network address.	Text up to 200 characters.	10.0.0.50
printer_port	TCP port.	Whole number. Default 9100.	9100
printer_model	Model text.	Text.	ZT411
zone_code	Zone text.	Text.	RACK
is_default	Default printer.	true or false.	false
label_definition_id	Label for this printer.	A label definition id.
is_active	In use.	true or false.	true

No printer is seeded.

5. Printer assignments

Rule for choosing a printer (PrinterAssignmentBmc::resolve_for_scope_at):

1. Only active rows count.
2. Order of scope: Zone, then User, then Owner, then Warehouse.
3. Inside one scope, the lowest priority number wins (default 100).
4. The zone tier is used only when the print has a location. Without a location the order is User, Owner, Warehouse.

If no row matches, nothing is printed and the log says NoPrinter.

Form printer_assignments_list_form (when reachable): columns ID, Scope ID, Printer, Priority, Active, Scope; buttons New, Edit, Delete, Refresh.

Edit window Edit Printer Assignment:

Field	Meaning	Allowed values	Example
Scope Type (required)	Level.	User, Zone, Owner, Warehouse.	Warehouse
Scope ID	Who the row applies to. Empty for Warehouse.	A user, zone or owner id.
Printer (required)	The printer configuration.	A printer id.
Priority (required)	"Lower wins; default 100."	Whole number.	100
Active (required)	In use.	On or off.	on

Minimum for a working print: one printer_configurations row and one Warehouse assignment pointing to it.

Screenshot not available yet: printer_assignments_list_form - Printer Assignments

Caption: the printer assignment list.

An administrator cannot reach this form in the UI today. No menu item, tab, navigation or button opens it. The code lists the form as a screen with no door (surface_census.rs). Until a door is added, manage assignments with the API (printer_assignments_rpc.rs).

6. Label renderer

• The setting LABEL_RENDERER_URL (seed http://localhost:8086) names the renderer service.
• Open Sidebar > System Settings to change it.
• The server posts the template and data to the renderer and gets ZPL bytes back. A failed render sends nothing to the printer.

Failure stage (log token)	Meaning	Fix
stage=render	No ZPL: label not found, renderer unreachable, non-2xx answer, or unreadable body.	Check the label code and LABEL_RENDERER_URL.
stage=send	The printer did not accept the bytes: unreachable host, connection or write timeout.	Check the printer address, port and network.

7. Label API methods

Method	Use
generate_label_data	Render data for a label code (preview).
print_label	Returns ZPL bytes for a label code and data.
send_label_to_printer	Sends a label to a printer host and port.
list_label_definition, update_label_definition	Read or change definitions. The code cannot change.
list_label_template, update_label_template	Read or change templates. The code cannot change.
print_lpn_label	LPN label print.

Role: read for all roles; write for ADMIN and MANAGER.

8. Barcode formats

What you will do

Define how the system reads scanned barcodes such as GS1-128.

Before you start

• Role: ADMIN or MANAGER.
• Seeded formats: GS1-128-STANDARD, GS1-128-SIMPLE, GS1-DATAMATRIX, UPC-FIXED, PIPE-DELIMITED, GS1-DATABAR, GS1-QR.

Steps

1. Open Sidebar > Barcode Formats.
2. Click New. Fill the tab Configuration. Click Save.
3. Open the detail list Format Details. Click New. Fill each element in order. Click Save.
4. Use Test Barcode: paste a barcode in Scan or Paste Barcode and click Test. Read Parsed Result.

Caption: the barcode format list.

Field reference

Format (barcode_format_edit_form):

Field	Meaning	Allowed values	Example
Name (required)	Key.	Text.	GS1-128-STANDARD
Format Group (required)	Family.	Text.	GS1-128
Description (required)	Free text.	Text.
Barcode Identifier	Symbology prefix.	Text.	]C1
Chars to Trim	Characters to remove.	Whole number.	0
Auto Detect Identifier	Find the prefix automatically.	On or off.	on
Notes	Free text.	Text.
Parsing Rules (required)	How to read.	Detail Sequence Required, Search by Application Identifier.	Search by Application Identifier
Default Ending Delimiter	End-of-field mark.	Code list BCDDELIMITER.	GS1128FNC1

Detail (bf_detail_edit_form): Sequence, App Identifier, Data Group Name, Data Length, Prefix Trim, Suffix Trim, Start Position, Stop Position, Repeats Until End, Decimal Place, Lot Policy, Data Length Type (Fixed Length, Variable Length), Delimiter Before, Delimiter After, Date Format, Validation, Data Element Name. Data elements include Item Number, Location, License Plate Number, Serial Number, Lot Number, Manufactured Date, Expiration Date, Delivery By Date, Best By Date, Quantity, Case ID, Alternate SKU, Unit of Measure, Net Weight.

What you should see

• The test shows the parsed values.

If something goes wrong

Message	Meaning	Fix
The parsed result is empty	The identifier or the details do not match the barcode.	Check Barcode Identifier and the details.

What this affects later

• RF scanning uses these formats to split one barcode into item, lot, dates and serial.

• A format is chosen by its Barcode Identifier, not by SKU. The scan must start with the identifier, and Auto Detect Identifier must be on. If several formats match, the longest identifier wins, then the lowest id. A format with an empty identifier claims nothing. If no format claims the scan, it is read as a plain code. barcode_scan_parse is a query: it changes nothing.