BTW to ZPL

Convert BarTender labels to ZPL for Zebra printers. Upload a .btw document or .btc component and get ZPL II that your systems can send straight to a Zebra, with every text field, bar code and line written as its own command you can edit.

Need a document to share? BTW to PDF. Have NiceLabel templates too? NLBL to ZPL.

Preview: LabelZoom’s BarTender reader is the newest in our engine and still improving. Compare the converted ZPL against a known-good print, and scan its bar codes, before rolling a format out. If something doesn’t match, let us know — reports go straight into what we fix next.

Upload your BarTender file

Render Settings

Label Size

Preview

ZPL • Auto-detect

Note on Watermarks: Free online conversions include a LabelZoom watermark. Need to remove watermarks for production, or process thousands of labels per minute? Check out our REST API subscriptions

Print a BarTender design from any system that can send ZPL.

Every object stays an editable ZPL field.

Physical sizes kept at the density of your Zebra.

How to convert BTW to ZPL

  1. 1

    Set the density to the Zebra that will print the label, 203 or 300 dpi.

  2. 2

    Click Upload file and choose the .btw or .btc file, or drop it on the box above. It converts as soon as it arrives.

  3. 3

    Copy or download the ZPL, or send it to a connected Zebra, and scan a test print. Fine-tune fields in the ZPL editor.

How BarTender objects become ZPL

The converter works object by object, so the ZPL keeps the document's structure.

BarTender objectBecomes ZPLNotes
Text^FO ^A ^FD ^FSItalics print upright; colors become black
Bar code^BC, ^B3, ^BE, ^BQ, ^BX …Readable line shows raw data; add-ons are left out
Line, rectangle, ellipse^GBEllipses come out as boxes; shapes turned off a quarter turn are left out
Picture^GFA black-and-white graphic
Field from a data source^FD with the sample valuePrint-time values such as dates come out empty
Page setup^PW and ^LLComponents have no page, so they are sized to fit

Other Supported Formats

BTW to PDFNLBL to ZPLZPL ViewerZPL EditorLabel Converter
Start converting now

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about converting BarTender labels to ZPL.

Why convert a BarTender document to ZPL?
So a Zebra printer can print the label without BarTender in the loop. ZPL is the printer's own language: once the label is ZPL, a WMS, an ERP, a script or a print server can send it straight to the printer. It is plain text, too, so it can be stored and versioned next to the code that prints it.
Do I get editable ZPL or a picture of the label?
Editable ZPL. Each BarTender object is written as its own command: text as ^A and ^FD fields, bar codes as ^B commands, lines and boxes as ^GB, and only pictures as ^GF graphics. You can open the result in a ZPL editor and move or change any field.
What about fields filled from a database at print time?
They come across with the sample value stored in the document. Values BarTender computes only when printing, such as dates and script results, have no sample and come out empty, and a bar code that uses one is left out. Replace those ^FD values with your own data, or convert through the REST API and pass the data in the request.
Will the bar codes scan the same?
Almost all of them do. GS1 bar codes keep their application identifiers and separators, and the check digits BarTender adds at print time are added. HIBC bar codes are missing their + flag and check character, fixed-width padding and leading zeros in formatted fields aren't applied, and UPC and EAN add-ons are left out. Check each symbol with a scanner before the converted label goes into production.
Which density should I choose?
The density of the Zebra that will print the label, usually 203 or 300 dpi. A BarTender document measures its objects in physical units, so the converter lays them out at the density you choose and the printed label keeps its size.