IPL to ZPL

Retiring Intermec's EasyCoder and PM-series printers for Zebras means every IPL format has to become ZPL — and the two languages share almost no vocabulary: IPL frames each statement in STX/ETX and downloads its graphics separately, while ZPL wants caret commands and inline data. Paste a format here and LabelZoom reads those statements into its label model, rescales the dot geometry to the target printer, and writes native, editable ZPL II that prints the same label.

Need to see the IPL first? IPL viewer. Archiving it? IPL to PDF. Other migrations: DPL to ZPL, EPL to ZPL, TSPL to ZPL.

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

Paste your IPL code

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

Native ZPL fields, not a bitmap of the Intermec label — edit the result like any ZPL.

Geometry rescaled when the Zebra's density differs from the Intermec the job was written for.

One template format for a mixed Intermec / Zebra fleet during the changeover.

How to convert IPL to ZPL

  1. 1

    Paste the IPL format above — the frame markers survive a paste — or upload the file, which is the safer route for jobs that also carry UDC graphics. A ZIP of formats converts each one.

  2. 2

    Pick the density of the new Zebra (203 or 300 dpi). If the Intermec job was written for a different pitch, the converter rescales the geometry so the label keeps its size.

  3. 3

    Click Quick Convert, then copy the ZPL, download it, or send it straight to a connected Zebra. Open it in the ZPL editor to fine-tune fonts.

How IPL statements map to ZPL

The converter works at the object level, so each IPL statement becomes the ZPL command that means the same thing.

IPLBecomes ZPLNotes
Program-mode format + select^XA … ^XZThe stored format becomes one editable ZPL label
H text field^FO ^A ^FD ^FSClosest ZPL font at the same physical height; rotation preserved
B barcode field^BC, ^BE, ^BQ, ^BX …Symbology, height, module width and human-readable text mapped
G/u UDC bitmap + U field^GFThe separately downloaded bitmap is placed inline, in compressed hex
Lines and boxes^GBRules and frames
Print commandjob outputCopies carried across; the ZPL is ready to send or store

Other Supported Formats

IPL ViewerIPL to PDFPDF to IPLEPL to ZPLTSPL to ZPLDPL to ZPLZPL EditorZPL Viewer
Start converting now

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about migrating Intermec IPL formats to ZPL.

Is the output real ZPL or a bitmap of the Intermec label?
Real ZPL. Each IPL statement — an H text field with its origin, font and magnification, a B barcode field with its symbology and height, a line or box — is read into LabelZoom's label model as an object and written out as the ZPL command that means the same thing: ^A fonts with ^FD data, ^BC / ^BE / ^BQ barcodes, ^GB lines and boxes. UDC bitmaps, which IPL downloads separately and places with U fields, become ^GF graphics in the output.
How do IPL's dots become ZPL's dots?
Both languages position fields in printer dots, but the printers may not run at the same pitch. The conversion happens at the density you pick: paste an IPL job written for a 203 dpi Intermec and convert it on a 203 dpi Zebra and every field keeps its exact position; target a 300 dpi ZT-series printer and the converter rescales the geometry so the label keeps its physical size.
Will the fonts match?
Intermec's internal fonts have no exact ZPL twins, so each is mapped to the closest ZPL font and scaled to the same physical height. Positions and sizes carry over; letterforms differ slightly. Fields that must look identical — a brand logo in text, for example — are the ones to hand-tune afterward in the ZPL editor.
What about fields that get their data at print time?
IPL formats can either embed each field's data in the format itself or reserve the field for data the host sends at print time. Both come across: embedded data becomes literal ^FD text, and print-time fields map onto ZPL's field mechanism so the label still works as a template your host can fill.
How accurate is the conversion, and can I run it in bulk?
The IPL reader is the newest in our engine: everyday formats convert cleanly and are tested against real job streams; exotic options may need a look, so compare before rolling out. For a whole template library, the REST API does the same conversion from a script, without a watermark.