Exporting
Instead of printing, you can save a finished label as a file to inspect, archive, email, or print later. Exports come from the same full-resolution pipeline as printing, not from a screenshot of the preview, and the original file is never modified.
Where to export#
| Area | How | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| Import & Convert | PDF and PNG buttons in step 03. | PDF, PNG |
| Label Designer | Export menu in the toolbar. | PDF, PNG, SVG, ZPL |
| Label Designer, a sheet of labels | File → Print on a sheet… → Save as PDF. | PDF (A4 or Letter) |
Exporting works without a printer. A file chooser asks where to save, and the file is written safely: it is created under a temporary name and moved into place only when complete, so a failed export never leaves a half-written file.
The formats#
| Format | What you get | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| One page whose size is exactly your label size. The page contains the finished label as an image at the chosen DPI. | Archiving, emailing, or printing from another program. | |
| PNG | The label as an image at the chosen resolution (203, 300, or 600 DPI), with the DPI recorded in the file. | Previews, documents, and other software. |
| SVG (designs) | An SVG document with the label embedded as a raster picture. It keeps the physical size, but it is not editable vector artwork. | Placing a label in a page-layout program at the right size. |
| ZPL (designs) | A text file of ZPL II commands that draws the label as a bitmap. | Zebra-compatible printers that you feed ZPL directly. |
With rotated printing on, ZPL is rotated 90° like a print, so it fits the label stock. PDF, PNG, and SVG keep the design the way it looks on the canvas.
Because exports are bitmaps, text in a PDF or SVG cannot be selected or searched. Keep the .thermalprint file if you want to edit the label later.
Printing raw ZPL#
Most printers are used through their normal driver, and ThermalPrint sends them a PDF. Some Zebra-compatible printers accept ZPL directly through a raw queue, which skips the driver.
- Create a raw queue for the printer in your system's printer setup (a queue that passes data straight through). A normal PDF queue will not work for raw ZPL.
- In the Label Designer, open Export and tick Print using raw ZPL.
- Choose that raw queue in Print Center and press Print.
- The status bar reminds you: Raw ZPL: verify printer compatibility and loaded label size.
- ZPL from ThermalPrint is a bitmap of the whole label, so fonts and barcodes look exactly as in the preview.
- The alignment offset does not apply to raw ZPL; adjust position in the design instead.
- Batch printing can use raw ZPL too.
Sending ZPL to a printer that does not understand it can print pages of garbled characters. Only use raw ZPL with a printer you know supports it.
Limits#
- Output larger than 36 megapixels is refused. Lower the DPI or the label size.
- A label that would be clipped cannot be exported until you fix the layout.