DPL Datamax Printer Language
DPL (Datamax Printer Language) is the native command language for Datamax and Honeywell thermal transfer and direct thermal label printers. It uses control characters (STX, SOH) as command prefixes and a fixed-width record format for label fields.
Key commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
<STX>L | Enter label formatting mode |
E | End label / print |
D | Set dot size (width and height) |
H | Set heat (darkness) |
Q | Set print quantity |
<STX>c | Set continuous paper length |
<STX>m | Set metric mode |
1[font]... | Text format record |
1[A-Z]... | Barcode format record (A=Code 39, E=Code 128, F=EAN-13) |
1X11...L/B | Line / box drawing |
Format record structure
DPL uses a 15-byte fixed header for each label field:
a b c d eee ffff gggg data | | | | | | | -- field data | | | | | | -- column position | | | | | -- row position | | | | -- font size / barcode height | | | -- height multiplier | | -- width multiplier | -- font ID (0-9) or barcode type (A-Z) or X (graphics) -- rotation (1=0, 2=90, 3=180, 4=270)
Datamax and Honeywell printers
DPL is used by the Datamax I-Class, M-Class, H-Class, E-Class, and W-Class series, as well as Honeywell printers that inherited the Datamax product line. These printers are widely used in manufacturing, logistics, and warehouse applications.
Comparison
| Feature | DPL | ZPL | SBPL | TSPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Datamax/Honeywell | Zebra | SATO | TSC |
| Command prefix | STX (0x02) | ^ or ~ | ESC (0x1B) | None (line-based) |
| Label start | <STX>L | ^XA | ESC+A | SIZE + CLS |
| Label end | E | ^XZ | ESC+Z | |
| Field format | Fixed 15-byte header | ^FO + ^FD | ESC+H + ESC+V + font | Command + params |