TSPL
TSC Printronix Printer Language
What is TSPL?
TSPL (TSC Printronix Printer Language) is the command language for TSC Auto ID and Printronix thermal label printers. It controls label sizing, text placement, barcode generation, graphic drawing, and RFID tag encoding via plain-text commands sent to the printer.
TSPL commands are line-based, human-readable instructions. Labels typically begin with SIZE and GAP commands to define media dimensions, use CLS to clear the image buffer, then add content with commands like TEXT, BARCODE, and BOX, and finish with PRINT.
Used for: Shipping and logistics labels, warehouse management, retail price tags, healthcare specimen labelling, manufacturing work-in-progress tracking, and RFID smart label encoding.
Key commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
SIZE | Set label width and height |
GAP | Set gap distance between labels |
CLS | Clear image buffer |
TEXT | Draw text at a position |
BARCODE | Draw a 1D barcode (Code 128, Code 39, EAN, etc.) |
QRCODE | Draw a QR code |
BOX | Draw a rectangle / box |
BAR | Draw a solid bar / line |
DIRECTION | Set print direction |
PRINT | Print the label (with quantity) |
RFID | Write data to RFID tag |
TSC and Printronix printers
TSC Auto ID Technology is a major thermal printer manufacturer. Their product lines include the TTP series (desktop), MH series (industrial), and Alpha series (mobile). Printronix, now part of TSC, adds industrial RFID-capable models like the T6000e and T800 series. These printers support print-and-encode workflows for UHF RFID smart labels.
TSPL vs ZPL vs SBPL
| Feature | TSPL (TSC) | ZPL (Zebra) | SBPL (SATO) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command style | Line-based keywords | ^ caret prefixed | ESC (0x1B) prefixed |
| Label size | SIZE w,h | ^PW / ^LL | ESC+A1 |
| Clear buffer | CLS | ^XA (implicit) | ESC+A |
| Text | TEXT x,y,... | ^FO+^FD | ESC+H/V+ESC+X |
| Barcode | BARCODE | ^BC | ESC+BG |
PRINT n | ^XZ | ESC+Q+ESC+Z | |
| RFID | RFID | ^RF | ESC+IP0 |