Convert EPL2 to ZPL

EPL2 to ZPL Converter: migrate your labels to the modern standard

What is EPL2 and where does it come from?

EPL2 (Eltron Programming Language 2) is the label programming language developed by Eltron, a company founded in the 1990s specializing in thermal label printers. In 1998, Zebra Technologies acquired Eltron along with a large installed base of printers using EPL and EPL2. For years both languages coexisted: mid-range Zebra printers such as the LP 2844, TLP 2844 and LP 2742 shipped with EPL2 as their native language, while high-end models already used ZPL.

EPL2 was designed to be simple and compact. Its commands are short text lines, easy to understand and generate from any management system. This made it a de facto standard in thousands of small and medium businesses in logistics, retail and manufacturing that printed labels from billing or inventory software. Today, two decades later, there are still production systems generating EPL2, and many users need to migrate those labels to ZPL for modern printers.

Differences between EPL2 and ZPL

Although both languages share the same goal of defining thermal label content, they have different philosophies. EPL2 uses single-letter commands followed by comma-separated parameters: A defines text, B barcodes, L lines and boxes. ZPL uses commands preceded by a caret (^) or tilde (~): ^FO for positioning, ^FD for content, ^BC for Code 128, ^GB for a graphic box.

ZPL is far richer in functionality: it supports scalable fonts, vector graphics, reverse printing, variable data fields, templates stored on the printer and a more granular API. EPL2 is more limited but sufficient for most standard labels: text, linear barcodes, QR codes and basic geometric shapes.

Why migrate from EPL2 to ZPL?

Current Zebra printers — ZD200, ZD400, ZD600, ZT200, ZT400, ZT600 and the entire industrial range — use ZPL as their native language and support EPL2 in compatibility mode, but with limitations. The 300 or 600 DPI resolution available in these models is much better leveraged with ZPL, which allows precise control of every dot. Advanced features like variable data fields or templates stored in memory require ZPL.

Another common reason to migrate is software. Many modern e-commerce, ERP or WMS platforms generate ZPL natively or integrate label generation libraries that work with ZPL. If your legacy system generated EPL2 and you want to integrate with current tools, converting the templates to ZPL is the most direct path.

How this converter works

The converter analyzes the EPL2 code line by line and identifies each command. For each recognized instruction it generates the closest ZPL equivalent: texts become ^FO/^A0/^FD/^FS blocks, barcodes become ^BC or ^B3 depending on type, filled boxes become ^GB with thickness equal to the shorter side, and lines become 1-pixel ^GB elements.

The conversion happens entirely in your browser, without sending data to any server. The generated ZPL includes label dimensions (^PW and ^LL) when the original EPL2 defines them with q and Q. If there are EPL2 commands with no direct ZPL equivalent, the converter omits them and shows a warning so you can complete the conversion manually.

Supported EPL2 commands

The converter covers the most common EPL2 commands in production labels: N (label start), P (print), q (label width), Q (label height), A (text with font and rotation), B (linear barcodes: Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A), b (2D codes: QR and PDF417), LO (filled box), LE (empty box), LR (reverse box), LS (horizontal line) and LV (vertical line). Printer configuration commands such as speed, darkness or media type are silently omitted, as in ZPL they are managed independently from label design.