In GoodLabel Designer, Width is the width of one label in the direction parallel to the print head, that is, at right angles to the direction the roll feeds out. Height is the length in the direction the roll feeds out. These two numbers are converted to dots and sent as ^PW (print width) and ^LL (label length) in ZPL, and passed in mm as is as the width and length of the SIZE command in TSPL. So if you add the liner width or the gap between labels, the print position shifts on every label.
4 steps to measure with a ruler
- Measure the width with the label still stuck to the liner on the roll. The liner is cut wider than the label, so measuring from the liner edge gives a larger mm figure than the actual label.
- Measure the height of one label, from its leading edge to its trailing edge, in the direction the roll unwinds. For labels with rounded corners, too, record the outside dimension including the curve, that is, the mm at the widest point.
- Measure the gap: the space between the trailing edge of one label and the leading edge of the next, where only the liner shows.
- Measure the length of 10 labels at once and divide by 10 to get height + gap. If it differs by more than 0.5mm from the sum of what you measured in steps 2 and 3, measure again.
Measuring over 10 labels cuts a 1mm reading error on the ruler to 0.1mm per label. For a 50×30mm label with a 3mm gap, 10 labels should measure 330mm.
Telling gap labels, black mark and continuous media apart
| Media | What you see | What to measure | Designer media type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gap labels | Gaps between labels where only the liner shows and light passes through | Width, height, gap | Gap labels |
| Black mark | Black lines printed at regular intervals on the back of the liner | Width, spacing between black lines (one label length) | Black mark |
| Continuous media | One continuous strip with no gaps or black lines | Width, the label length you want | Continuous media |
For media with black lines on the back, also write down the height and width of the lines in mm. The TSC TE210 sensor needs a gap of at least 2mm, or a black mark at least 2mm high and 8mm wide. Continuous media has no mark to show where a label ends, so the length you enter as the height becomes one label as is.
mm input ranges in New document and Printer settings
You first enter the size in New document on the start screen and change it while editing in Printer settings on the ribbon, but the minimum width you can enter differs between the two windows: 1mm and 10mm.
| Window | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| New document | 1–1000mm | 1–1000mm |
| Printer settings | 10–500mm | 5–1000mm |
Labels narrower than 10mm, such as an 8mm-wide cable label, can be created only in New document, and saving in the Printer settings window requires a width of 10mm or more. For labels less than 10mm wide, set the size right the first time at the New document stage.
For the 40×30, 50×30, 60×40, 70×40, 80×40 and 100×150mm sizes, the shared templates on the start screen include a template of the same size, so you can start without entering numbers. Five of the 16 sizes of direct thermal roll labels match these.
How media type and gap length go out as ZPL and TSPL commands
Under Printer settings → Print options → Media type, click one of the 3 buttons: Gap labels, Continuous media or Black mark. Choosing Gap labels opens the Gap length field, where you enter 0–20mm in 0.5mm steps, starting from the default of 3mm.
| Media type | ZPL (Zebra and others) | TSPL (TSC and others) |
|---|---|---|
| Gap labels | ^MNY; gap length not sent | GAP gap length mm,0 mm |
| Continuous media | ^MNN | GAP 0 mm,0 mm |
| Black mark | ^MNM | BLINE 3 mm,0 mm |
The gap length value is actually sent only to TSPL and EZPL, and for EZPL it is rounded to whole mm. ZPL printers don't take a gap length and use the spacing measured by their own sensor, so after changing rolls, have the printer read the spacing again with Troubleshoot in the printer group at the right of the ribbon (inside ≫ when the window is narrow) → Auto detect (~JC).
For TSPL black mark, the black line height is always sent as 3mm. When you choose Black mark, a Detect black mark button appears under the media type; it sends AUTODETECT to TSPL printers and ~JC to ZPL and EZPL printers. On TSPL, turn the printer off and on once after auto detection finishes so it prints right away.
2 ways a wrong size shows up in print
- If you enter a height 3mm larger than the actual label, the image is also 3mm longer, and the bottom 3mm that doesn't fit on one label spills past the gap.
- If you swap width and height, you send a 60mm-wide image to a 40mm-wide label, and only 40mm of it lands on the label.
If the image comes out upside down, don't change the size; check Print rotated 180° in Print options. The editing screen stays as it is, and only the whole sheet is sent rotated 180°. Adjust position differences under 1mm with the margins and offsets in Advanced settings, described in the Printing chapter.
