^PR
Print RatePreview: not drawnHow fast the printer runs — and the first thing to turn down when a barcode stops scanning.
Syntax
^PRp,s,bParameters
| Parameter | Description and accepted values | If omitted |
|---|---|---|
| p | Print speed while the label is being imaged.Print speed, in inches per second or as a letter code | Printer setting |
| s | Slew speed — how fast the printer advances blank label stock.Slew speed — how fast blank label stock advances | Same as p |
| b | Backfeed speed, used when the printer pulls stock back before printing.Backfeed speed | Same as p |
How it works
^PR sets the print speed for the format, plus the separate speeds for slewing blank stock and for backfeeding. Faster is not free: at high speed the printhead has less time on each dot row, so edges soften and fine detail fills in.
That is why print rate and darkness are tuned together. A barcode that reads at 2 inches per second and fails at 6 usually needs the speed brought down rather than the darkness pushed up — more heat at high speed smears the bars sideways instead of sharpening them.
The three parameters accept either a number in inches per second or a letter code, and which speeds a given printer supports depends on the model and on the media loaded.
Example
^XA
^PR4,6,2
^FO50,50^A0N,40^FDZPL Toolkit^FS
^XZRendering…
How the preview on this site handles it
Not drawn. Print speed is a property of a physical printhead moving physical media, and a preview has neither. What it changes on a real printer — softer edges, filled-in fine detail at high speed — is exactly what a preview cannot show, so trust a test print over any preview when tuning it.
Common mistakes
- Raising darkness to fix a fast print. Slow the print down first; the two interact, and speed is usually the cause.
- Setting a speed the printer does not have. Out-of-range values are silently clamped, so the label prints at a speed you did not choose.
- Forgetting the slew speed on long labels. Advancing blank stock at print speed costs real time on a big run.