Label Printer for QR Codes

Hi all,

Working on a proposal for a customer that will require printing some QR codes. The idea is, the customer weighs product into a bin, and then prints a label to put on it. That label is later scanned, and the information retrieved. I'm looking at datamax printers and datalogic scanners, simply for ease of integration and local support, but open to suggestion there as well.

The information that needs to be retrieved from the label is:
- Product code (5 digit code)
- Weight
- Batch code
All of this data will be available in my Control Logix, so I figure what I'll do is assemble a string something like:

PC12345WT6789BC54321

Which would mean product code 12345, weight 6789g, and batch code 54321.

I would then encode that string into a QR code, and have a label printed.

How I'd really like this to work is to just send that string over ethernet to a label printer and have it spit out a QR code with that string encoded into it. Nice and clean, no extra computers, the smallest possible amount of things to go wrong. However, I think it might be a little bit optimistic to believe it can actually be done that easily.

So, I'm after ideas as to how I can get this done as simply and cleanly as possible. I'm open to completely different suggestions as well if you think there is another tree I should be barking up!

tl;dr - what's the simplest, cleanest way you can think of to get a string from a control logix PLC encoded into a QR code and printed on a sticky label?

Normally you would put a template on the label printer controller that had the format for the label and then send strings over a socket to populate the fields.

Which model printer? Are you dealing through Insignia? We have had experience doing ASCII over Ethernet via open socket to various Domino printers for a similar application. The alternative if the printer model has no Ethernet protocol is that it is very likely to have an ASCII over or RS232 serial protocol.

Printer model first, before we get too carried away.

I haven't selected a printer yet - this is still at the concept stage, so I'm totally open to any brand of printer. If you have a success story with a particular brand, then I'm definitely keen to hear it!

That being said, I'm really hoping to stick with ethernet if I can, because they may want to move it between rooms from time to time, and that's easy if they can just plug the ethernet into any number of outlets I put around the place for them, but harder if it's a serial connection.

Just to be clear - The comms are by open socket rather than ehternet/ip. It seems that every printer from Domino is different. Made by a different hardware vendor with different software and documentation is some sort of state secret they don't put on the Internet.

This can easily be done using a Zebra brand printer using ZPL code over Ethernet.
You can simply assemble the string inside the PLC, Open a TCP connection to the printer, Stream out the string data to the printer, then Close the connection.
I do this regularly with GK420D (or GX420D) printers with the Ethernet option.
If you go this route, then I can supply you with a sample string to print a QR code.

Here is an actual print string in it's raw form that will print a QR code to a Zebra printer:
Or with a web address that will take you to this thread:

Thanks guys, so I will need to make sure that my ethernet hardware can handle socket connections I take it. I currently have a 1756-ENBT, which from memory can't do socket connections - I'd need a 1756-EN2T or newer, am I correct?

jawolthius - thanks a heap for that info! A question though - how did you get there? Is there a manual somewhere that goes through all of that "header" information?

ASF said:

Thanks guys, so I will need to make sure that my ethernet hardware can handle socket connections I take it. I currently have a 1756-ENBT, which from memory can't do socket connections - I'd need a 1756-EN2T or newer, am I correct?

jawolthius - thanks a heap for that info! A question though - how did you get there? Is there a manual somewhere that goes through all of that "header" information?

Click to expand...

Correct. I would use the EN2T over the other options.

One of the manuals: https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra/manuals/en-us/software/zpl-zbi2-pm-en.pdf

Wow, now there's some light reading! Thanks Jeev

I would contact Matthews as well. In Australia; Domino, Matthews and Insignia do the majority of industry marking.

I'm waiting for a day where these guys catch up with factory and warehousing requirements to offer better (or some) PLC support.

Jeev said:

I'm waiting for a day where these guys catch up with factory and warehousing requirements to offer better (or some) PLC support.

Click to expand...

You and me both. Label printers seem to be way behind the pack in that aspect. In fairness to them, I guess direct PLC controlled printing is not their main market, it's probably more integration with business systems like SAP that's their main money spinner. But then again, the first OEM to introduce decent EtherNetIP/Profinet/Modbus TCP support is probably going to find themselves with a whole lot of extra business. Hopefully someone will cotton on soon, and then the other brands will be forced to follow suit

ASF said:

But then again, the first OEM to introduce decent EtherNetIP/Profinet/Modbus TCP support is probably going to find themselves with a whole lot of extra business.

Click to expand...

This is why I mentioned Matthews. I don't know if they have floated solutions in industry yet, but they were supposedly working on EthIP comms for their labellers.

How nice would it be to buy a printer or labeller and drop an EDS or AOP with an AOI into your program? A man can dream

ASF said:

jawolthius - thanks a heap for that info! A question though - how did you get there? Is there a manual somewhere that goes through all of that "header" information?

Click to expand...

@Jeev posted the correct manual. It does take some study to learn the ZPL language, but once you become familiar with it, then you can do almost anything with it.
If you go this route and get stuck on anything, then post back and I will try to help.

Terrific, thanks a ton jawolthius! This project is at the moment in the "find out how much it will cost and let us know" stage, so it might happen anytime between next year and never - but if it does get off the ground, hopefully you're still floating around