Zebra LP2844 stopped responding to ZPL Commands or Files

Question

I sent a couple zpl files to the printer to test it and it worked fine.

After that I was receiving base64 encoded zpl data from UPS and creating a file and sending it to the printer via a Java applet, and now any zpl commands or files I send to it are doing nothing.

I put it in diagnostic dump mode, sent some commands, then hit feed and it just printed a list of the commands it was sent.. so they're going through at least, but it won't print them.

It prints other data fine, for instance when sending an image to it.

Schadenfreude

Answer 1

You have to print EPL code to a LP2844 printer. It does not respond to ZPL code.

Idiosyncrasy

Thanks, I finally found out from Zebra support, but everything I found on it seemed to suggest that it supported both EPL and ZPL. And at first I couldn't get it to respond to even EPL hello world code... but finally cleared it up. – Schadenfreude

FWIW, printers like the ZP-450 do support both EPL and ZPL code. Well worth the $225 for the increased speed, print quality and compatibility. – Idiosyncrasy

Some of the Zebra printers support both EPL and ZPL, BUT! you have to choose one of them and flash the appropriate firmware. Well, maybe only S4M is like that. I would stick to ZPL - because no need to change the firmware. – Homologue

Zp450 interprets both at the same time. No need to flash for one or the other. – Idiosyncrasy

Literally thought I've been doing something wrong till I came across this post, + 100 interweb points tyvm. – Backstop

Lots of incorrect information out there on the net so I am glad I ran across this post. My printer it seems only does EPL (and with ConnectShip only seems to support software EPL, which is basically a bitmap printed via EPL). At least now I know why it did nothing when I sent it ZPL :) – Us

Answer 2

My recent research seems to indicate the the LP-2844 and TLP-2844 are EPL only and the LP-2844Z and TLP-2844Z support ZPL. The non-Z versions, which were originally called the Eltron LP-2844, also have very little RAM.

Unpen

If you flip over a eltron/zebra printer there is a square box on the back that says EPL or ZPL. For best quality, use ZPL code on a ZPL printer. – Idiosyncrasy

Sure enough, flipped over my printer and it says just EPL on the bottom! It is not clear from what I found via Google that there are in fact LP-2844 and LP-2844-Z printers.... – Us

Answer 3

I would like to add to the other answers that the LP2844 model specifically only seems to respond to EPL2 code, not EPL1, on a Linux system that I've been debugging. Other answers don't seem to distinguish between these two types of EPLs, but otherwise seem to be correct in the model and language matches.

Gorton

Answer 4

andyknas and Bluby's answers are correct, adding an official Zebra documentation source that explicitly calls out the LP 2844 as EPL only and LP 2844-Z as ZPL only.

Table copy-pasted here: enter image description here

Tardif

Explain more on why this is an answer. – Windowshop

Perhaps it would have worked better as a comment. I came across this question trying to determine whether LP2844 and LP2844-Z were EPL only, ZPL only, or both. I noticed that both answers primarily addressed this, but I did not want to take someone's word on it that they "researched" it or "found out from Zebra support". I felt that it would be useful for my own reference and for others to have a relevant Zebra documentation source explicitly stating the EPL/ZPL compatibility of these printers. I do not care if this stays as an answer by itself, but I do think it is useful information. – Tardif

Also, I thought I couldn't comment until just now given the following here, here, and here. – Tardif