How to send ZPL font or image to Zebra printer using PHP

Question

I know how to printer ZPL via PHP using fsockopen but I also have a few ZPL files containing the fonts and graphics used on my labels.

Can anyone tell me how to send a raw ZPL file to a printer using PHP? For now I'm using Zebranet Bridge but I prefer to be able to accomplish this from PHP.

Answer 1

Assuming you know how to send ZPL commands to the printer via PHP, and you want to print a font or graphic by the same means, you have to

1. get the size of your resource and convert its binary data to an ASCII hexadecimal string:

   <?php
   $res_size = 0;
   $res_string = "";
   $res_source = "http://php.net/images/logo.php";
   $handle = fopen($res_source,"rb");
   while (!feof($handle)) {
       $data = fread($handle,1);
       $res_size++;
       $res_string .= bin2hex($data);
   }
   ?>
   

2. compose a ZPL script to download the converted resource to printer memory:

   <?php
   require('bin2hex.php');   // script (1) above
   $zpl_download = "^XA";
   $zpl_download .= "~DYE:RES,P,P,";
   $zpl_download .= $res_size;
   $zpl_download .= ",,";
   $zpl_download .= $res_string;
   $zpl_download .= "^XZ";
   ?>
   

3. compose a ZPL script to print the downloaded file:

   <?php
   $zpl_print = "^XA";
   $zpl_print .= "^FO50,50";
   $zpl_print .= "^IME:RES.PNG";
   $zpl_print .= "^XZ";
   ?>
   

4. write a PHP script requiring scripts (2) and (3) above to send $zpl_download and $zpl_print to the printer.