Zebra printer on mySAP ECC 5.0 + Linux

[Former Member]

Hi,

We are trying to print labels from mySAP ECC 5.0 using Zebra printers.

We are directly passing ZPL2 code to the spool. Also, this versio of SAP runs on Linux.

The problem we are facing is: the printer is printing raw ZPL code instead of the label. We have older version of SAP(46C) that runs on same printers and Unix OS and prints the labels correctly.

Do you have any ideas? All we could deduce is that, Linux may require some special drivers or some thing like that.. We contacted Zebra and they say that they dont have any problem with other clients who are running the same configuration.

Do we need to do anything in SAP printer config?

Any help is highly appreciated.

Thanks

Bhavani.

[Former Member]

Had this same problem and it drove me nuts for a few hours till we resolved it. You're probably experiencing the same thing:

Many Linux builds are now using the newer CUPS (Common Unix Printing System). When adding a Zebra printer to CUPS, the default configuration generated causes CUPS to take your raw text ZPL file and turn it into a graphical GRF file that then prints on the Zebra. The printer output looks like the raw ZPL code is printed, but you're actually printing an image of the ZPL code.

How to verify if this is what's happening:

a) If this is a newer Zebra model, direct a browser at the printer IP address and look at the link "Directory Listing" after printing a label. If you see a file named *.GRF in the list that indicates CUPS is sending a graphical image to the printer.

b) Or, put the printer into Dump Mode and print the label to view the raw output the printer is receiving. On the newer Zebras you can do this on the printer menu by changing the option "COMMUNICATION" from "NORMAL" to "DEBUG". If you have an older model check the manual for Communication Diagnostic mode or Dump Mode. If a GRF file is being sent to the printer, the dump will start with something like:

~SD20

~DGR:CUPS.GRF.xxxxxxx

Assuming this is what's happening, you need to fix your CUPS configuration to not translate the SAP output. A quick and dirty method to do this is to delete the CUPS PPD file for the specific printer. These files are usually found in /etc/cups/ppd although it may differ by your build. There may be a cleaner method of reconfiguring the printer in CUPS but I haven't spent much time on that.

Please let me know if this resolves your issue.

Regards,

Greg