What is RAW Printing?

RAW printing is sending a string of commands to a printer directly in its native language. Many printers that are popular with PrintNode users support this. RAW printing bypasses the printer's drivers, making it very fast and reliable. It is perfect for printing receipts, barcodes and text-based labels.

RAW printing languages

There is a wide variety of RAW printing languages, so before you start be sure to check with your manufacturer which ones your printer supports. Zebra printers commonly support EPL and/or ZPL (you can check which language your Zebra printer supports by looking at its identification plate, usually located at the bottom of the device). DYMO printers do not currently support RAW printing. The following are some of the most commonly used languages:

• EPL (Eltron Programming Language): Eltron was the predecessor to Zebra and EPL is still supported by many Zebra printers.
• ZPL (Zebra Programming Language): this language replaced the older EPL, but many printers still support both languages.
• ESC/P (Epson Standard Code for Printers): mostly used to control receipt printers.

Getting started

If you have a printer that supports RAW printing installed on your Windows machine, you are already ready to start RAW printing with PrintNode. If you are using macOS / OS X, you will need to follow the instructions in our setup guide before printing.