Barcode Settings

Configuring barcode number generation and label printing for stock items and member ID cards

The Barcode Settings screen controls two things: how barcode numbers are generated for stock items, and how barcode labels are formatted and printed. It covers both standard PDF label printing — for Avery-style label sheets — and ZPL output for Zebra and compatible thermal label printers. Member ID card printing settings are also configured here.

The screen is divided into three main sections:

Stock Barcode Parameters

Barcode number generation, content to print, and PDF/ZPL format choice

PDF Label Layout

Paper size, label dimensions, margins, fonts, and barcode type

Member ID Photo Settings

Double-sided printing and paper size for member library card labels

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Stock Barcode Parameters

This section controls how barcode numbers are generated and what information appears on each printed label.

Barcode number, prefix and length

Field	Description
Next Barcode Number	The next barcode number to be assigned when a new stock item is created and a barcode is auto-generated. Papyrus increments this automatically after each allocation. The current value in the sample library is 6071. This number should normally be left to increment automatically — only change it if you are starting a new number sequence or correcting an error.
Barcode Prefix	A short text string prepended to every auto-generated barcode number. Maximum 5 characters. The current prefix is TB/, producing barcodes such as TB/06071. Leave blank if you do not want a prefix. Prefixes are useful for distinguishing barcodes between locations or collections — for example CT/ for Cape Town stock.
Barcode Length	The total length of the barcode string, including the prefix. Papyrus pads the numeric portion with leading zeros to reach this length. The current setting is 8. Leave blank to disable zero-padding. The length must equal the prefix length plus the number of digits in the barcode number — for example, prefix TB/ (3 characters) plus a 5-digit number = length 8.

Example — how prefix and length combine

Next Barcode Number: 6071 · Prefix: TB/ · Length: 8

Generated barcode: TB/06071 (prefix 3 chars + zero-padded number 5 digits = 8 total)

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Keep barcodes as short as practical. A barcode of more than 10–12 characters produces a wide printed barcode that may not fit on a standard label. For most libraries, a 5- or 6-digit number with no prefix is ideal.

Label content — what to print on each label

Four checkboxes control what information appears on each stock barcode label, in addition to the barcode itself:

Option	What it adds to the label
Print Title	Prints the book title on the label. Useful for quick identification without scanning, but may make the label crowded if titles are long.
Print Shelf	Prints the shelf location (e.g. SMI or 640.73) on the label. Useful for re-shelving returned items quickly.
Print Accession No	Prints the accession number on the label alongside the barcode. Useful when the barcode and accession number differ, allowing staff to manually read either.
Print Publication Type	Prints the publication type (e.g. Fiction, Non Fiction) on the label. Ticked by default in the sample library. Helps with sorting and shelving.

A typical label with the barcode and Publication Type printed looks like this:

Fiction

||||| ||||| |||||

TB/06071

Option	Description
Print to PDF (otherwise ZPL)	When ticked, labels are generated as a PDF file that opens in a new browser window and can be sent to any printer. When unticked, labels are output in ZPL (Zebra Programming Language) format for use with Zebra and compatible thermal label printers. PDF is selected by default and is recommended for most libraries unless a dedicated label printer is available. See the ZPL section below for more detail.

Option

Description

Print to PDF (otherwise ZPL)

When ticked, labels are generated as a PDF file that opens in a new browser window and can be sent to any printer. When unticked, labels are output in ZPL (Zebra Programming Language) format for use with Zebra and compatible thermal label printers. PDF is selected by default and is recommended for most libraries unless a dedicated label printer is available. See the ZPL section below for more detail.

After configuring these options, click the Update button to save the barcode number, prefix, length, and label content settings.

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PDF Label Layout

This section configures the physical layout of the PDF label sheet — the paper size, number of labels across and down the sheet, margins, label dimensions, and font choices. These settings must match the label paper you are using so that the printed barcodes align correctly with the label positions on the sheet.

Predefined paper sizes

Rather than configuring all dimensions manually, you can select from a list of pre-defined label paper sizes. Selecting a preset automatically fills in the layout fields with the correct values for that paper type. The following presets are available:

Preset	Description	Labels per sheet
A4 Default	Tower W238, 70mm × 37mm, no margin	24 up (3×8)
Redfurn L7159	Tower W109, 64mm × 33.9mm, with margins	24 up
Redfurn L7160	63.5mm × 38.1mm, with margins	21 up
Redfurn L7161	Tower W112, 63.5mm × 46.6mm, with margins	18 up
Redfurn L7651	38.1mm × 21.2mm, with margins	65 up
Redfurn W239	Tower W239, 66mm × 20.69mm, with margins	39 up

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Select a preset, then click Test Barcode Sample to print a test sheet before using real label paper. This lets you verify alignment without wasting label stock. If the alignment is slightly off, adjust the Left Margin or Top Margin fields to nudge the printed output.

Layout fields

These fields define the physical dimensions and grid of the label sheet. They are populated automatically when a preset is selected, but can be adjusted manually if your label paper is not in the list.

Field	Description
Unit of Measure	The unit used for all dimension fields on this screen. Options: Points (72 per inch — the default), mm (metric), or Inches. Choose the unit that matches how your label dimensions are described. Changing the unit recalculates all fields.
Left Margin	The distance from the left edge of the page to the first column of labels. Use this to fine-tune alignment if labels are printing too far left or right. Current value: 17 points.
Top Margin	The distance from the top of the page to the first row of labels. Adjust this if labels are printing too high or too low on the sheet. Current value: 38 points.
Labels Across	The number of label columns across the sheet (1–6). Current value: 3.
Down	The number of label rows down the sheet (1–13). Current value: 8. A 3×8 layout gives 24 labels per sheet.
Label Width	The width of each individual label. Calculated automatically from the page width, labels across, and gutter. Current value: 181 points. Verify this matches your label dimensions.
Label Height	The height of each individual label. Calculated automatically. Current value: 96 points.
Label Gutter	The gap between adjacent labels. For label sheets where labels are edge-to-edge, set this to 0. Current value: 0.
Page Width	The total width of the label paper sheet. Read-only — calculated automatically. Current value: 543 points (approximately A4 width).
Page Height	The total height of the label paper sheet. Read-only — calculated automatically. Current value: 768 points (approximately A4 height).

Font settings

Three sets of font controls allow you to customise the appearance of text and the barcode on each label:

Setting	Description
Heading Font and Size	The font and size used for the main label heading — typically the library name or title text. Available fonts: Arial, Century, Courier New, Microsoft Sans Serif, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Verdana. Current: Arial 10pt Bold. Tick the Bold checkbox to make the heading bold.
Barcode Font and Height	The font used to render the barcode graphic itself. Options: 3 of 9 Barcode (the standard linear barcode format — selected by default) or QR Code. The size field controls the barcode height; the scale field (0.5–3.0) controls the width. Current: 32pt, scale 3.
Label Font and Size	The font and size used for secondary label text — accession number, shelf location, and other details. Current: Arial 8pt. Tick Bold to make this text bold.
Spine Label Sizes %	Three percentage values that control the relative sizes of the three lines of text on spine labels. Current values: 80%, 100%, 120%. These allow the spine label to have a small top line, a medium middle line, and a large bottom line — useful for Dewey classification labels.

After configuring the layout and fonts, click Save to store the settings. Use Test Barcode Sample to print a test sheet with sample barcodes, or Test Spine Sample to test spine label output.

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ZPL Support — Thermal Label Printers

If your library uses a Zebra or compatible thermal label printer, Papyrus can output labels in ZPL (Zebra Programming Language) format instead of PDF. ZPL produces high-quality, durable printed labels that are well-suited to high-volume library barcode printing.

To use ZPL output, untick Print to PDF (otherwise ZPL) in the Printing Options section. The ZPL template field at the bottom of the PDF layout section contains the ZPL code that defines the label layout.

The default ZPL template is:

^XA
^LH0,0
^FO55,40^ARN^FD#site^FS
^BY3,2.5^FO60,90^B3N,N,80,N, ^FD#barcode^FS
^FO195,180^ASN^FD#barcode^FS
^XZ

The following placeholder variables can be used in the ZPL template and will be substituted with the actual values from each stock record when labels are generated:

Placeholder	Replaced with
#site	The library name or site name
#barcode	The barcode number of the stock item
#title	The title of the bibliographic record
#accno	The accession number of the stock item
#shelf	The shelf location of the stock item

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ZPL configuration requires familiarity with the Zebra Programming Language. Useful resources are linked directly on the Barcode Settings screen: the official Zebra ZPL Programming Manual, an introductory guide at labelary.com/zpl.html, and a ZPL emulator and previewer at labelary.com/viewer.html where you can test your template without a physical printer.

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Member ID Photo Settings

The Member ID Photo Settings section configures how member library cards and ID photo labels are printed. These settings apply when printing labels from Members → ID Photos & Labels.

Field	Description
Double Sided	When ticked, member ID cards are printed double-sided — the member's photo and details on the front, and additional information on the back. This requires a duplex-capable printer. Ticked by default in the sample library.
Print Member Type	When ticked, the member's Member Type (e.g. Grade 5, Staff) is printed on their ID label. This can be useful for quickly identifying a member's borrowing category at the Front Desk. Ticked by default.
Predefined Label Paper Sizes	Select the label paper size for printing member ID cards. The same paper size presets available for stock barcodes are offered here — A4 Default (Tower W238), Redfurn L7159, L7160, L7161, and W239. Select the size that matches your member card label stock.

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Member ID labels are typically printed on slightly larger label stock than stock barcodes, as they need to accommodate a photo, name, member number, and member type. The A4 Default (Tower W238, 70mm × 37mm) is a good starting point for most member card formats.

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Saving Changes

The Barcode Settings screen has two separate Save buttons for different sections:

Button	What it saves
Update (Printing Options)	Saves the Next Barcode Number, Barcode Prefix, Barcode Length, label content checkboxes, and the Print to PDF/ZPL setting.
Save (PDF Page size and layout)	Saves the paper size preset selection, all layout dimension fields (margins, labels across, down, width, height, gutter), and all font settings. Also saves the ZPL template and Member ID Photo settings.

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Make sure to click the correct Save or Update button for the section you have changed. Changes in one section are not saved by the button in the other section.

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After saving layout changes, always click Test Barcode Sample to print a test page on plain paper and check alignment before printing on your actual label stock. Wasting a sheet of blank paper is much better than wasting a sheet of labels.