RFID Guidelines
Overview
Electronic Product Code (EPC)
EPC is a product numbering standard that can be used to identify a variety of items by using RFID technology. The 96-bit EPC code links to an online database, providing a secure way of sharing product-specific information along the supply chain.
As with bar codes, EPC is divided into numbers that identify the manufacturer and product type. However, EPC contains the following additional information:
•Header—identifies the length, type, structure, version, and generation of EPC
•Manager Number—identifies the company or company entity
•Object Class—similar to a stock keeping unit (SKU)
•Serial Number—the specific instance of the Object Class being tagged
Additional fields may be used as part of the EPC code to encode and decode information from different numbering systems into human-readable form.
EPC Structure in RFID Labels
In the printer, you can subdivide transponder data into unique fields. You can customize these fields to create “smart” labels that meet your needs or that meet the standards necessary in EPC programming.
The ^RB ZPL command is used to define EPC structure. EPC field data can be delimited with any of the following characters:
, ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * . < > / \ : ;
See ^RB on page 81 for more information about and examples for defining EPC structure.
XML-Enabled Printing
This printer contains the XML-Enabled Printing option, which offers increased flexibility and interoperability by making it possible to integrate Zebra printers quickly and easily into most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and their applications. XML-enabled printers print directly from Oracle Warehouse Management System (WMS), Mobile Supply Chain Applications (MSCA), and many other ERP vendor applications. XML-enabled label formats upload directly to the label printer, and the XML data stream is sent via TCP/IP directly to the appropriate Zebra printer.
For more information about XML-Enabled Printing, refer to the Zebra XML-Enabled Printer Reference Guide (part number 13426L-001). A copy is available on the R110Xi/R170Xi User CD (part number 23062-003) and online at http://www.zebra.com/manuals.
