Plant loop tags are small vertical labels with a hole at the top so you can hang them directly on individual plants. They show plant identity at a glance and include a scannable barcode for quick lookups in GrowerIQ.
In this article:
What is a Plant Loop Tag?
A loop tag is a narrow, vertical label (typically 1" wide × 8.25" long) with a punched hole at the top that lets you tie or loop the tag onto a plant stem. It's printed on a Zebra-style thermal printer using ZPL (Zebra Programming Language).
A standard loop tag includes:
- Plant name - the inventory name
- Variety - the strain or cultivar
- Date - when the tag was generated
- Barcode - a scannable code containing the inventory ID
Loop Hole Area
The top ~40mm of the label is left blank. This is the area where the hole is punched so the tag can hang from the plant.
Creating Loop Tags
The easiest way to create or modify a loop tag is with the AI Label Builder. You describe what you want in plain English, and the builder generates a print-ready ZPL template for you.
👉 See: Getting Started with AI Label Builder
Skip the Designer
You don't need to learn ZPL or label design software. Just tell the AI Label Builder what fields you want on the tag, the dimensions (1" × 8.25"), and that it should be a vertical loop tag with a hole at the top.
Standard Loop Tag ZPL Template
If you want to start from a known-good template instead of building from scratch, copy the ZPL below into the AI Label Builder or directly into a label record under Administration > Labels.
This is a standard 1" × 8.25" vertical loop tag with the loop hole at the top, plant name, variety, date, divider line, and a vertical barcode of the inventory ID.
^XA
^PW200
^LL1676
^LH0,0
^FX === LOOP HOLE AREA (top 40mm = 320 dots, leave blank) ===
^FX === NAME (large header) ===
^FO130,500^A0R,48,48^FD{inventory.name}^FS
^FX === VARIETY ===
^FO95,500^A0R,28,28^FD{inventory.variety}^FS
^FX === DATE ===
^FO60,500^A0R,28,28^FD{inventory.data.timestamp}^FS
^FX === DIVIDER ===
^FO12,880^GB176,3,3^FS
^FX === BARCODE (inventory ID for scanner) ===
^FO48,925^BCR,100,Y,N,N^FD{inventory.id}^FS
^XZ
What the placeholders do
Placeholders like {inventory.name}, {inventory.variety}, {inventory.data.timestamp}, and {inventory.id} are filled in automatically when GrowerIQ prints the tag for a specific plant. You don't replace these - leave them as-is.
Printer width must match
^PW200 sets the print width to 200 dots (1" at 203 dpi). If your printer is configured for a different width, the layout will not align correctly. Confirm your printer is set to 1" media before printing.
Tips
- Use the AI Label Builder first. It's faster than editing ZPL by hand and lets you preview the result.
- Save it as a template. Once your loop tag looks right, save it under Administration > Labels so your whole team can print consistent tags.
- Test on real stock. Print one tag on your actual loop label media before doing a full run - it's the easiest way to catch alignment issues.