UHF RFID labels for Zebra, TSC and SATO RFID printers: matching inlay, pitch and core
The short answer
Our compatibility rule, stated plainly. The UHF label rolls on this page are EPC Gen2 (ISO/IEC 18000-63) labels, compatible with EPC Gen2 printers after calibration. Send us the printer model and the label size you need, and we confirm the inlay pitch. The names Zebra, TSC and SATO are used here only to identify those printers; we are not affiliated with their makers, and we make no claim that any roll has been approved for or run on a particular third-party printer model.
This page is for teams that already own an RFID printer, or are about to buy one, and need blank UHF labels for it. It explains what a printer needs to know about a label, lists our printable rolls by size and chip, summarises what each printer maker's own documentation says about RFID calibration, and ends with the details to send us for a quote.
What every RFID printer needs to know about a label
An RFID printer is a thermal label printer with an RFID encoder near the print path. To print and encode a roll it needs four things to line up. The inlay position and pitch: where the chip and antenna sit within each label and the repeat distance from one inlay to the next, so the encoder couples to one tag at a time and not its neighbour. The label size and gap, so the media sensor knows where one label ends and the next begins.
The core and roll outer diameter, so the roll fits the printer's spindle and cover. And the face material, so the ribbon or the direct-thermal head prints on it. Get those right and an EPC Gen2 label encodes after the printer's calibration run; get the pitch or the media calibration wrong and the printer voids labels or writes the wrong one.
The media guidelines that TSC publishes for its Printronix Auto ID RFID printers make the same points in their own terms: the printer's auto-calibration finds the inlay's position in the direction of feed, but on printers with an adjustable internal antenna the coupler still has to be set side to side; consistent tag-to-tag placement of the inlay matters more than how close to centre it sits; almost any pitch of 16 mm (0.625 in) or more can be used on those printers; and RFID media should always be trialled on your printer before you buy large quantities.
Our printable UHF label rolls by size and chip
These are the printable UHF labels we supply on rolls whose product pages state both a size and a chip. All are EPC Gen2 labels that cover India's 865–868 MHz band; chip names are given by chip family. Labels are sold from 500 pcs; the price shown is per label.
| Label | Size | Chip | Face (from the product page) | Price per label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UHF label 50 × 30 mm | 50 × 30 mm | Monza R6 | White matte, thermal printable | ₹8 + GST |
| Clothing label ID-5030-R6 | 50 × 30 mm | Monza R6 | Printable PET, permanent adhesive | ₹8 + GST |
| Label ID-5030-U7 | 50 × 30 mm | UCODE 7 | Printable smart label for standard RFID printers | ₹7 + GST |
| Apparel tag ID-3050 U8 | 30 × 50 mm | UCODE 8 | Printable PET or paper, permanent adhesive | ₹6 + GST |
| Tag ID-1540-U8 | 15 × 40 mm | U8 | Printable face, flexible substrate | ₹7 + GST |
| Logistics label ID-1470 H10 | 14 × 70 mm | Higgs H10 | Printable PET, permanent acrylic adhesive | ₹7 + GST |
| Small paper label 33x13-U9 | 33 × 13 mm | UCODE 9 | White paper, blank (printable) | ₹8 + GST |
| Logistics label ID-9503 Higgs EC | 95 × 3 mm | Higgs EC | Printable PET, rolls for print-and-apply | ₹7 + GST |
| Small UHF label 4518-H10 | 45 × 18 mm | Higgs 10 | PET base, 50 µm | ₹5 + GST |
| File tracking label 73x21-H10 | 73 × 20 mm | Higgs 10 | PET base, 50 µm | ₹5 + GST |
| Library label 125x7-H10 | 125 × 7 mm | Higgs 10 | PET base, 50 µm | ₹7 + GST |
| Retail inlay and label ID-RL7014 | 73 × 17 mm label finish | M830 | Paper-face label version (-L) | ₹9 + GST |
The complete range, including labels whose size is confirmed on enquiry, is under UHF RFID inlays and labels. Printable on-metal labels for assets, such as the 60 × 25 mm on-metal label (₹65 + GST), are thicker than a plain label, so tell us the printer model before you order them. HF (13.56 MHz) labels for libraries and NFC are under HF RFID inlays and labels; they need an HF encoder, which a UHF printer does not have.
Labels whose roll data is on the product page
For four of the labels above, the product page already lists the data a printer setup needs. For any other label, send us the printer model and we confirm the inlay pitch.
| Label | Label pitch / gap | Liner width | Core | Roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4518-H10, 45 × 18 mm | 21.59 mm / 3.59 mm | 55 mm | 3 inch (76.2 mm) | Up to 156 mm diameter |
| 73x21-H10, 73 × 20 mm | 25.4 mm / 5.4 mm | 85 mm | 3 inch (76.2 mm) | Up to 153 mm diameter |
| 125x7-H10, 125 × 7 mm | 15.875 mm / 8.875 mm | 135 mm | 3 inch (76.2 mm) | Up to 178 mm diameter |
| ID-RL7014, 73 × 17 mm | 22.225 mm (all variants) | Ask us | Ask us | 5,000 labels per roll (label version) |
Zebra RFID printers: ZD621R, ZT411, ZT231R and other models
Zebra's desktop and industrial RFID printers are the ones we are asked about most. The rule above applies in full: the rolls are compatible with EPC Gen2 printers after calibration, and we confirm the inlay pitch when you send us the printer model and the label size. Zebra's own user guide for the ZD421 and ZD621 describes the RFID Calibrate function as tag calibration for RFID media, separate from media and ribbon calibration: the printer moves the media and works out the programming position, the antenna element and the read/write power level.
The same guide's order of work is: load the RFID media, calibrate the media from the sensors menu, close the printhead, feed at least one label so tag calibration starts in the right place, and leave the transponders before and after the tag being calibrated on the liner. Run that on a sample of our roll, then print and encode a test label before the job. What we need from you: the exact printer model, the label size, the core and the maximum roll diameter the printer takes, the ribbon type if you print by thermal transfer, and the encoding you want on the chip.
TSC and SATO RFID printers
The same rule applies to TSC and SATO RFID printers: the rolls are compatible with EPC Gen2 printers after calibration, and the inlay pitch is confirmed against your model and label size. For TSC's Printronix Auto ID range, the media guidelines summarised above apply: auto-calibration finds the inlay along the feed, and an adjustable antenna is set side to side by hand. SATO's operator manual for the CL4NX Plus and CL6NX Plus describes an RF Analyze function that can adjust the position of the standard antenna automatically to suit the RFID tag in use and record the result, and an Antenna Y Pos. setting for manual adjustment between 0 and 30 mm on UHF models.
Send the model, the label size, the core and roll diameter, and the ribbon type. If the printer is a direct-thermal model, say so, because the label face has to suit it.
Identium IT4RL and iX4R printers
If you are choosing a printer as well, our own models are listed with full specifications. The IT4RL desktop RFID printer and encoder (₹1,35,000 + GST) prints and encodes UHF soft labels and on-metal labels up to 1 mm thick, at up to 8 ips, and comes with free Labelsoft software that imports data from Excel, MySQL, SQL or text files.
The iX4R industrial 4-inch printer and encoder (₹2,25,000 + GST) has a 104 mm print width, 203 or 300 dpi, up to 14 ips, an integrated EPC Gen2 UHF encoder and automatic label length and gap detection. The full range is under RFID printers and encoders, and the RFID printer price guide compares desktop and industrial classes before you choose.
Ribbon choice: wax-resin or resin
A thermal-transfer RFID label is printed with a ribbon, and the ribbon has to match the face and the life of the label. A ribbon reseller's guide to Zebra desktop ribbons puts it simply: wax/resin ribbons work best with coated papers and matte synthetics, while resin ribbons are best paired with polyester and synthetic labels, especially labels that come into contact with solvents and oils or are exposed to high heat.
Applied to the table above: the paper-face labels, such as the 33 × 13 mm paper label, are wax-resin jobs; the printable PET faces, such as ID-5030-R6, ID-1470 H10 and the ID-9503 logistics label, take resin when the label has to survive handling, chemicals or heat. Direct-thermal printing needs no ribbon but a direct-thermal face. If you need ribbon as well as labels, say so in the enquiry.
Encoding: SGTIN-96 or your own numbering, and the desktop alternative
The printer writes the EPC into the chip as it prints. For retail and export orders the EPC is an SGTIN-96 built from your GS1 company prefix, the item's GTIN and a serial number; the GS1 SGTIN-96 encoding guide shows how the 96 bits are laid out. The ID-5030-R6 label lists GS1 SGTIN-96 support, and the ID-1470 H10 label lists GS1 SGTIN-96 or custom EPC encoding on request. For internal asset or library numbering you write your own scheme.
If you do not have an RFID printer and the labels are already printed, the 120L desktop reader (₹28,000 + GST) encodes tags one after another from an Excel sheet with its free utility, and has an HID keyboard output mode for reading them back, as the RFID scanner to Excel guide shows.
How to order the right roll
- Send the printer model and the label size you need, or the size the buyer's specification asks for.
- Tell us the core and the maximum roll diameter the printer accepts, and whether it prints direct-thermal or by ribbon.
- Choose the label from the tables above; we confirm the inlay pitch for your model.
- Order samples, run the printer's RFID calibration on them and print a test label before the bulk order.
- Send the bulk quantity through the quote request form; labels are sold from 500 pcs, and the bulk RFID price list carries every listed price.
UHF labels and the printers that encode them work in India's 865–868 MHz band, licence-exempt under G.S.R. 853(E), 2021, whose rules also require the equipment to be type approved. A printer's RFID encoder is a transmitter, so ask its maker for the WPC ETA of the model, as the WPC ETA checklist for RFID readers explains.
Sources
All fetched on 22 October 2026.
- Zebra ZD421 and ZD621 desktop printers user guide: RFID > RFID Calibrate (tag calibration, separate from media calibration; programming position, antenna element, power; order of work).
- TSC (fs.tscprinters.com): Printronix Auto ID RFID Media Guidelines (auto-calibration along the feed, side-to-side antenna, consistent placement, 16 mm minimum pitch, test media first).
- SATO CL4NX Plus / CL6NX Plus operator manual: RF Analyze (automatic antenna position adjustment for the RFID tag in use) and Antenna Y Pos. setting (0 to 30 mm, UHF modules).
- Omega Brand, 7 August 2024: Understanding Zebra desktop thermal transfer ribbons (wax/resin and resin ribbon pairings).
- IEC webstore: ISO/IEC 18000-63, air interface at 860 MHz to 960 MHz Type C.
- Gazette of India, G.S.R. 853(E), 10 December 2021: Use of Low Power Equipment in the Frequency Band 865-868 MHz for Short Range Devices (Exemption from Licence) Rules, 2021.