Catering kitchen order label losing modifiers when printed — template & width fixes

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: POS & kitchen printing (Toast/Square/Clover/Lightspeed), Epson/Star receipt printers, Zebra label printers, ESC/POS, ZPL, KDS routing

Kitchen ticket/label prints missing modifiers — POS template mapping, ESC/POS line width, ZPL word wrap, character set

Technician

Hey! We’ll make sure your kitchen order stickers show every modifier and special instruction (no onion, add bacon, gluten-free, etc.).
A few details help target the fix: Which POS (Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, Revel, Shopify POS)? Printer model (Zebra ZD410/ZD420, Epson TM-T20/TM-m30, Star TSP100) and label size (2×1, 58mm, 80mm)? Are you using label mode (ZPL/CPCL) or receipt mode (ESC/POS), and do the missing modifiers appear on KDS but not on the printed label?

Customer

We’re on Toast. Labels print on a Zebra ZD410 2×1. Long item names print, but modifiers like “no mayo, extra pickle, sub GF bun” get cut off or don’t print. The kitchen display (KDS) shows everything though.

Technician

Got it. When kitchen labels lose modifiers it’s usually one of four things:
1) The POS label template maps only “Item name” and not the full modifiers block (a token like {{modifiers}} or “Print modifiers: All”).
2) Text wrap/width is too narrow: ZPL needs a ^FB field with sufficient width in dots; ESC/POS needs the right character columns for 58/80mm and word wrap enabled.
3) A field length limit (max chars) truncates the modifiers line.
4) Routing/visibility — some modifier groups aren’t flagged to print on the kitchen label, or “special instructions” are excluded.
Plan: verify mapping → widen/wrap text → remove length caps → confirm routing → test with a “worst-case” order.

Customer

Where do I change the template and width? I don’t see ^FB anywhere in Toast, and I’m not sure how many dots a 2-inch label is.

Technician

Toast (Labels)
• Devices → Printers: pick your ZD410 station → Label format. Choose a layout that includes Item name + modifiers + special instructions.
• Enable Wrap long lines / “Print full modifiers” / “Print special instructions”. Reduce Left/Right margin if available.

Square/Clover/Lightspeed (similar)
• Ensure the kitchen/label template has a dedicated Modifiers section (not “first line only”). Toggle Include modifiers, Include notes, and Word wrap.

For ZPL math: your ZD410 at 203 dpi prints ≈ 406 dots across on a 2″ label. After margins, set ^FB width around 360–380 dots so “no onion, extra pickle…” wraps cleanly.

Customer

If I need to edit ZPL, what exactly should the modifiers line look like?

Technician

In ZPL, use a Field Block to wrap the modifiers variable. A common pattern:
^CI28 (UTF-8) → ^FO20,140 → ^A0N,26,22 → ^FB370,5,10,L,0 → ^FD{MODIFIERS}^FS
• ^FB370 sets width to ~370 dots (≈1.82″ on 203 dpi).
• The “5” allows up to five wrapped lines; increase for long orders.
• ^CI28 avoids code-page issues (accents/UTF-8).
If your POS inserts the text as a variable (e.g., ^FN21), place that ^FN inside the ^FB block.

Customer

What about receipt-mode printers? Our prep station has an Epson TM-T20 on 80mm paper and it also clips long modifiers.

Technician

For ESC/POS (Epson/Star): set the character columns correctly and enable word wrap in the POS.
• 58mm paper: ~32 chars normal, ~42 in condensed.
• 80mm paper: ~48–56 chars, up to ~64 condensed depending on font.
POS steps: choose Kitchen ticket width that matches the printer, turn on Wrap long lines, and ensure “Print modifiers on separate line” (not appended to item name). If you use non-Latin characters, set UTF-8 or the correct code page to avoid missing glyphs.

Customer

Modifiers now print, but very long product names still push them off. Any layout tips for catering?

Technician

Catering labels benefit from a two-line layout:
• Line 1: Short item name (use menu Label name / alias for print) + Qty.
• Line 2+: MODIFIERS / special instructions as a wrapped block, optionally in UPPERCASE for visibility (e.g., “NO ONION • EXTRA PICKLE • GF BUN”).
Also: shrink font slightly, reduce side margins, and remove non-kitchen fields (price, tax) to maximize space. On Zebra, increase ^FB lines; on Epson/Star, use condensed font just for the modifiers section.

Customer

We see mismatches: KDS shows modifiers but the label for salads prints without “dressing on side”. Could that be routing?

Technician

Yes — check kitchen routing and visibility options:
• Ensure the affected modifier groups (sauces, allergies, sides) are set to Print on kitchen labels for that station/printer profile.
• Include “Special instructions/notes” on labels (some POS treat notes separately from modifiers).
• If you split printers by category, confirm the salad station template still contains the modifiers token and isn’t using an old layout.

Customer

After those changes, today’s test shows all add-ons. Anything else to check before the weekend rush?

Technician

Final checks:
• Print a “worst-case” order: long name + 8–10 modifiers + special instructions + emoji/accents to confirm UTF-8 support.
• Verify printer is set to the correct media type (gap/mark) and darkness/speed so wrapped lines don’t smear.
• Save a PDF/PNG of the template and label a test roll for staff training. If anything still truncates, we’ll increase the ^FB width/lines or raise ESC/POS columns.

Customer

Perfect — modifiers and notes print on every kitchen sticker now. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: When a catering kitchen order label loses modifiers, fix the POS template mapping, increase text width and enable word wrap (ZPL ^FB or ESC/POS columns), remove field limits, and verify routing/visibility for modifier groups and notes. Need help editing ZPL or ESC/POS settings? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when kitchen order labels drop modifiers: use a template that prints the full modifiers block and notes, widen the text area (ZPL ^FB ~360–380 dots on 2″; ESC/POS 48–56 columns on 80mm), enable wrap, remove max-length limits, and ensure modifier groups are routed/visible to the label printer.

FAQ

Step-by-step (most POS & printers)

1. Pick a template that includes Item name + Modifiers + Notes; disable fields you don’t need (price/tax).
2. For Zebra: set ^FB width ≈360–380 dots on 2″, allow 4–6 lines, and ^CI28 for UTF-8.
3. For Epson/Star: match 58/80mm width, raise columns, enable wrap, and print modifiers on a separate line.
4. Confirm routing/visibility so all modifier groups and special instructions go to the label printer.

Note for hybrid setups (KDS + labels)

1. Use the same visibility rules for modifier groups on both KDS and label profiles.
2. Keep a “stress-test” menu item staff can ring to validate long modifier chains after updates.

Sources

• Toast — Label & kitchen printing settings
• Epson — ESC/POS Command Reference
• Zebra — ZPL & label printer guides

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