diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/label_preview.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/label_preview.scss
index 409f4e68c..64fa3dfba 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/label_preview.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/label_preview.scss
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@
     }
   }
 
+  .label-preview__error {
+    background-color: $brand-danger-light;
+    color: $brand-danger-hover;
+    margin-top: .5em;
+    padding: 1.5em 2em;
+  }
+
   .label-preview__controls {
     height: 0;
     overflow: hidden;
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/show.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/show.scss
index 56e25596d..a37c6b9b0 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/show.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/label_templates/show.scss
@@ -55,6 +55,24 @@
 
     .label-textarea-container {
       height: calc(100% - 6em);
+
+      .label-textarea {
+        height: 100%;
+        margin-top: .5em;
+        padding: .5em;
+        width: 100%;
+      }
+
+      &.error {
+        .label-textarea {
+          border: 1px solid $brand-danger;
+          height: calc(100% - 2em);
+        }
+
+        .error-message {
+          color: $brand-danger;
+        }
+      }
     }
 
     .label-edit-header {
@@ -115,13 +133,6 @@
     }
   }
 
-  .label-textarea {
-    height: 100%;
-    margin-top: .5em;
-    padding: .5em;
-    width: 100%;
-  }
-
   .inser-field-dropdown {
     .open-dropdown-button:not(.collapsed) {
       .fas {
diff --git a/app/javascript/vue/label_template/components/label_preview.vue b/app/javascript/vue/label_template/components/label_preview.vue
index d29b7ff8d..841c355e9 100644
--- a/app/javascript/vue/label_template/components/label_preview.vue
+++ b/app/javascript/vue/label_template/components/label_preview.vue
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@
     <div v-if="base64Image" class="label-preview__image">
       <img :src="`data:image/png;base64,${base64Image}`" />
     </div>
+    <div class="label-preview__error" v-html="i18n.t('label_templates.label_preview.error_html')"
+         v-else-if="base64Image != null && base64Image.length === 0">
+    </div>
+
   </div>
 </template>
 
@@ -113,6 +117,9 @@
         }
 
         this.setDefaults();
+      },
+      zpl() {
+        this.refreshPreview();
       }
     },
     methods: {
@@ -123,6 +130,8 @@
         !this.height && (this.height = this.unit === 'in' ? 1 : 25.4);
       },
       refreshPreview() {
+        if (this.zpl.length === 0) return;
+
         $.ajax({
           url: this.previewUrl,
           type: 'GET',
@@ -134,7 +143,17 @@
           },
           success: (result) => {
             this.base64Image = result.base64_preview;
+            if (this.base64Image.length > 0) {
+              this.$emit('preview:valid');
+            } else {
+              this.$emit('preview:invalid');
+            }
+          },
+          error: (result) => {
+            this.base64Image = '';
+            this.$emit('preview:invalid');
           }
+
         });
       },
       updateUnit(unit) {
diff --git a/app/javascript/vue/label_template/container.vue b/app/javascript/vue/label_template/container.vue
index 2c5a9c03c..3c8dd234d 100644
--- a/app/javascript/vue/label_template/container.vue
+++ b/app/javascript/vue/label_template/container.vue
@@ -55,23 +55,26 @@
           />
         </div>
         <template v-if="editingContent">
-          <div class="label-textarea-container">
+          <div class="label-textarea-container" :class="{'error': hasError }">
             <textarea
               ref="contentInput"
               v-model="newContent"
               class="label-textarea"
-              @blur="updateContent"
+              @blur="saveCursorPosition"
             ></textarea>
+            <div class="error-message">
+              {{ codeErrorMessage }}
+            </div>
           </div>
           <div class="button-container">
-            <div class="btn btn-secondary refresh-preview">
+            <div class="btn btn-secondary refresh-preview" @click="generatePreview(true)">
               <i class="fas fa-sync"></i>
               {{ i18n.t('label_templates.show.buttons.refresh') }}
             </div>
             <div class="btn btn-secondary" @mousedown="disableContentEdit">
               {{ i18n.t('general.cancel') }}
             </div>
-            <div class="btn btn-primary save-template" @click="updateContent">
+            <div class="btn btn-primary save-template" :disabled="hasError && previewValid" @click="generatePreview(false)">
               <i class="fas fa-save"></i>
               {{ i18n.t('label_templates.show.buttons.save') }}
             </div>
@@ -83,7 +86,7 @@
         </div>
       </div>
       <div class="label-preview-container">
-        <LabelPreview :zpl='labelTemplate.attributes.content' :previewUrl="previewUrl" />
+        <LabelPreview :zpl='previewContent' :previewUrl="previewUrl" @preview:valid="updateContent" @preview:invalid="invalidPreview" />
       </div>
     </div>
   </div>
@@ -112,14 +115,32 @@
         editingDescription: false,
         editingContent: false,
         newContent: '',
+        previewContent: '',
+        previewValid: false,
+        skipSave: false,
+        codeErrorMessage: '',
         cursorPos: 0
       }
     },
+    watch: {
+      newContent() {
+        this.showErrors();
+      },
+      previewValid() {
+        this.showErrors();
+      }
+    },
+    computed: {
+      hasError() {
+        return this.codeErrorMessage.length > 0
+      }
+    },
     components: {InlineEdit, InsertFieldDropdown, LabelPreview},
     created() {
       $.get(this.labelTemplateUrl, (result) => {
         this.labelTemplate = result.data
         this.newContent = this.labelTemplate.attributes.content
+        this.previewContent = this.labelTemplate.attributes.content
       })
     },
     methods: {
@@ -134,6 +155,7 @@
       disableContentEdit() {
         this.editingContent = false;
         this.newContent = this.labelTemplate.attributes.content;
+        this.previewContent = this.labelTemplate.attributes.content;
       },
       updateName(newName) {
         $.ajax({
@@ -156,23 +178,66 @@
         });
       },
       updateContent() {
-        this.cursorPos = $(this.$refs.contentInput).prop('selectionStart');
-        $.ajax({
-          url: this.labelTemplate.attributes.urls.update,
-          type: 'PATCH',
-          data: {label_template: {content: this.newContent}},
-          success: (result) => {
-            this.labelTemplate.attributes.content = result.data.attributes.content;
-            this.editingContent = false;
-          }
+        this.previewValid = true;
+
+        if (!this.editingContent) return;
+
+        if (this.skipSave) {
+          this.skipSave = false;
+          return;
+        }
+
+        this.$nextTick(() => {
+          if (this.hasError) return;
+
+          $.ajax({
+            url: this.labelTemplate.attributes.urls.update,
+            type: 'PATCH',
+            data: {label_template: {content: this.newContent}},
+            success: (result) => {
+              this.labelTemplate.attributes.content = result.data.attributes.content;
+              this.editingContent = false;
+            }
+          });
         });
       },
+      generatePreview(skipSave = false) {
+        this.skipSave = skipSave;
+        if (!skipSave && this.previewContent === this.newContent && this.previewValid) {
+          this.updateContent();
+        } else {
+          this.previewContent = this.newContent;
+        }
+
+      },
+      invalidPreview() {
+        this.previewValid = false;
+        this.skipSave = false;
+      },
+      saveCursorPosition() {
+        this.cursorPos = $(this.$refs.contentInput).prop('selectionStart');
+      },
       insertField(field) {
         this.enableContentEdit();
         let textBefore = this.newContent.substring(0,  this.cursorPos);
         let textAfter  = this.newContent.substring(this.cursorPos, this.newContent.length);
         this.newContent = textBefore + field + textAfter;
         this.cursorPos = this.cursorPos + field.length;
+      },
+      showErrors() {
+        if (this.editingContent) {
+          if (this.newContent.length === 0) {
+            this.codeErrorMessage = this.i18n.t('label_templates.show.code_errors.empty')
+          } else if (this.newContent.length > 10000) {
+            this.codeErrorMessage = this.i18n.t('label_templates.show.code_errors.too_long')
+          } else if (!this.previewValid) {
+            this.codeErrorMessage = this.i18n.t('label_templates.show.code_errors.invalid')
+          } else {
+            this.codeErrorMessage = ''
+          }
+        } else {
+          this.codeErrorMessage = ''
+        }
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index b500b73dd..1df4f3eeb 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -872,6 +872,10 @@ en:
       content_title: '%{format} template code'
       preview_title: 'Template preview'
       view_content_tooltip: 'Click to edit template code'
+      code_errors:
+        empty: 'ZPL template code cannot be empty'
+        too_long: 'ZPL template code has exceeded the maximum of 10.000 characters'
+        invalid: 'ZPL template code invalid'
       insert_dropdown:
         button: 'Insert field code'
         common_fields: 'Common custom fields'
@@ -896,6 +900,7 @@ en:
       refresh_preview: 'Refresh preview'
       mm: 'Millimeters (mm) 1 cm = 10 mm'
       in: 'Inches (in)'
+      error_html: 'Label cannot be previewed:<br>the ZPL code might be invalid, or the preview generator is down. Please double-check your code, save it and reload the page.'
     promo:
       head_title: 'Label templates'
       promo_title: 'This feature is disabled by default in open source SciNote'