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How do I install a Zebra printer?
How do I install a Zebra printer?

Describes the steps needed to get a check-in station to print using Zebra printers.

Updated over a week ago

Zebra printers only work on Windows and MacOS computers. If you would like to print to a Zebra printer from an iOS/Android station, use the "Print To Station" feature.

Support Printers

We recommend the GK420d with 3" x 2" Direct Thermal Labels. Most other Zebra printers should work as well including the GX420d, GK420t, ZQ510, ZD420/421, ZD620/621 and ZQ320.

However, the LP2844Z and ZSB Series do not work.

Install the Printer Drivers

You will need to install the appropriate printer drivers if you haven't already done so. 

For Windows, search for your model from this website: https://www.zebra.com/us/en/support-downloads/printers.html. Do not plug in the printer until the drivers have been installed to avoid issues.

Windows 11: If you have the ZDesigner version 8 driver, and are not seeing the printer on the "Printers and Scanners" page of your computer, open up the Zebra Setup Utilities tool to manage the printer from there.

For MacOS, you will need to install CUPS since Zebra does not officially support MacOS as there are no drivers available. See this article for the steps. Note that this can be very complicated and highly technical. If possible, we recommend keeping things simple and using Windows for Zebra printing. Printing on MacOS will also have lower quality due to there not being any native drivers.

Rename Printer

If you are on a Mac and you followed the steps above on installing CUPS, you can skip this section since your Zebra printer is already named correctly.

For the check-in system to be able to recognize the Zebra printer, the name must have the word "Zebra" in it. To rename your printer, follow these steps (steps vary depending on operating system):

  1. Open Printers & Scanners in your System Settings

  2. Look for the Zebra printer, click on it and select "Manage"

  3. Open "Printer properties" in the left menu and then rename the printer (i.e. Zebra GK420d)

Install QZ Tray

The check-in station utilizes a third party library named QZ Tray to support communication between them. To learn more, check out their website.

Download and install QZ Tray for your operating system: https://qz.io/download

You may be asked to install Java during this process. 

Important: If you are on Mac, the process may fail if you don't have Java installed already. If that happens, it's okay. Simply finish installing Java and then try installing QZ Tray again. 

Next, ensure you see the QZ Tray icon in your task bar (at the top on Mac). Make sure it stays running by clicking on the icon and selecting "Start Automatically"

When you launch a check-in system for the first time, you will see a prompt regarding QZ Tray. Before clicking on "Allow", check the box "Remember this decision"

Important: when connecting your printer to the check-in station in the future, always use the same USB port you used when you installed to avoid potential issues. If you do experience issues, this article provides troubleshooting tips.

Other Supported Printers

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