• Zebra desktop printer (LP/TLP2844, LP/TLP2824, GK/GX420d, GK/GX420t, GX430t)
• Printer power cable (provided with the printer) 2 parts, mains lead and power supply unit (PSU)
• Communications cable (USB, Parallel, Serial or Ethernet cable, dependent on printers interface) (Purchased separately)
• Roll of Labels (Purchased separately)
• Ribbon (Thermal transfer printers only, purchased separately)
• Zebra Designer Installation CD (provided with the printer)

If any of the items that should have come with the printer are missing, or you require labels, ribbons or a communication cable, please contact AM Labels technical support using the contact information listed below.

From getting your printer out of the box to printing your first label, this can be completed in 5 easy to follow steps.

• Step 1: Loading the labels
• Step 2: Loading the ribbon (TLP and G-Series Thermal Transfer Printers)
• Step 3: Installing Zebra Designer
• Step 4: Connecting the printer to your PC
• Step 5: Configuring the printer driver

Step 1: Loading the labels

To load the labels into the printer, have the printer facing towards you. At either side of the printer there are two green clips, simultaneously pull both green clips towards you to open the lid and push the lid upwards. On TLP printers, the lid will lock into place using an internal support strut.

At the base of the printer there will be two identical green label spindles, pull these apart and place your label roll onto the provided support. On G-Series printers, please ensure that the media is placed between the guides provided.

On the TLP, you will then need to slide the labels in between the adjustable label guide and use the green wheel on the right hand side, to adjust the two guides to sit snugly either side of the media. Your labels will now be ready to print.

Step 2: Loading the ribbon (TLP and G-Series Thermal Transfer Printers)

In the thermal transfer printers, there are two separate spindles in the top half of the printer.

On TLP printers, place the ribbon on the spindle that is furthest back shiny side up, and a waste core onto the spindle that is closest. Please ensure that the holes in the ribbon and waste cores slide into the notches on their spindle. Pull the ribbon down and underneath the print head and then roll the ribbon around the waste core.

To close the TLP printers, press the green support strut to the left and slowly close the lid until an audible click can be heard. On G-Series printers close lid and again, ensure it clicks.

Step 3: Installing ZebraDesigner

The first step is to obtain the latest version of the ZebraDesigner software. Click here to download the software and select the ‘Open’ option to begin the download.

Once the download is complete, you should be presented with the ZebraDesigner Installation Wizard.

• You will be prompted with a choice of language, select your language and click ‘OK’.
• The ZebraDesigner setup wizard will then be displayed. Click ‘Next’.
• A license agreement is then displayed, select the ‘I accept the agreement’ option and click ‘Next’.
• Enter a user name and company and click ‘Next’.
• The next screen will allow you to change the location which ZebraDesigner will be installed to. Simply click ‘Next’ to confirm the default choice.
• Click ‘Next’ when prompted to enter a name for the shortcut, confirming the default choice.
• Click ‘Next’ to confirm the creation of icons.
• With all options set, click ‘Install’ to begin installing the program.
• After the installation is complete, uncheck the option that says ‘Run ZebraDesigner’ and click ‘Finish’.

Step 4: Connecting the printer to your PC and installing the windows driver

Connect the power supply and communications cable to your Zebra printer. Power up the printer using the on/off switch located to the rear of the printer. Upon powering up, the light on the feed button on the top of the printer should glow a steady green.

Windows 7 should automatically detect the printer and install the ZebraDesigner driver. You should receive a notification in the bottom right hand corner of the screen updating you on how the installation is proceeding, and when it is complete.

Step 5: Configuring the ZebraDesigner Driver

Before you begin to design and print labels within ZebraDesigner, it’s worth configuring the driver settings. To do this:

• Click the Windows Start button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, and select Devices and Printers from the menu.
• Within the open window, select the ZDesigner printer from the list of printers, right click it and select Printing Preferences.

Check the following from the Options tab:

• Speed – This can be adjusted using the list box. The higher the number selected, the faster the printer will print. Note that speed can often be related to print quality, with slower speeds often generating better quality print.
• Darkness – As with speed, this can be adjusted using the list box. Higher darkness values will produce a darker print, and as with speed, increasing this value will often improve print quality. However be wary of setting the darkness higher than necessary, constantly running at the top darkness settings can often reduce the life expectancy of the printer’s print head, and can cause other problems such as ribbon crease of ribbon tearing.

ZebraDesigner will generally handle the page and label size settings, and as such, these can be ignored. Now select the Advance Setup tab and check the following options:

• Media Type – Set to match the media you are using. For labels with a gap between each label, select ‘Label with Gaps’, for black mark select ‘Label with marks’ or for continuous media, select ‘Continuous’.
• Media Settings – This option will only be displayed on printers which are capable of printing with both direct thermal and thermal transfer methods. If you’re using a ribbon with your labels you will need to select the thermal transfer option. Alternatively if you’re not, you will need to select Direct Thermal.

Once each of these settings is set, you are ready to design your first label. For more information on doing this, please see our blog post on How to setup a label in ZebraDesigner.

(Note: These printer driver settings can also be changed within ZebraDesigner by clicking on File, followed by Printer Settings. But if you change the settings in ZebraDesigner they will only be saved within the current label design and will not affect other label designs.)

Contact Details

If you require any of the ‘purchased separately’ items, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales department on 01536 414222 who will be more than willing to assist you with your requirements.

For technical support please contact the AM Labels Technical Team on 01536 414400 or e-mail support@amlabels.co.uk.

• Zebra desktop printer (LP/TLP2844, LP/TLP2824, GK/GX420d, GK/GX420t, GX430t)
• Printer power cable (provided with the printer) 2 parts, mains lead and power supply unit (PSU)
• Communications cable (USB, Parallel, Serial or Ethernet cable, dependent on printers interface) (Purchased separately)
• Roll of Labels (Purchased separately)
• Ribbon (Thermal transfer printers only, purchased separately)
• Zebra Designer Installation CD (provided with the printer)

If any of the items that should have come with the printer are missing, or you require labels, ribbons or a communication cable, please contact AM Labels technical support using the contact information listed below.

From getting your printer out of the box to printing your first label, this can be completed in 5 easy to follow steps.

• Step 1: Loading the labels
• Step 2: Loading the ribbon (TLP and G-Series Thermal Transfer Printers)
• Step 3: Installing Zebra Designer
• Step 4: Connecting the printer to your PC
• Step 5: Configuring the printer driver

Step 1: Loading the labels

To load the labels into the printer, have the printer facing towards you. At either side of the printer there are two green clips, simultaneously pull both green clips towards you to open the lid and push the lid upwards. On TLP printers, the lid will lock into place using an internal support strut.

At the base of the printer there will be two identical green label spindles, pull these apart and place your label roll onto the provided support. On G-Series printers, please ensure that the media is placed between the guides provided.

On the TLP, you will then need to slide the labels in between the adjustable label guide and use the green wheel on the right hand side, to adjust the two guides to sit snugly either side of the media. Your labels will now be ready to print.

Step 2: Loading the ribbon (TLP and G-Series Thermal Transfer Printers)

In the thermal transfer printers, there are two separate spindles in the top half of the printer.

On TLP printers, place the ribbon on the spindle that is furthest back shiny side up, and a waste core onto the spindle that is closest. Please ensure that the holes in the ribbon and waste cores slide into the notches on their spindle. Pull the ribbon down and underneath the print head and then roll the ribbon around the waste core.

To close the TLP printers, press the green support strut to the left and slowly close the lid until an audible click can be heard. On G-Series printers close lid and again, ensure it clicks.

Step 3: Installing ZebraDesigner

The first step is to obtain the latest version of the ZebraDesigner software. Click here to download the software and select the ‘Open’ option to begin the download.

Once the download is complete, you should be presented with the ZebraDesigner Installation Wizard.

• You will be prompted with a choice of language, select your language and click ‘OK’.
• The ZebraDesigner setup wizard will then be displayed. Click ‘Next’.
• A license agreement is then displayed, select the ‘I accept the agreement’ option and click ‘Next’.
• Enter a user name and company and click ‘Next’.
• The next screen will allow you to change the location which ZebraDesigner will be installed to. Simply click ‘Next’ to confirm the default choice.
• Click ‘Next’ when prompted to enter a name for the shortcut, confirming the default choice.
• Click ‘Next’ to confirm the creation of icons.
• With all options set, click ‘Install’ to begin installing the program.
• After the installation is complete, uncheck the option that says ‘Run ZebraDesigner’ and click ‘Finish’.


Step 4: Connecting the printer to your PC and installing the windows driver

Connect the power supply and communications cable to your Zebra printer. Power up the printer using the on/off switch located to the rear of the printer. Upon powering up, the light on the feed button on the top of the printer should glow a steady green.

Your computer should also display the found new hardware notification, followed by the found new hardware wizard. At this point you will need to install the windows printer driver for your printer, to do this:

• Insert the CD that was supplied with your Zebra desktop printer. This will automatically start an application entitled ‘Zebra Desktop Printers’ which is required for the next step. Please do not close this window.
• On the found new hardware wizard window, select the option ‘No, Not this time’ and click ‘Next’.
• Select the ‘Install the software automatically (Recommended)’ (Default option) and click ‘Next’.
• After searching, the wizard will display the available drivers in a list. Select the first option in the list and click ‘Next’.
• You will be prompted with a warning, click ‘Continue Anyway’ to continue.

The wizard will install the required files to your computer and then close. The windows driver is now installed. At this point you will need to take a note of the USB port that the printer has been linked to. To do this:

• Click the Windows start button in the bottom left hand corner of your machine and select ‘Control Panel’ from the start menu.
• Within the Control panel, double click ‘Printers and faxes’.
• A list of all of the currently installed printers will be displayed. Select the option that matches the model name of your printer, right click it, and select ‘Properties’.
• A new window will be displayed. Select the Ports tab. A tick will be placed next to one of the ports. This is the currently selected port and you will need to note the name of it. This will frequently be USB001, but it can be another number, for example USB002 or USB003. You may need to widen the first column to see the full name.

Step 5: Configuring the ZebraDesigner Driver

Before you begin to design and print labels within ZebraDesigner, it’s worth configuring the driver settings. To do this:

• Click the Windows Start button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, and select Devices and Printers from the menu.
• Within the open window, select the ZDesigner printer from the list of printers, right click it and select Printing Preferences.

Check the following from the Options tab:

• Speed – This can be adjusted using the list box. The higher the number selected, the faster the printer will print. Note that speed can often be related to print quality, with slower speeds often generating better quality print.
• Darkness – As with speed, this can be adjusted using the list box. Higher darkness values will produce a darker print, and as with speed, increasing this value will often improve print quality. However be wary of setting the darkness higher than necessary, constantly running at the top darkness settings can often reduce the life expectancy of the printer’s print head, and can cause other problems such as ribbon crease of ribbon tearing.

ZebraDesigner will generally handle the page and label size settings, and as such, these can be ignored. Now select the Advance Setup tab and check the following options:

• Media Type – Set to match the media you are using. For labels with a gap between each label, select ‘Label with Gaps’, for black mark select ‘Label with marks’ or for continuous media, select ‘Continuous’.
• Media Settings – This option will only be displayed on printers which are capable of printing with both direct thermal and thermal transfer methods. If you’re using a ribbon with your labels you will need to select the thermal transfer option. Alternatively if you’re not, you will need to select Direct Thermal.

Once each of these settings is set, you are ready to design your first label. For more information on doing this, please see our blog post on How to setup a label in ZebraDesigner.

(Note: These printer driver settings can also be changed within ZebraDesigner by clicking on File, followed by Printer Settings. But if you change the settings in ZebraDesigner they will only be saved within the current label design and will not affect other label designs.)

Contact Details

If you require any of the ‘purchased separately’ items, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales department on 01536 414222 who will be more than willing to assist you with your requirements.

For technical support please contact the AM Labels Technical Team on 01536 414400 or e-mail support@amlabels.co.uk.

Adding your printer driver
1. Go to the Print Setup and select the relevant driver, there are two types of driver for Zebra printers – EPL and ZPL based

2. If you are using a standard desktop printer you will need the EPL2 driver, if you are using a Z model or an industrial printer you will need the ZPL driver.

EPL Compatible Printers

• LP2844, TLP2844
• GK420, GX420
• Some variants of S4M
• Eltron Orion
• LP2742, TLP2742

ZPL Compatible Printers

• LP2844Z, TLP2844Z
• GK420, GX420
• Some variants of S4M
• Z4M, Z6M
• ZM400, ZM600
• XiIII, Xi4 Series

3. After you have selected the printer driver, click Add to install.

4. You can now print using your Zebra printer from any Mac based software.

At this point, you should have the software and relevant drivers installed, if not please take a look at our “How to set up a Zebra desktop printer” blog post.

First things first, you’ll need to open Zebra Designer. To do this click the Start button, select All Programs >> Zebra Designer >> Zebra Designer. Once open the screen below will be displayed (Fig 1).

Fig 1

To create a new label, select ‘Create a new label’ and click ‘Finish’.

The next screen (Fig 2) you will be presented with allows you to select your printer. Select the printer that you have previously installed. Once you have selected your printer, click next.

Fig 2

Labels come in many different shapes and sizes. The next screen (Fig 3) you are presented with will ask you for the page size. Ensure that the ‘Automatic sizing’ box is ticked and then click ‘Next’.

Fig 3

The next screen (Fig 4) presents you with a prompt asking if you wish to print portrait or landscape. Select the orientation you want (portrait is generally the norm) and if you want the document to be rotated or not, and then click ‘Next’.

Fig 4

The next screen (Fig 5) allows you to select your label size. You will need to enter the height and width of your label along with the left and right margin sizes (you can leave the top and bottom margins set to 0). Please note that the size you enter will depend on the unit of measure which can be changed by clicking the button.

Once you have entered your label details, click the ‘Finish’ button. A blank canvas which matches the size you label you have entered should be displayed.

Fig 5

Now that you have set up the size of your label, it is time to start adding objects onto it. Zebra Designer Basic allows you to add text, barcode, pictures and basic line objects to your label.

Fig 6

To add objects to a label, simply select them from the left hand tool bar (Fig 6), and then click on the label to add the object. Upon adding a text or barcode object, a wizard (Fig 7) will be displayed allowing you to enter what information should be displayed.

Text and barcode objects can contain either static fixed text (typed into the wizard) or variable text. Variable text allows elements on a label to change at print time, and can do things such as allow user input or draw from the clock on your computer to display the date and time. To specify a variable field, select the variable field option and click next. The following screens will allow you to select your variable information. Please note that some variable fields may appear as a line of question marks on the label. This is down the fact that the package doesn’t know the contents of the field until you print.

Adding a text object

1. Select the ‘Text’ option from the left hand tool bar (Fig 6).

2. Enter the data you want to display into the box provided (Fig 7), or alternatively select the variable text option and follow the on screen prompts.

Fig 7

3. Click ‘Finish’ button. The text should now be displayed on the label (Fig 8).

Fig 8

Adding a barcode Object

1. Select the ‘Barcode’ option from the left hand tool bar (Fig 9).

Fig 9

2. Enter the data you want to display, or alternatively, select the variable barcode option and following the on screen prompts.

Fig 10

3. Click the ‘Finish’ button. The barcode should now be displayed on the label (Fig 11).

Fig 11

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