11

MAC OS 10.5.2 Includes Drivers for Zebra Thermal Printers

• How to set it up

• What it means for you

SHIPPING TOOLS & TIPS - Volume 1

2

With the release of Mac OS 10.5.2, there is now direct driver support for Zebra thermal printers.

While Dymo printers are great for low-volume use, printers like the LP2844 are built for high-volume use.

Previously, developers (like NRG) needed to use OS work arounds to print to these devices, and end users needed to purchase costly third-party drivers.

+ = :)

3

PRINTER SET UP

• Simply plug the Zebra printer in to your Mac via USB.

• Go to Print Setup, you will just need to select the proper driver.

DRIVER OPTIONS

• If your printer is a LP2844 variant (the kind provided by UPS and FedEx) then pick the Zebra EPL2 Label Printer, 1.3 driver.

• If your printer is the beefier LP2844Z model, then you need to pick the Zebra ZPL Label Printer, 1.3 driver.

Once you’ve added the printer, you can print from any Mac application.

4

PRINTING ADDRESS LABELS FROM FROM FILEMAKER

Create new layout by selecting Layouts->New Layout/Report…Select the Labels layout type and press Next

5

Adjust the layout to use custom measurements for the label size you will be printing. In this example, we will be printing to a 4x6 label. Make sure to zero out the page margins. Press Next to continue.

6

Select the fields you want to print on the layout and click Next

7

You’re all set. Click the Finish button to return back to Layout mode.

8

Select File->Page Setup… to select the label size you will be printing to and press the OK button.

9

Now you are all set to print! Select File->Print and press the Print button and your label will be printed.

10

ENJOY :)

Note that the websites for shipping carriers like UPS, FedEx, DHL and USPS are setup to print shipping labels to 8-1/2x11 laser printers.

For fully featured Mac-based shipping, please see our NRGship solutions.

Kudos to Spencer Williams at West Paw Designs or the initial tip about the 10.5.2 update.