1. ZD421 and ZD621 Series Desktop Printers User Guide
  2. Introduction
  3. What You Will Need to Print
  • ZD421 and ZD621 Desktop Printers User Guide
What You Will Need to Print

What You Will Need to Print

Your printer is one of three parts of your printing solution. To print, you will also need print media and software.
The printer can operate in standalone mode. It does not have to be connected to other devices or systems to print.
Supplies, Drivers and Applications You Will Need to Print
Compatible media
Depending on the printer model (direct thermal or thermal transfer), you will need appropriate media to print.
Direct thermal printing uses chemically-treated, heat-sensitive media that blackens when it passes under the thermal printhead. For direct thermal printing, you will need direct thermal media. Ribbon is not required for direct thermal printing.
Thermal transfer printing uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images on a wide variety of materials. For thermal transfer printing, you will need thermal transfer media and thermal transfer ribbon rolls (or a ribbon cartridge for Ribbon Cartridge printer models).
You can use media that is of any supported  format. Depending on your printing needs, you can use labels, tags, tickets, receipt paper, fanfold stacks, tamper-proof labels, etc.
Use information from zebra.com/supplies or from your reseller to identify and procure media for your printer and for your specific uses.
Software
  • Printer drivers
  • Printer programming utilities
  • Applications (such as for label design)
Zebra provides a complete suite of free Link-OS software applications and drivers to configure printer settings, print labels and receipts, get printer status, import graphics and fonts, send programming commands, update firmware, and download files.
Use these drivers and applications to configure and manage your printer and your print jobs from a central device such as a PC or laptop.
For information on installing the drivers, see Installing the Windows Printer Drivers.
You can use ZebraDesigner—a free application for Windows PC operating systems—to design simple labels and forms. ZebraDesigner is available to download from zebra.com/zebradesigner.