Common Issues with Zebra Tag Printers

Printing FAQs | Compatible Tag Printers

If you have issues printing tags or labels with your Zebra printer, we recommend you use the Hardware Troubleshooter (access from the Help menu) for assistance. The troubleshooter will help you identify and correct your specific issue.

Listed below for reference are some of the more common issues with the Zebra printers and suggestions for resolving them.

Cleaning the Printhead

Many printing quality issues with this printer can be resolved by cleaning the printhead with a thermal printer cleaning pen or a 90% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab. The thermal printer cleaning pens are specially designed to clean your printhead of even heavy abrasions. You should clean your printhead at least every five rolls of tags/labels.

Printhead cleaning pens are available directly from Zebra at 1-800-268-1736 or go online at www.zebra.com.
Part Number: AN11209-1.

Also available is the Printhead Preventive Maintenance Kit. Part Number: 47362.

Status Light on the LP2824 Printer

The status light around the Feed button on the LP2824 printer will often indicate an error condition. Click here to view what the lights mean and how to fix the condition.

Calibrating the Printer

The printer should be calibrated any time you change label types, or anytime printing is not correctly aligned on labels. You can calibrate the printer in the Hardware Troubleshooter or by selecting the C alibrate button at the time of printing.

Several labels will be fed through the printer during this operation. When calibration is complete, you can roll the labels back into the printer to avoid waste.

Printing Jewelry Tags

If you are printing jewelry tags with flaps and calibration does not solve the problem, select the check box Adjust start position for jewelry tags on the Print dialog. This setting tells Point of Sale to use extra parameters, required by some revisions of the Zebra printer, when printing jewelry tags with flaps. Likewise, if printing jewelry tags without flaps, make sure this check box is cleared (not selected).

If using the Zebra LP2844, a second check box Print Jewelry tags with flaps must be selected if the tag stock has flaps.

If your jewelry tag stock has wide black bars printed across the back (used to indicate where one tag ends and the next begins), select the check box labeled Use black-bar indexing of jewelry tags. When using black-bar indexing, the Calibrate option is not applicable and the button will be disabled.

General Print Quality

If you have general print quality issues, such as text overlapping or running off the label, or bar codes printing too light to scan well, check your print settings to select the mode that works best for your needs (Draft Quality or High Quality) and ensure the print density (lightness/darkness) is set appropriately.

The High Quality printing mode gives you more control over fonts, typestyles, and alignment so the printed output looks closer to the template design yet still offers high-quality bar code printing. The Draft Quality mode prints excellent bar codes and prints slightly faster, but precise control over fonts, styles, and alignment suffers.

1. At the time of printing, select the Print Quality button on the Print dialog.

2. In the Print Quality dialog, choose Draft Quality or High Quality and specify a print density.

3. Select the Print Test Page button.

4. If satisfied, select OK and continue printing. If not, change a setting and test again.