Buy a label printer

[aputman]

For reference, I am using a Zebra ZD220 printer with the above method.

[yeah]

 Hi aputman,

For my experience with ZPL and System EXEC VI, LPT connection is really easy, but if connected with USB, it seems we had to add a microsoft legacy vitual network adaptor and use the printer sharename.

How do I simulate a parallel (LPT) Printer with a USB Printer? - Super User

the setting is a bit complicated.   I didn't touch the printer for several years. Can it be such easy to send the command now or many years ago😥?

[JB]

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@govindsankar wrote:

Thank you @aputman. 

To others, as a back up if anyone can recommend good label printers that you have worked with in the past using labview kindly let me know. So that I have multiple options to choose from. Its my responsibility to propose the label printer to buy which then I have to program using labview. So if i propose a wrong one and later i tell my company i cannot say i cant program using labview. Thank you. 

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We have been using Citizen printers (eg CL-S6x1 and CL-S70x) for many years without any major problems.

We have developed a LabVIEW library and sign the W10 drivers ourselves. 

The library implements the commands of CLE_CLS_CLP_Datamax_Command_Ref.pdf.

[govindsankar]

@JB. Thank you for your reply. But I am not sure. Signing the drivers ourselves is a very difficult process, I did that last time with Zebra and it didnt work. So how was you able to do it yourself. If I can sign it then I can use ZPL commands and send it via Visa. Thank you. 

[Bob_Schor]

I have a Brother P-Touch 700 Label Printer (small, relatively inexpensive).  It comes with a "P-Touch Editor" to let you configure and print multiple styles of labels.  It also has a "Connect Database" that lets you connect to a "Database" containing information that you want to print on the label.  You lay out the Label (putting fields where you want them to go, setting up alignment, sizes, Fonts, etc. using the Editor commands), then run the Print command to print everything.

I've not actually tried doing this, but the videos from Brother make it seem fairly straight-forward.

Check out this video ... 

Bob Schor

[AeroSoul]

Love how the "Database" is just an excel file

[rolfk]

There are several ways to talk to Zebra Printers. Mark Yedinak (who is working at Zebra) has posted a driver that seems to work through WinUSB/LibUSB and in that way avoid the driver signing issue. The other way is to talk through SystemExec with the system port that their driver makes available as proposed here already before. The according driver is installed by the Zebra driver installer and already properly signed.

For pure label printing I would go with the SystemExec method. It's the most reliable. If you need to do more complicated things, that driver from Mark seems to work fairly well, but its use is not for the person who shys away from DLL calls. 😁

Trying to talk to the printer through VISA USB (which indeed requires driver signing by yourself) is utter madness nowadays. It requires you to know the private USB protocol for the printer which I'm not sure Zebra would be giving out just like that. Together with the driver signing hassles it is not even a fun hobby hacking project anymore. 😁

[govindsankar]

Hello Rolf,

Can you let me know where I can find the drivers created by Mark. Thank you. 

[govindsankar]

The brother P Touch is not what i am looking for. Mine is an automated system where LabVIEW gives the data and printer prints it. Using a different software manually everytime to print the label is not what I am looking for. Thank you. 

[govindsankar]

Hello everyone, Isnt there any label printers that doesnt use USB. Isnt there a label printer that uses RS 232 or some other kind of communication protocol. Thank you.