Zebra printer - Printing from LabVIEW using ZPL commands....

[bfeddeck]

Can I get these in version 8.5 please?

[Michael-B]

Try posting on the following thread:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/Downconvert-VI-Requests/m-p/1067229

That might be faster...

[A.C.E.]

Mark,

Thanks for all of the great info you have posted here on communicating with Zebra printers using LabVIEW.  We just selected a TLP-2844 for a customer's application (needed the 4" width and the ability to print on PolyPro-quality labels) and life would be much more difficult without your support posts here.

Would you be able to supply a driver file for use on Windows 7 with the 2844?  We're doing a kiosk application with a tablet running Windows 7 Professional.  Your description of the attachment here is for "XP and lower".  Thank you in advance

Alex

[Mark_Yedinak]

Here is the Win7 driver file. At present I only have the information for one of our kiosk printers. This is the KR403. If you are using a different kiosk let me know and I will try to get the specifics for it.

Also, in the future if you are working with other Zebra printer models let me know.

[A.C.E.]

Mark,

Thanks again!  We are converting your sample VIs to LV2009 and will let you know how it all comes together.  I inadvertently used the term "kiosk" in a casual manner - we're not using a printer from the Zebra embedded/kiosk family, rather we're using the standard TLP-2844 within an application that we're colloquially calling a kiosk.

Alex

[A.C.E.]

Mark,

So far we haven't been entirely  successful in setting up the TLP-2844 printer using Windows 7.  We're running LabVIEW 2011, 32 bit.  Here's the order of operations we've followed, I think this is correct based on the very thorough instructions you have provided throughout this thread topic:

(1) Install driver file.  

It appears that this is being done successfully.  I renamed the WIN7 driver file you provided as .inf, then right-click, install.  A corresponding oem###.inf file is created in C:\Windows\inf (it is oem203.inf for us)

(2) Connect printer to USB and cancel out of auto windows driver install.  We are doing this, what then happens is that Device manager lists "Zebra TLP2844" in the "Other Devices" section.  See attached image.

(2B) OPTIONAL - tried a sequence where after the "Zebra TLP2844" was listed in Device Manager, uninstalling it from Device Manager and proceeding to Step #3.  Also tried sequences skipping this step, leaving "Zebra TLP2844" listed in the "Other Devices" section of Device Manager.

(3) Run "Install Zebra Test USB Driver.exe".  When running the .exe, the drop-down menu populates from the .inf file, but the green LED stays dim when "Add Device" button is pressed (regardless of which drop-down menu selection is made), indicating that the operation has been unsuccessful.

(3B) OPTIONAL A variant has been to run the "Install Zebra Test USB Driver.vi" instead of the .exe.  In this case, the .vi doesn't parse out any localizable (or non-localizable) strings, so the drop-down menu remains unpopulated.  As an FYI, I've attached a screen shot showing the block diagram with test probes indicating the empty string for localizable/non-localizable.  We're loading the same .inf file here as what is used in #3 for the "Install Zebra Test USB Driver.exe".

Can you advise on what we might be doing wrong here?  Thanks again - appreciate all of you help!  

Alex

[Mark_Yedinak]

To be honest I haven't had much of an opportunity to test a Win7 environment. I don't have any local machines to work with. My company is very slow to change operating systems for our machines. Anyway, the source of the problem is the parsing in the "Install Zebra Test USB Driver" VI. The devices names are stored in a section named Strings in teh Win7 file. If you add this line ";  *******Localizable Strings*******" after the [Strings] section in the driver file the parsing should work. Alternatively you could modify the VI to search for "[Strings]" (be careful with the brackets, they should be escaped) rather than looking for the string "Localizable Strings".

[Mark_Yedinak]

Here is an updated version. I had already made the changes but didn't update the zip file.

[Baturin]

Couple of cents from me.

After reading all forum topics regarding communicating with Zebra USB printers I was a little bit confused that it is necessary to change the driver and gave up on this (don't really need printing from LV so much, better to use standalone label designer).

But then we have conected USB zebra TPL 2824 to existing Ethernet print server from Dlink (basic DP-301U. It seems to work in RAW mode. After that I was able to add VISA-Ethernet resource by IP and easily sent EPL commands to printer (printer can also be used as usual network printer from other software). So, everything is working :).

Print server costs less than 100$...

[A.C.E.]

We ended up following a similar solution.  We went away from using the USB connection and instead are talking directly to our label printer using the serial port on the TLP-2844 (and a standard serial-to-usb cable).  

We are sending EPL commands to the printer using a standard VISA COM connection and everything so far is working great.  We used the Zebra software and printer drivers for the purpose of creating and locally storing label templates on the printer, but all subsequent label prints are performed by constructing an EPL string and sending this thru the VISA COM connection.