Zebra LP2844 Printer Configuration

[bensnewmac]

I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong place...

I recently switched to a Mac mini after being a PC user for quite a while. I print shipping labels through my Zebra LP2844 printer, which I just found does work with O/S X (I'm running 10.6.6). I thought these printers didn't work with the Mac (w/o buying expensive software), but they do indeed.

When I try to print a shipping label through PayPal (for USPS), the printer thinks it's printing on an 8.5x11" sheet of paper, not a 4x6" piece.

My question is this: How do I adjust/tweak the settings to make the printer know it's a 4x6" printer and print correctly?

I've tried the following:

• Added a new paper size of 4x6" and made it the default for the LP2844
• Checked PayPal and USPS settings, they are all correct for the 4x6" printer (i.e. print on a 4x6" piece)
• Fooled around with settings to see if I could figure anything out (I miss Control Panel, ha ha).

Thank you in advance!

 

[XJ-linux]

We use Zebra printers to print hundreds of pallet labels via SAP everyday. You might consider looking into utilizing CUPS. It's free and there are a host of drivers out there, though Zebra printers for Mac take some tinkering to get everything just right. Zebra folks just don't seem to give a sheet about Mac. Still, there is a vibrant community with business requirements feeding it and some searching provides a few work arounds. OS X actually includes (or at least it use to include?) a "generic" ZPL printer driver with it. Though I haven't needed to mess with it on MAc, another Unix admin at work said it was pretty easy to customize as needed. I've used it on AIX and Suse for many years and, after a few installation pains, it works reliably as heck. You probably already have it running on your Mac and can test by typing:

http://localhost:631/

This is your computer's print server and is a good starting place to get CUPS up and running. For drivers, here's a hint: search for ZPL Mac not zebra Mac.


Zebra Technologies CUPS printer drivers | Download Zebra Technologies CUPS printer drivers software for free at SourceForge.net

CUPS

Zebra Thermal Printer - 2844 - UPS Online - Driver??? - MacRumors Forums

Printing Raw EPL on the LP2844 from a Mac or Linux at ROFISH.net

 

[bensnewmac]

Hmmm.... Okay, thank you very much for the complete response and getting me in the right direction. Some of the options seem quite involved and techie for me. I was really looking for something plug-and-play if possible.

The problem I'm having really involves the formatting of the printed object. I just need something to tell the LP2844 that it's a 4x6" piece of paper, not a 8.5x11"

I did try installing the sourceforge drivers, but no change. I'm not sure which driver to use though.

Thank you again!

 

[XJ-linux]

One last trick. A friend suggested trying EPL ie: Epon drivers. Apparenty they make similar/identical printers for the USPS.

 

[bensnewmac]

Ok, cool. Any idea on the model number? There are tons of Epson printers, LOL.