Details Windows setup for thermal label printers like Zebra, Dymo, Brother, and basic steps for a standard desktop inkjet or laser printers.
The exact steps to set up your printer will vary depending on the printer's make and model. This article provides details for the three most common thermal label printer brands - Zebra, DYMO, and Brother - as well as the basic steps for a standard desktop printer like an inkjet or laser printer.
The process to set up printers for ShipStation in Windows includes four basic steps:
Connect the printer via USB to the Windows machine you want to use as your printer workstation.
Download the appropriate printer driver (this step may not be necessary for all printer models).
Add the printer to your Devices and Printers Control Panel.
Configure the printer preferences.
Click the heading that matches which printer you'd like to set up for detailed instructions.
Before connecting your Zebra label printer to your Windows workstation, you'll need to download and install the correct driver. Once installed, you'll connect the printer, add it to your Devices and Scanners Control Panel, and configure its preferences.
Special Zebra Drivers
Zebra printers provided by your carrier (for example, UPS or FedEx) may require special drivers, which your carrier representative should provide to you.
In some cases, these printers are intended to only work with the carrier's proprietary app (for example, UPS Worldship or FedEx Ship Manager). If that is the case, your printer may not work with other applications like ShipStation. Check with your carrier account contact if you are unsure whether such a restriction applies to your carrier-supplied printer.
Follow the procedures outlined below to set up a Zebra printer on a Windows workstation:
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
Before connecting your DYMO LabelWriter to your Windows workstation, you'll need to download and install the correct driver. Once installed, you'll connect the printer, add it to your Devices and Scanners Control Panel, and configure its preferences. Follow the procedures outlined below:
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
Before connecting your Brother label printer to your Windows workstation, you need to install the appropriate driver. Usually, when installing a new device, Windows will automatically download the driver and add the device to the Control Panel.
If this does not happen automatically, follow the instructions below. Skip to the Configure section if the device has successfully installed automatically.
The Brother QL-1100 is Windows Only
The Brother QL-1100 Label Printer is currently only supported in Windows at this time.
If you are a Mac user, we'll add MacOS instructions as soon as a driver has been released and we've tested it successfully with ShipStation.
Once the installer is complete, quit the installer. You can delete the installer file from your system.
To print labels with your Citizen CL-E303 printer using ShipStation, you'll need to download and install the correct driver, and configure the printer settings.
Follow the procedures outlined below for each step:
Load a roll of labels into the printer and power it on. (Please reference the manual for specific details.)
Connect the printer and computer via USB cord. Then complete the Windows device set-up procedure. At completion, the device should appear as Barcode Printer.
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
Before connecting your Citizen CL-S700 printer to your Windows printer workstation, you'll need to download the correct driver. Once you have installed the driver, you can then connect the printer, add it to your Printers & Scanners under Devices, and configure its settings.
A significant feature of this larger, industrial unit is the peeler or dispenser. This benefit expedites the labeling process for large-scale operations when shipping batches or multiple shipments. When you print labels, instead of coming out in one long continuous sheet, they come out one at a time. As each prints, the peeler separates the label from its adhesive-protection backing.
Follow the procedures outlined below for each step:
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
To print labels with your Citizen CMP-40 printer using ShipStation, you'll need to download and install the correct driver and configure the printer settings.
Follow the procedures outlined below for each step:
Load a roll of labels into the printer and power it on. (Please reference the manual for specific details.)
Connect the printer and computer via USB cord. Then complete the Windows device set-up procedure. At completion, the device should appear as Barcode Printer.
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
Before connecting your Rollo printer driver to your Windows workstation, be sure to follow the instructions provided on the Rollo support center to set up the Rollo printer for first time use. Once you have finished these steps, connect the Rollo printer to your workstation via USB.
In some versions of Windows, the Rollo printer will be automatically added to the Devices and Printers Control Panel. If this is the case for you, skip ahead to the Configure the Rollo Printer section. However, if you open your Control Panel and do not see the Rollo printer, you will need to install the Rollo driver and add the Rollo, as described in the steps below.
Rollo Printers Not Supported With ShipStation Connect
Currently, Rollo printers do not work consistently when printing via ShipStation Connect.
You can continue to print with a Rollo printer by using the PDF or View in Browser print methods. The label layout, printer preferences, and other document options will still apply regardless of which print method you choose.
Once the installation is complete, connect the Rollo printer to your Windows Workstation via USB and configure the Rollo printing preferences.
Before printing your labels, we recommend printing a test label to ensure your Rollo printer is functioning as expected. Rollo includes a test label PDF in their installer disk image for just this purpose.
When the test label has printed successfully, you're ready to print label PDFs.
If you'd like to adjust the label margins, follow the instructions provided by Rollo in their Adjusting Label Margins help article.
Alignment and Quality Troubleshooting
If the test label or other labels print with improper alignment or have other quality issues, there are a few steps you can take.
You may need to run Rollo's automatic label identification on the printer. Review the set up video on Rollo's website for details.
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Adjust the label offset, darkness, and print speed.
Windows users, open the Rollo Printing Preferences, go to the Settings tab, and experiment with speed, density, and print position.
Mac users, open CUPS and experiment with the vertical and horizontal offset settings in the Page Options section, and the speed and darkness in the Printer Settings section.
In most cases, your standard desktop printer, whether laser or inkjet, will not require installing additional drivers. You'll just need to plug it in, turn it on, and set your preferences. Should you need a driver, the procedure below will indicate at what point you may need to install it for your device.
Connect your printer to your Windows workstation and turn it on, if it isn't already. Then, do the following to add the printer to the Control Panel:
You should now see the printer listed with its name in the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. You can now configure the printer preferences.
Unspecified Printer
If you do not see your printer listed with its model number in the Printers section, but instead see an unnamed printer in a section called Unspecified, you will need to install a driver for your printer before you can proceed.

Check the manufacturer's website for the correct driver for the device's make and model, as well as for your version of Windows.
If your standard desktop printer contains multiple trays, you can add another instance of your printer to your printer workstation Control Panel and assign a specific tray to each instance. In this way you can use different types of paper for different documents and set ShipStation to automatically print selected documents with the paper used in each tray.
For example, in Tray 1 you might use Avery half-sheet labels to print two labels per page and in Tray 2 use plain paper to print your packing slips. Or you may have ShipStation integrated labels in Tray 1 to print the label and packing slip for a shipment on a single sheet, and plain paper of a different color in Tray 2 to print pick lists.
Whatever your scenario, you'll need to take the following actions:
In this procedure, you'll be adding a copy of your printer to your Devices and Printers Control Panel. Each instance of the printer can then have its own preferences and properties.
First, open the Printer Properties of the instance already added and make note of which port the printer uses. You'll need this information later.
Other Versions of Windows
The following instructions are specific to Windows 10. The exact steps in other versions of Windows may vary slightly, but the settings you are looking for should be similar.
The new instance of the printer should then be added to the Printers section of your Devices and Printers Control Panel. In Windows 10, both instances will be contained within a single printer icon. You can then right-click the icon and choose which instance to modify.
Next, you'll need to assign a tray to each printer instance.
Each instance of the printer will appear in ShipStation (and other apps you print from) as a unique printer.