Set Up Printers in MacOS
- ShipStation Help U.S.
- ShipStation Help Guide
- Set Up Printers & Scales
Details MacOS setup for thermal label printers like Zebra, Dymo, Citizen, Rollo, and basic steps for standard desktop inkjet or laser printers.
This article contains:
How to set up the following printers to print with ShipStation:
The exact steps to set up your printer will vary depending on the printer's make and model. This article provides details for the most common thermal label printer brands - Zebra and DYMO - 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 on your Mac includes four basic steps:
Connect the printer via USB to the Mac you want to use as your printer workstation.
Download the appropriate printer driver (this step is not necessary for all printer models).
Add the printer to your Printers & Scanners System Preferences.
Configure the printer defaults in CUPS.
Click the heading that matches which printer you'd like to set up for detailed instructions.
Once you've connected your Zebra label printer to your Mac, you'll be able to add it right away to your Printers & Scanners in System Preferences. Most Zebra printers when connected to a Mac will not require installing a driver.
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 below to set up a Zebra printer on your Mac:
Add to the Printers & Scanners System Preferences
Here is a short GIF illustrating how to add a Zebra printer.
Your Zebra is now added to your Printers & Scanners system preferences. You can now set its default options in CUPS.
Configure Printer Defaults in CUPS
CUPS is the term used for the printer configuration settings on a Mac that you access through a browser like Chrome or Firefox.
In CUPS you will set your default media size and type so the labels print the correct size and with the best quality.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Set Default Zebra Options
Your printer defaults are now configured and you can start printing!
You can also print a test label from CUPS to ensure everything is working smoothly. Just click on the Printers tab on the top of the CUPS screen. Go to the Maintenance drop-down menu and choose Print Test Page.
Once you've connected your DYMO LabelWriter to your Mac, you'll be able to add it right away to your Printers & Scanners System Preferences. However, you may need to install the DYMO LabelWriter 4XL driver since it is not preinstalled in the MacOS. Follow the procedures outlined below:
Download & Install DYMO Driver
Once the installer is complete, you can eject the disk image and put the downloaded installer in the trash.
Add to the Printers & Scanners System Preferences
Here's a short GIF illustrating how to add the DYMO 4XL.
Configure Printer Defaults in CUPS
CUPS is the term used for the printer configuration settings on a Mac that you access through a browser like Chrome or Firefox.
In CUPS you will set your default media size and type so the labels print the correct size and with the best quality.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Your printer defaults are now configured and you can start printing!
You can also print a test label from CUPS to ensure everything is working smoothly. Just click on the Printers tab on the top of the CUPS screen. Go to the Maintenance drop-down menu and choose Print Test Page.
Before connecting your Citizen CL-E printer to your Mac 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 System Preferences, and configure its settings.
Follow the procedures outlined below for each step:
Download & Install Citizen Driver
Add to the Printers & Scanners Systems Preferences
Configure Printer Defaults in CUPS
CUPS is the term used for the printer configuration settings on a Mac that you access through a browser like Chrome or Firefox.
In CUPS you will set your default media size and type so the labels print the correct size and with the best quality.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Set Default CITIZEN CL-E Options
You are now ready to print labels with your Citizen label printer!
Before connecting your Citizen CL-S printer to your Mac 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 System Preferences, 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:
Download & Install Citizen Driver
Add to the Printers & Scanners Systems Preferences
Configure Printer Defaults in CUPS
CUPS is the term used for the printer configuration settings on a Mac that you access through a browser like Chrome or Firefox.
In CUPS you will set your default media size and type so the labels print the correct size and with the best quality.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Set Default CITIZEN CL-S Options
You are now ready to print labels with your Citizen label printer!
Before connecting your Rollo printer to your Mac printer workstation, you'll need to download the correct driver. We recommend the Rollo Hi-Res driver for the best quality. Once you have installed the driver, you can then connect the printer, add it to your System Preferences, and configure its settings.
Follow the procedures outlined in the sections below for each step.
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.
Download & Install the Rollo Driver
Once the installation is complete, connect the Rollo printer to your Mac via USB and move on to the next section.
If this is your first use of the Rollo printer, be sure to follow the setup instructions for first use on the Rollo Support site.
Add to the Printers & Scanners System Preferences
Your Rollo is now added to your System Preferences and is available to print. Next, you'll want to print a test label through the Rollo printer to ensure the settings are correct.
Set Rollo Default Options
Your printer defaults are now configured and you can start printing your label PDFs.
You can also print a test label from CUPS to ensure everything is working smoothly. Just click on the Printers tab on the top of the CUPS screen. Go to the Maintenance drop-down menu and choose Print Test Page.
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 your label PDFs.
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.
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.
Standard Desktop Printers
Whether a standard desktop printer is "plug and play" with your Mac will depend on the make and model of the printer, if the printer requires a driver, and if that driver is pre-installed on your Mac or not. The setup procedure below will indicate at what point you may need to install a driver for your device.
Add Printer to System Preferences
Your standard printer is now added and ready to use. In most cases, the default settings do not need to be adjusted on standard printers to accommodate printing in ShipStation. If you want to check and adjust the printer defaults for your standard printers, you should do so through the Mac CUPS option.
Your next step is to ensure your ShipStation label format is set correctly. Review the ShipStation Print Settings article for details.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
Set Up a Multi Tray Printer
If your standard desktop printer contains multiple trays, you can add another instance of your printer to your printer workstation System Preferences and use CUPS to 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 2 labels per page and in Tray 2 use standard letter or A4-sized 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 a different color of standard paper in Tray 2 to print pick lists.
Whatever your scenario, you'll need to take the following actions:
Add a New Printer Instance
Next, you'll access CUPS and assign trays to each instance of the printer.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS is the term used for the printer configuration settings on a Mac which you access through a web browser like Chrome or Firefox.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Each instance of the printer will appear in ShipStation (and other apps you print from) as a unique printer.
You may want to customize the names of the printers so it is more obvious to your warehouse staff which printer is which.
Repeat the above steps for any printer you wish to rename. The description is how the printer name will display in your Printers & Scanners System Preferences, as well as in your ShipStation print screens.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
The printer workstation is the computer your printers are physically attached to via USB. ShipStation Connect must be installed and running on the printer workstation (but not on non-printer workstations) in order to print documents via ShipStation Connect.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System. It is the Mac OS method for managing print jobs and printing preferences.
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