Learn to calibrate and troubleshoot the Zebra ZD621 printer for optimal performance, including media calibration, print settings adjustments, and common issue resolution.
Getting Started
- Open the printer by pulling the yellow locks on the side and remove any test labels or documents inside.
- Connect the printer to a power supply using the provided power cable and link it to the router with the provided Ethernet cable, ensuring it is inserted into the LAN ports on both devices.
- Press the power button on the printer to turn it on and wait till you have two green lights on the printer, one to the top left and one on the top right. (To ensure you’re connected to the internet, look for an IP address on the bottom of the screen of the printer)
- For iPad, connect the the Wi-Fi from the settings (Wi-Fi name should be Pepwave or vFairs).
- Enable Auto-Join for the network by tapping the info icon and toggling Auto-Join on.
Calibration using the Zebra Utility App:
- Open the app. Click on the Discover Printers tab and Connect the Printer with its Printer IP address ( you will see the IP address by clicking on the printer's tab from the home screen)
- Once you connect the printer, click on Media Settings.
- In the media settings, click on “Label/Tag from the top selection, and add the dimensions as per your badge size. If you have a 4*6 double-sided badge, the width would be 4 inches, and the length would be 12 inches (The length would be added i.e. 6+6 for double-sided).
- Click on Next, then verify the following settings:
- Media Type: Black Mark (Or in case of badge stock without black mark at the back of the badges, select this option according to the Media/Badge type being used).
- Media Handling: Cutter (can be changed to Tear Off while testing to prevent the excessive loss of badges)
- Type of Transfer: Direct Thermal if the badge is DT and Thermal Transfer if we are using thermal paper.
- Click NEXT.
- Click Apply Settings.
Calibration using the Printer Settings (Optional):
To access the printer settings:
- Press the Wizard Tab on the printer’s home screen
- From the Wizards menu, tap on the connections, then start connection
- To configure wired connection, under primary network select Wired connection and then tap on the check mark
- Continue with the setup by clicking on the check marks on each step
- Once the connection is configured the network indicator light will switch from red to green
- To access the IP address, tap on the printer’s info from the home screen
Settings that should be set on the printer:
- From the menu, tap on the Printer icon
- Tap on Print Quality and verify the media type is set to MARK or black mark in case the badges have a black line on the back of it
- Scroll down to the Image Adjust option, then select it. Set the media handling option to "Tear Off" for testing purposes, and switch to "Cutter" for live printing
Recommended Printer Settings:
- Darkness should be between 15 or 20
- Print Method: Direct thermal in case you are using direct thermal badge stock (i.e no ink ribbon is being used). In case you are using ink ribbons please select as a thermal transfer.
- Print Width: 812
- label top: 0
- Left position: 0
- Reprint mode: off
- Label length max: 15
Manual Calibration:
If you have configured the above-mentioned steps and are still facing calibration issues, try calibrating the printer manually by following the below steps.
- Press Pause button until all the indicators flash on the printer
- Press the Pause button
- There will be a popup message on the printer’s screen of manual calibration, ignore the instructions on the screen
- Press the Pause button and wait for the pause button to start flashing and press it one more time
- The printer will start feeding out the paper and media light indicator will blinging orange
FAQs:
- The printer is producing unclear or faded labels. How do I fix this?
- To address problems with unclear or faded labels, start by cleaning the printhead with an alcohol swab. If the issue persists after this maintenance, you may want to try using a backup printer as a temporary solution.
- The printer isn’t recognizing the size or type of labels I’m using. Is there a setting I need to adjust?
- Ensure you set the correct parameters in the Printer Setup App. Navigate to media settings and input your badge dimensions. For a double-sided badge measuring 4 inches by 6 inches, enter a width of 4 inches and a length of 12 inches to account for both sides.
- Why won’t my Zebra ZD621 power on?
- Verify that both ends of the power cable are securely connected: one end should be plugged into the printer and the other into a functioning power outlet. Ensure the connection is firm to allow proper power flow to the device.
- The printer is powered on, but there is no display (or it's blank), what do I do?
- To resolve this issue, gently open and close the printhead to reset it. If the display is still blank, unplug the power cables while keeping the printer on for 1 to 2 minutes, then reconnect them to see if the display activates.
- The printer screen is frozen on an error message. How do I restart it safely?
- To safely restart the printer, press the power button to turn it off, then unplug the power cable from the back of the printer. Wait for 10 to 15 seconds before reconnecting the power cable and turning the printer back on.
- Why is my printer showing a "Media Out" error even though I have loaded labels?
- Open the printhead and check that the labels are properly loaded. Ensure that the printhead is securely closed to facilitate accurate printing. Once the printhead is closed, unpause the printer. The printer will begin to feed badges. When it stops feeding badges, press the feed button.
- How do I access the settings menu on the ZD621 printer?
- Press the menu tap on the printer icon. This action will navigate you to the main menu and you can configure the settings.
- Where do I find the IP address of my printer in the settings?
- To access the IP address, select the printer’s info from the home screen (e.g. 192.158.1.38)
- How can I enable or disable the printer’s tear-off or cutter mode?
- You can change the media handling setting from Tear Off to Cutter Mode in two ways: by using the Zebra Utility App and accessing the Media Settings. Alternatively, you can manually adjust this setting directly on the printer itself through its Image Adjust settings under the Menu option.
- You can change the media handling setting from Tear Off to Cutter Mode in two ways: by using the Zebra Utility App and accessing the Media Settings. Alternatively, you can manually adjust this setting directly on the printer itself through its Image Adjust settings under the Menu option.