Step-by-Step Zebra Printer Troubleshooting Tips

Published on February 5, 2024

No matter what industry your business operates in, having a reliable fleet of printers is essential. Unfortunately, printer and other equipment malfunctions can grind your operations to a halt, costing your company money while potentially tarnishing your reputation with customers.

a group of people applying labels to boxes after troubleshooting their zebra printing.

If your business relies on Zebra printers to keep things running smoothly, the good news is that this printer brand tends to be one of the more reliable on the market. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that Zebra printers aren't prone to their fair share of problems.

By understanding some of the most common Zebra printer issues and how to troubleshoot them, you can more confidently determine whether you want to tackle your own repair or turn to a trusted professional for assistance.

Common Zebra Printer Problems

There are a handful of issues that are most commonly reported with different Zebra printer models. One of the most common issues is that of the printer not being recognized by other devices. This includes computers or devices that were previously connected to the printer. This issue can affect any printer connected to a network, but specifically, reports of Zebra ZQ620 and Zebra ZD410 not printing are relatively common (and frustrating).

Zebra also offers a line of thermal label printers that are used by many businesses to print shipping labels. However, some users have reported Zebra printers not printing full labels or thermal printers not printing clearly. This seems to be an especially common issue among Mac IOS users.

Some other common issues that users have reported with different Zebra brand printers include paper jams, poor print quality, calibration issues, and ribbon errors. If you're experiencing any of these, you're not alone.

Diagnosing Zebra Printer Issues

The first step in tackling a problem with your Zebra printer is to diagnose the issue and its potential cause. For example, if you're dealing with a paper jam, potential causes that you should consider include:

Incorrect media (paper) loading
Mechanical issues
Bad printhead
Dirty or damaged printer rollers
The wrong type of media

a brown-haired woman is sitting at a table using a laptop computer inside her warehouse of ceramic goods.

Likewise, if you're experiencing calibration issues (such as misaligned labels or skewed label printing), then some potential causes may include:

Dirty sensors
Worn out rollers
Bad print head or incorrect print head pressure

Still having connection issues? If you're having trouble getting your Zebra printer to connect to another device, consider the following diagnoses:

Outdated or incorrect printer drivers
The printer is set to “sleep” mode
Network issues (lack of bandwidth or slow network connection)
Incorrect printer settings

Troubleshooting Zebra Printer Errors

Once you've figured out what's wrong with your printer and have some ideas about what might be causing the issue, you can start troubleshooting your Zebra printer. During this critical step, you will explore some possible solutions for getting your printer working as it should once again.

If you've been dealing with frustrating Zebra printer paper jams, consider whether you believe the potential cause to be worn-out rollers, incorrect media, or mechanical issues.

For example, if you think the issue may be related to the type of media being used, check to ensure that the label(s) you're loading are compatible with your model of printer. If so, ensure that the labels are being loaded properly into the printer and that there are no obstructions. It can tempting to cut corners by buying cheap printer labels, but these can cause printer problems, so use only high-quality labels.

In many cases, adjusting the position of the label sensor or calibrating the printer can help with paper jams and related problems.

What if you're dealing with a frustrating case of poor print quality? Your labels may be coming out unreadable or missing barcodes, and you may not be able to use them to ship your items. If this is the case, you can try troubleshooting Zebra print quality problems by:

Cleaning the print head with a clean, lint-free cloth and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol.
Adjusting the darkness settings within the printer software.
Updating all firmware and/or drivers (where applicable).

a woman is sitting at a desk with boxes labeling boxes with her zebra printer while another woman checks shipments on a clipboard.

Maintaining Print Consistency: Labels and Ribbons

Blurry labels, labels that have only been printed partially, and other consistency issues are commonly reported with Zebra brand printers. These problems can be frustrating because they can have a direct impact on your company's ability to print shipping and other labels, which may actually prevent you from getting products out to your customers on time.

Most often, issues with print consistency in Zebra printers are related to the labels/media being used and/or the ribbons on the printers themselves.

To address these issues, start by making sure that your Zebra printer has all of its software and drivers up-to-date. Another important thing to check is the speed settings on your printer. When in doubt, you can always decrease the printing speed to see if that results in an improvement in print quality.

Likewise, other troubleshooting efforts (such as cleaning print heads and trying a different type/size/brand of label) may also be effective.

Unfortunately, if the print head is bad on a Zebra printer then this normally should be handled by a professional. Print heads are typically an expensive part and replacing it can be a complex job that requires precision and care. The good news though is that replacing the print head is still a very cost-effective repair, and is much cheaper than replacing the printer.

Keep Your Printers Running Smoothly With Help From Mercom

While Zebra label printers and scanners do tend to be quite reliable, the reality is that any machine can run into problems over time—especially with heavy use. Whether you're dealing with connection problems, print quality issues, paper jams, or anything in between, the good news is that the Mercom team is here to help.

With over 25 years of experience servicing and repairing Zebra printers, our technicians can handle the diagnosis, troubleshooting, and repair services that you need to get your printer back in business. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our repair services or to explore our asset management program. We look forward to helping your business run more smoothly!