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. Follow the procedures below to set up a Zebra printer on your Mac.
Note: Special Zebra printers provided by your carrier (for example, UPS or FedEx) may require custom drivers, which should be provided by the carrier representative. In some cases, these printers are intended to only work with the carrier's proprietary app (for example, UPS WorldShip or FedEx Ship Manager). Check with your carrier account rep for details.
Add to the Printers & Scanners System Preferences
Open "System Preferences" on your Mac.
Choose "Printers & Scanners".
Click the "+" sign under the list of printers. Choose “Add Printer”, if prompted.
Select your Zebra printer from the list of printers in the Add pop-up screen.
Check the "Use" drop-down menu for the selected driver.
Most Zebra printers will use either the Zebra EPL1 or EPL2 driver. EPL2 is the most common and used for ZP series printers and older GK series printers. Some newer models, like the GX series and refurbished GK series, as well as those ending in the letter Z, also support the Zebra ZPL driver.
Check your printer model's documentation on the Zebra Support site if you are unsure which to use. If you select the wrong driver, you can change the selection in CUPS, which is detailed under the Set Default Options section below.
Click the "Use" drop-down menu and choose "Select Software" if the auto-selected choice is the wrong one.
Type "Zebra" into the Filter bar of the Printer Software pop-up and select the correct printer option (EPL1, EPL2, or ZPL) from the list. Click "OK".
Click "Add".
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.
How to Access CUPS
Open your internet browser (i.e., Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc).
Copy/Paste or type the following into the URL field and press Enter: http://localhost:631/printers. If you see a list of your printers, you have successfully accessed CUPS and can skip steps 3 - 6. If you receive a "web interface error" that means your Mac is not yet configured to allow access to CUPS. You'll need to enable this option in the Terminal utility app using steps 3-6 below.
Open the Terminal applications on your Mac. (Terminal is located in "Applications > Utilities", or you can use your Mac's Spotlight Search.)
Copy/Paste the following command into the Terminal window after the $ prompt: cupsctl WebInterface=yes
Press "Return" on your keyboard. As long as the next line that appears in your Terminal is another blank prompt, you are done. Quit Terminal and return to your browser.
Reload the browser with the http://localhost:631/printers address in the URL.
You should now see a list of your printers.
Set Default Zebra Options
Click the name of the Zebra printer you wish to edit. This example uses the Zebra LP2844.
Click the "Administration" drop-down menu and choose "Set Default Options".
You should now be in General Options.
Note: If you see an Authentication Required pop-up, enter your MacOS admin username and password.
Set the following options:
Media Size: 4.00x6.00
Resolution: This should match the requirements of the specific Zebra printer. Most will be 203dpi, but some Zebra printers use 300dpi. Check your printer documentation for details.
Click "Printer Settings" and adjust the following settings:
Darkness: 25
Print Rate: 2 inches/sec.
These settings can be adjusted as needed to create the best quality label required. The general rule is the slower the print rate, the better the print quality. Test which combination of settings suits your workflow and produces the label print quality you need.
Click Set "Default Options". Your printer defaults are now configured.
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".