Retail IQ uses exclusively Zebra brand tag printers. Although the models will vary, the setup of them are almost all identical.
Thermal Transfer versus Direct Thermal Printers: To our knowledge, Retail IQ does not have any clients who use Thermal Transfer tag printers. This type of tag printer requires a ribbon. Instead, Retail IQ’s clients use Direct Thermal tag printers that “burn” the information onto the labels without a ribbon.
Drivers: Choice of 2 Drivers
1. Zebra ‘s default driver: Until recently, Zebra’s default driver they made has not been very good. You could set the paper sizes and everything and the tags would still be off, or give you some other problems. However, as of August 2025, their latest driver is much easier to use and set up and works well.
2. Seagull driver: this is a third party driver from a company called BarTender. You can Google “Seagull Zebra Driver” to find it.
Regardless of which driver you choose, there are some configurations that are particularly important:
Paper size: Most common paper size is 2.25 inches wide by 1.25 inches tall. This goes for what we would call “Normal” tags which are exactly this size, as well as “Split” tags which sit 2 by 2 on the roll and in total, combine to be 2.25 inches by 1.25. Here are what each type of roll looks like:
· Note: Although this is the most common size, some Retail IQ clients will have different tag sizes they prefer and have their own tag designs in Retail Pro 9/Prism. In addition, it is common for Retail IQ clients to use two different types of tags which they switch out in the printer.
Dithering: this feature might be called something different depending on the driver you’re using, but it is basically an attempt for the printer to print in shades of gray, and not just black or white. For barcodes to print out clearly, dithering should always be shut off or set to none in the printer driver!
Configuring a Tag Printer Driver: Regardless of which driver you use, it is extremely important you do the following:
1. BEFORE installing the printer software, turn off the printer or unplug the USB cable. Then run the installation – during the installation it should prompt you to turn on the printer to complete the installation.
2. In EVERY SPOT IN THE PRINTER PROPERTY SETTINGS (when you look around in the properties of the printer, you will find the same settings repeated in different area an they ALL must be set the same):
a. Set up the EXACT paper size of the tags being used. Typically, just the paper size is needed and the other options (like margins) can be left at their defaults
b. Dithering must be turned off or set to none.
c. All other default settings can be left alone unless there are issues with that particular printer that warrant changing them.
3. A tag printer must be SHARED AND INSTALLED ON ALL COMPUTERS AT A STORE– so the printer can be installed on every computer at that location/store. If it’s a USB printer, have it connected to the PC of the client’s choosing, and then share it so you can then browse to it from the other computers and get it installed. Without fail, a store that first calls in and wants a tag printer installed on just one computer will eventually call back and want it installed on ALL of their computers, so take the time up front to install it on all computers that run Retail Pro/Prism!
· Note on Wifi tag printers: some clients have opted for network tag printers that work over WiFi. These printers have been reliable and actually seem to be easier to install on multiple computers because you can browse to the printer on the network and install it (see Zebra website for more details and documentation on how to set these Wi-Fi tag printers up).
o These can be configured like any other tag printer, however, you must
1. First have it plugged into a computer via a USB A to B printer cable
2. Use the Zebra Setup Utility software from Zebra. This utility will guide you through the setup process of getting the printer on Wi-Fi.
Common Issues:
Tag printers are one of the more common calls for support for various reasons.
1. Printer is skipping labels, or labels are off center
Resolutions:
o Check that the paper size listed in Retail Pro matches the paper size listed in the driver in Printer Properties for the driver. Sometimes Zebra will update the driver in Windows and the paper size resets.
o If the paper size matches and you verify that’s the right size for the roll of tags, turn printer off
o Have the customer open up the lid and take the labels out, then blow around the roller where the label feed out, and also check up on the lid and around the gap sensor for any debris built up. Once done, have them put the labels back in, turn the printer on, hit the Feed button a few times until only one row of labels spits out when they hit the Feed button. Then test printing in Retail Pro.
o If that doesn’t work, you can go to the Printer Properties of the printer in Windows and if you look around in the Tools area, there will be an option to calibrate the printer or even reset the printer to factory defaults. You can try one or both of those options and then go into Retail Pro and test printing tags from there.
o If none of that works, remove the printer in Windows and reinstall it with another/newer driver and reconfigure everything from scratch.
o You can also try to adjust the tag design in Document Designer, but if it was working previously, we typically don’t want to mess with the design itself until the absolute last resort.
2. Only the computer where the printer is physically connected can print tags. Most likely a networking issue
Resolutions:
o Check that the PC the tag printer is physically connected to has its Network Type set to “Private” and not public. Also check that File and Printer Sharing is turned on for Private networks. If those settings changed, change them back and test. Alternatively, you can check to see if antivirus or some sort of software firewall is preventing the connection.
o If there’s still a problem, make sure the printer is still shared or that the printer’s name didn’t change. Sometimes the stores will move the tag printer and try to configure it themselves and the printer is no longer in same USB port or computer it was originally shared from. Check and fix that and then test
o Delete the printer driver on the PC(s) that can’t print to it and find it again over the network (or via Add Printer Wizard in Windows) and install it again.
o If nothing else works, uninstall the printer on the PC it is connected to, reinstall the printer using a newer driver, and then reshare on the network and reinstall onto the other PCs.