ZEBRA GK420d Direct Thermal Desktop Monochrome Printer Print Width of 4 in USB Serial and Parallel Port Connectivity GK42-202510-000

As a Mac user, I was worried about the installation process after seeing some negative reviews here. After printing a couple of test pages, it was only printing on the first 2" of a 4x6" label. Luckily, I found another review that mentioned calibrating the printer to use a specific label size, and figured out a solution!If you're using this printer with a Mac, follow these steps:1. Plug in printer2. In System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click button: Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.3. Select the Zebra printer4. Click the Choose a Driver dropdown and choose Select Software. From the list, select the ZPL driver. Then click Add.5. Here's the magic: On the printer, press and hold the button (to the right of the status indicator) until the indicator flashes a "double-blink." It blinks once, keep holding, then it'll blink twice rapidly, let go. The printer will slowly feed out a label, calibrating the size.6. Done! Enjoy an excellent printer!Hope that helps someone else. The CUPS interface can be confusing for anyone who isn't very tech-inclined so installing with the above steps should save you that trouble.So far print quality is pretty good. Thermal printers aren't meant to print photo-quality or even super-dark blacks. It's much faster and quieter than the old Zebra it's replacing, and looks 1000x better in my workspace. I snagged it on Amazon from the Woot seller for just $34, worried there must be something wrong with the model, but it's brand new and works great. Strangely, it included two different power cables, both European and not for US plugs, so I have to using my own computer cable from the transformer to the wall. But for the price I can hardly complain.

So far so good. Just received the printer today.I'm Using Windows 10 and ShipStation.Will work with bother UPS and USPS although the top boarders are just slightly cut off, but only by a few mm, it will not affect shipping.ShipStation recommends you download their driver for any zebra printer. Since my windows computer is so slow (was purchased strictly for ShipStation) their recommended driver wouldn't download.You pretty much plug and play with this printer, just set the printing preferences and you're good to go. I went ahead and installed the drivers on the disc that came with the printer since my computer recognized this printer as a zp450 after plugging it in and started printing labels. Installation was straight forward, although I doubt it was needed at all since this worked at first without installing the drivers!I tried connecting to my Mac and followed ShipStations installation instructions but had no luck. You're best off getting a Dymo Printer just for Macs. But since I started a new clothing/accessories brand and will need to print labels to ship via UPS and USPS as well as UPC labels for my products, I had to purchase a PC designated for the thermal printers.

Prior to purchasing this I had to print my labels on a laser printer, cut them to size, and affix with tape. So this Zebra printer really saves a lot of time and certainly is more professional. For some reason I had problems getting the label to print correctly, but I phoned support and got immediate help. The tech walked me through a couple of changes in my set-up and everything has been fine since.Before buying it I read some reviewers' comments on poor print quality. Although not laser quality, I've had no issues with the print quality being substandard. There are some adjustments, or choices, to make regarding print quality when setting up the printer for the first time, so perhaps it has to do with the choices there.I wish I'd bought this a long time ago, but I'm glad I have it now.

Pros: Feels sturdy, roll is encased in printer, prints very quickly.Cons: I couldn't get it to work properly. I have a mac, and the driver software included is windows based. Zebra does not have ANY download options for Mac drivers. Which is OK because macs have printer drivers preinstalled - including ones for this printer! Unfortunately these drivers only allow for the most basic of options (such as setting the paper size). If you want to change the print speed or type you have to use CUPS.Which is okay too - unless you have literally ANY issues. Such as the printer only printing on the top 1" of labels no matter what the paper size or line weight is set for. This requires a factory reset / recalibration ...which you do not have access to unless you buy a third party software. Either a lump sum of 1/3 the printer cost, or a tidy sum monthly. YUP if you have ANY issues and are using an apple device you will have to pay to resolve them with a software provided by a different company. You do not have access to those settings automatically. Windows users however do, with the free downloads provided by Zebra.So basically - if you plug this in, and it works, you are golden. For me it did not. It only printed on 1" of the labels, no matter what changes I made. I spent two hours troubleshooting, reinstalling, and wasting 50+ labels before giving up because the only solutions I didn't try required paying for additional software.Ended up buying another Munbyn printer (returned the first one due to problems) it isn't as sturdy and maybe it won't last, but setup took 2 minutes instead of 2 hours...and it actually works!