Update Tulip Device Library Printers Page

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I am looking into label printer use cases and noticed that the GK420D DESKTOP PRINTER model listed on the Tulip.co device library page is discontinued according to the manufacturer’s page.

Can this device library page be updated with currently supported models, and also to indicate connection options?

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Zebra’s site indicates these are the replacement models:

Are these supported?

What connection options are possible?

Any connection option without Edge device? (our IT is slow at approving this for our network)

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Hey James, definitely we can work on updating this documentation given the obsolescence of this model.

Looping in @k.ober to see if he can answer the more immediate question about connection possibilities with the ZD400 series.

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Hey Beth and @jmlowden ! Happy to help - some good news/bad news here. Timely, though, as we’re just going through a revamp of our Zebra printer documentation ourselves.

In short, the method that you use to integrate with a Zebra printer will always be determined by the port on the Zebra printer that you’re using. I’ve confirmed this with some of Zebra’s newer models (the 410, to be precise) so I expect this to persist across other models.

If the port you are plugging into on the Zebra printer is:

  1. A DB9 port, you’ll be communicating via Serial/RS-232. Use either the Serial (Player Only) driver (which I’ve detailed here) for Player, or either the Generic Serial driver or Node-RED with any Edge Device.

  2. An RJ45 port, you’ll be communicating by TCP. Use either the Zebra Network Printer or Telnet drivers for Player (fair warning, I haven’t tried the latter yet), or the Zebra Printer driver for Edge Devices. (or, perhaps Node-RED as well)

  3. A USB port, in which I hope you the best - I have yet to get comms to work over this port. I think there might be a way to reconfigure the device as COM-over-USB with their software, but have yet to crack it.

All in all, what this means is make sure you know what ports are on your printer! There are different configurations, so for ex not al GK420s are the same!
(Side note, the newer ZD400’s mostly don’t have DB9’s, but they do sell an adapter kit)

let me know if this helps!

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