If your Zebra label printer shows as connected but won't print, drops off your printer list, or keeps showing "busy," the steps below fix most cases. They're listed from quickest to most involved, so start at the top and stop as soon as you're printing again. If you've worked through them and still need help, reach out to us and let us know which steps you tried.
These steps work for Zebra label printers used with SimpleConsign, including the ZD220, ZD411, and ZD421. Most of them are for Windows computers. If you're on a Mac, jump to Mac computers.
In this article
- Quick checks
- Step 1: Restart the printer and EDNA
- Step 2: Recalibrate the printer
- Step 3: Remove and reconnect the printer in Windows
- Step 4: Turn off Local Security Authority protection (Windows 11)
- Mac computers
- Other common situations
- Still not printing? Contact us
- Switching to a TSC label printer
Quick checks
EDNA is the small program on your computer that lets SimpleConsign talk to your printers. Before anything else, check these. Each one has caused printing problems on its own.
- Allow local network access in your browser. Recent security updates to Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge added a setting called Local network access. If it isn't allowed for SimpleConsign, your browser blocks SimpleConsign from reaching EDNA and your printers stop working. If your browser asks whether SimpleConsign can look for and connect to devices on your local network, choose Allow. If you clicked Block or never saw the prompt, follow the steps in Printers Not Working - No Connection to EDNA After Google Chrome Security Update or Printers not working - No Connection to EDNA After Microsoft Edge Security Update.
- Open SimpleConsign in Chrome or Firefox (these are the two browsers we recommend you use). Other apps or shortcuts that open SimpleConsign outside a normal browser window can keep your printers from showing up.
- Plug straight into the computer. Connect the printer's USB cable directly to the computer, not through a USB hub or dock.
- Check your computer's processor. SimpleConsign needs a standard processor such as an Intel Core i5 or i7, or an AMD Ryzen 5. Computers with an Intel Core "Ultra" processor, common in some newer laptops and all-in-one touchscreens, aren't supported and may not print at all.
- Keep Windows up to date. Install any pending Windows updates and restart. Windows 10 no longer receives updates from Microsoft, so if your computer is still on Windows 10, upgrading to Windows 11 is required.
Step 1: Restart the printer and EDNA
- Turn the printer off and wait at least 30 seconds.
- Turn the printer back on and wait until the light is solid green.
- On your computer, right-click the Start button and select Task Manager.
- Select the Services tab, find TraxiaEDNA, right-click it, and select Restart.
- Refresh SimpleConsign in your browser and try printing a label.
If the printer still doesn't print, restart the computer with the printer turned on, then try again. For more detail on restarting EDNA, see Not Connected To EDNA - How To Restart EDNA Service For Printing In Windows.
Step 2: Recalibrate the printer
Calibrating teaches the printer where each label starts and stops. If your printer prints blank labels, prints in the wrong spot, or shows "busy," calibrate it.
Recalibrate every time you change label size. If you use more than one label size, the printer needs to be calibrated each time you switch.
Calibrate from SimpleConsign
- In SimpleConsign, go to Printers, then EDNA Printers.
- Open your Zebra printer's details and select Calibrate.
- If the first calibration doesn't fix it, run it a second time.
Calibrate from the printer itself
If calibrating from SimpleConsign doesn't work, calibrate using the buttons on the printer. The buttons are different depending on your model. For all models, first make sure the labels are loaded, the top cover is closed, and the printer is on with a solid green light.
ZD411 and ZD421 (button models)
- Press and hold Pause and Cancel at the same time for about 2 seconds, then let go.
- The printer feeds and measures a few labels. When the light turns solid green again, calibration is done.
Use Pause and Cancel, not Pause and Feed. Pause and Feed runs a different test that can reset the printer's settings.
ZD421 with a color touchscreen
- On the printer's screen, go to Print, then Sensors, and run the calibration from there.
ZD220 (Feed button only)
- Press and hold the Feed button. After about 2 seconds, the light flashes once.
- Keep holding. When the light flashes a second time, let go right away.
- The printer feeds and measures a few labels. When the light turns solid green again, calibration is done.
Don't hold Feed until a third flash, and don't hold Feed while turning the printer on. Both reset the printer to its factory settings.
If the printer keeps printing a long run of labels with numbers on them, it has gone into a diagnostic mode. Turn it off, then back on, and it will return to normal.
Step 3: Remove and reconnect the printer in Windows
Use this step if Windows and SimpleConsign disagree about whether the printer is connected (for example, Windows says it's ready but SimpleConsign says it's offline or busy), or if the printer has disappeared from SimpleConsign.
- Turn the printer off.
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. Find your Zebra printer, right-click it, and select Uninstall device.
- Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Select your Zebra printer and choose Remove.
- Restart the computer.
- Plug the printer into a different USB port if one is available.
- Turn the printer on. Wait for Windows to detect it as a new device.
- In SimpleConsign, go to Printers > EDNA Printers. If the printer shows as detected, select Add Printer, then calibrate it (Step 2).
It may take a few tries. If Windows doesn't detect the printer after step 6, turn it off and back on again. Some printers need several power cycles before Windows sees them as a new device.
Step 4: Turn off Local Security Authority protection (Windows 11)
If SimpleConsign sees your printer but it never shows as ready, or it keeps failing after Steps 1–3, a Windows 11 security setting may be blocking the printer's driver from working correctly. Turning it off has fixed printing for stores where nothing else worked.
Before you start: this setting protects your Windows sign-in information, so turning it off lowers your computer's security somewhat. If an outside IT company manages your computers, check with them first. You'll need to be signed in as an administrator.
- Select Start, type Windows Security, and open it.
- Select Device security, then Core isolation details.
- Find Local Security Authority protection and turn it Off.
- Restart the computer when Windows asks you to.
- With the printer turned off, repeat Step 3 (remove the printer, then plug it into a different USB port and turn it back on).
- In SimpleConsign, add the printer in EDNA Printers if needed, and try printing a label.
The printer might not show up in the Windows Printers & scanners list afterward. That's OK. As long as it shows as ready in SimpleConsign, you're good to go.
Mac computers
Steps 3 and 4 are for Windows only. On a Mac, start with the quick checks, Step 1 (restart the printer), and Step 2 (calibrate), then check your USB connection:
- Check your USB adapter. Many Macs only have USB-C ports, so the printer connects through an adapter or hub. A faulty or incompatible adapter is a common cause of printing problems on a Mac. Try a different adapter, or plug the printer directly into the Mac if you can.
For more Mac-specific steps, see Troubleshooting Mac EDNA.
Other common situations
Both my label printer and receipt printer disappeared from SimpleConsign. Check that you're opening SimpleConsign in a regular web browser and that Local network access is allowed (see Quick checks). Then restart the TraxiaEDNA service (Step 1).
My printer stopped partway through a big batch of tags. On very large transactions (200 or more items), printing can stop partway through without an error. Find the last tag that printed, then reprint the tags after it.
Windows doesn't see the printer at all. If the printer doesn't appear anywhere in Device Manager, even after trying another USB port, security software on your computer may be blocking it. If an outside IT company manages your computers, ask them to allow the Zebra printer.
My printer is shared with other computers. If more than one computer prints to the same label printer, share it using SimpleConsign's Cloud Printing instead of Windows printer sharing. You'll find it under Printers in SimpleConsign.
Still not printing? Contact us
If you've worked through these steps and your printer still won't print, contact us and we'll help. To speed things up, have this ready:
- Your printer model (it's on the label on the back or bottom of the printer)
- Whether you're on Windows 10, Windows 11, or a Mac
- Which browser you use for SimpleConsign
- Which steps in this article you tried, and what happened
- Whether the problem started after a Windows or browser update, or a computer restart
Quick recap
- Start with the quick checks: allow local network access in your browser, plug in directly, use a supported processor, and keep Windows up to date.
- Restart the printer and the TraxiaEDNA service, then recalibrate using the right buttons for your model.
- If Windows and SimpleConsign disagree about the printer, remove it from both Device Manager and Printers & scanners, then reconnect.
- On Windows 11, turning off Local Security Authority protection has fixed printing when nothing else did.
- Still stuck? Contact us and tell us which steps you tried.