Printing

Intro

Printing has two jobs: the store-wide default label format for carrier labels, and — per packing station — the thermal print method that gets a ZPL / EPL label from the browser onto the Zebra or Eltron printer next to it without a print dialog.

Purpose

• Stop per-label format fiddling at the bench
• Match label output to the hardware at each station
• Let a Windows station and a Mac station each print the way their OS allows

Default label format

Click Save after changing either.

On the label screen and on Make Label the format picker is pre-selected with this page's default whenever one is set; the carrier's Label format only fills in when the store has none. Whatever the operator picks in that dropdown always wins.

Thermal printer (per computer)

How ZPL/EPL labels reach the printer on this computer. The choice is stored in the browser of the station you are sitting at — nothing to save — so each bench can differ. A status badge shows the current state: Connected — Zebra ZP505, DropPrint — Zebra ZP505 (or DropPrint — printer chosen in DropPrint), or Saving .zpl files.

Zebra Browser Print

1. Install Zebra Browser Print and leave it running.
2. In Browser Print, set your Zebra / Eltron printer as the default and add the StoresBoost host (shown on the page) to Accepted Hosts.
3. On HTTPS, open https://127.0.0.1:9101 once and accept the certificate warning.
4. Back in StoresBoost pick the Printer, click Check connection, then Send test print.

DropPrint (macOS)

1. Install DropPrint (part of the Peninsula Thermal Print System) and set up the label printer with its Thermal Utility.
2. In DropPrint → Connections keep URL Scheme enabled — version 2025.3 or newer is required.
3. Optionally enter Printer name in DropPrint exactly as DropPrint lists it (e.g. Zebra ZP505); leave blank to use the printer DropPrint asks for or has selected.
4. Click Send test print. The browser asks Open DropPrint? the first time — tick Always allow so later labels print without a prompt.

Each label is published at a private link that expires after 15 minutes; DropPrint downloads and prints it immediately. If the handoff fails, the .zpl file is downloaded instead so you can drop it on DropPrint.

Download .zpl file

1. In the browser, turn off Ask where to save each file so labels land in Downloads without a dialog.
2. Point your print tool at that folder — in DropPrint use Watch Folder with delete after print so each label prints once and is cleaned up.
3. Save test file to check the flow.

What the packer sees

• Create + Print Label / Print Again on a ZPL or EPL label follows this station's method. Toasts: Sent to printer, Sent to DropPrint, or Label file saved. PDF labels open the preview / print dialog instead.
• The Print Again dialog spells out where the label goes (hands the label to DropPrint on this Mac…, saves the label as a .zpl file in your Downloads folder…, or Browser Print).
• If a handoff fails: DropPrint handoff failed — … The .zpl file was downloaded instead — drop it on DropPrint to print, or, for Browser Print, Open Advanced → Printing to connect Browser Print or switch this computer to DropPrint, or use Print again to open the Windows dialog.

Related

• Shipments → Labels & rates
• Integration → Carriers — per-account label size and format
• Documents — packing slips and lists (separate from carrier labels)