Although Chit Chats is optimized for printing labels on Zebra programming language (ZPL) thermal printers, there is still a way to use your non-ZPL thermal printer when working with a Windows computer (e.g. Zebra LP2844, Rollo, Citizen, Brother etc.). You may experience difficulties with configuring a non-ZPL printer on a Mac computer.

Please refer to this article to set up your non-ZPL thermal printer for printing on a Windows or Mac computer if you have not already. If you were unable to successfully set up your non-ZPL thermal printer using our Chit Chats Printer App continue reading below.

Connect your non-ZPL thermal printer

If you have already configured your printer for your computer, please skip to the next section.

Before you begin the printer setup, ensure that your printer is connected to your computer and a power source. For the most accurate information, please follow the specific instructions in your printer's manual. You should be prompted to install the printer driver after connecting to your computer. If not, you can do a quick search for the driver online or use this tool to find the appropriate driver.

For Mac users, add the printer via System Preferences:

  1. Navigate to System Preferences > Printers
  2. Click the ‘+’ to add the printer (provide password of an administrator account if necessary). Select your printer from the list of printers.
  3. For the driver click “Select Software” and choose your printer from the available options.

You can make a test print from your printer settings to make sure it is properly connected. If you experience difficulties with connecting your printer, we recommend contacting your printer’s manufacturer for technical support or checking out our troubleshooting tips. Or you may need our advanced instructions.

Printing labels using Bullzip (Windows)

This guide is for Windows as the Bullzip software is only available for Windows operating systems. A workaround for Mac users follows. 

The Bullzip program pulls all your shipping labels into one PDF file with the correct format for your non-ZPL printer. Before beginning, make sure to set your printer to a 4 x 6” paper size and download the latest versions of Java and QZ tray (see our printer setup page).

  1. Install the Bullzip software from https://www.bullzip.com/ 
  2. Once installed, open the Bullzip PDF Printer Options program to adjust the settings. 
  3. Under the ‘Actions’ tab click 'Show Document'. Select Yes to ‘Open the document after creation’.  
  4. Under the ‘General’ tab, make sure the ‘Remember last file name’ option is checked.  
  5. Under the ‘Dialogs’ tab, make sure that Never is selected for both the Save As – Dialog and Settings - Dialog options. 
  6. Head to our printer setup page and adjust the settings to ensure that you are using the Image (Dymo, laser, or inkjet) Printing Format and that you’ve selected the Bullzip PDF Printer from your list of available printers. If the incorrect Printing Format is selected click on ‘Not the right format?’ and update the selection.
  7. Create a test print. This should generate a PDF file. Open the PDF file and before printing, adjust the settings to ensure your postage is properly aligned. For best results, you should select the option to ‘Fit’ the postage to the page and the orientation should be set to ‘Portrait’. Your postage is now ready to print on your non-ZPL thermal printer. If you experience difficulties with printing your postage, please see our tips for troubleshooting.

Another solution for Mac users is to switch your postage label settings to 4" x 6" to be compatible with your printer.

  1. Navigate to 'Settings' in your Chit Chats account
  2. Select 'Postage Labels' 
  3. Select your preferred label size (4" x 6")