Setting Up Your Rented On-Site Printer to Connect to PheedLoop Servers

The vast majority of PheedLoop users rent check-in kiosks from us, which include printers that are entirely pre-configured and ready to go. They are simply plug and play right out of the box, requiring minimal setup. If you have on-site support, you have absolutely nothing to do as our skilled on-site support staff will handle everything for you. If you are an advanced user and have chosen to purchase or rent printers separately, the process requires additional setup. We describe what you need to do in both cases below.

Note: If you have our on-site staff at your event, you can skip this section and in fact this entire article. Our staff will be able to configure your printers and PheedLoop easily.

1. Configuring Your Printer

If you have rented your printers from us, you can skip this step and go straight to Step 2 (Linking Your Printer).

Configuring your printer is required in order to ensure your printer knows what servers it must connect to. From the factory, your printer will not know that it needs to connect to PheedLoop's servers, so a small command needs to be run on your printer to point it to our servers.

1. Using a Windows computer, follow the instructions on Zebra's website here to set up your Zebra printer as a Generic Text Printer
2. If you intend on connecting your printer via its ethernet port (most common), download this file
3. Open the file in a text editor, and print it (using the standard print function, Ctrl + P or via the File menu) to the Generic Text Printer you just set up above
4. Your printer should restart on its own if the configuration file was executed successfully
5. If you are connecting the printer to the internet via ethernet, connect the ethernet cable to the back of the printer (the ethernet connection may come directly from a router, switch, LTE hotspot device, wall outlet, etc.). Please ensure this internet connection does not have a password.

Note: To ensure your internet connection is successful, it's crucial that the network you are connecting to has no security settings (e.g. a login page or MAC address restrictions) beyond the network username and password.

2. Linking Your Printer 

If you have on-site support at your event, you can skip this step and let your on-site representative know if you have any questions.

If you have rented printers from us without on-site support, then the printers are pre-configured to work with PheedLoop and the only thing you need to do is insert your printer IDs into your PheedLoop dashboard.

1. Flip over your printer and you will notice a sticker as shown, and take note of your printer's "Serial No." (in this case, "40J180200143")

   

2. Open up your dashboard, visitOn-Site > Badge Printers and paste this serial number into the "Zebra Printer Serial Numbers" field. 

3. Enter the DPI for your printer. This is based on the printer mode. If part number is ZD50043 (Ending in 3) - then the DPI is 300. If part number is ZD50042 (Ending in 2) - then the DPI is 203. 
4. Enter Media Type as Mark if you have Transparent Labels with black bars on the back of the badge. Enter Media Type as Gap if you have White Labels.
5. Under the Tear Off setting please consider the following:
   1. For Peel Off Labels (Translucent or White) - This should be set to Advance Label for Automated Cutting
   2. For Direct Thermal Badges - This should be set to Advance Label for Automated Cutting
6. Under Advanced Settings please consider the following:
   1. For Peel Off Labels (Translucent or White) - Tear Adjustment should be set to 0 and Backfeed should be set to Backfeed Before and After.
   2. For Direct Thermal Badges - Tear Adjustment should be set to 60 for 203 DPI Printers and 100 for 300 DPI Printers. Backfeed should be set to Backfeed Off.

As long as your printer is connected to the internet and your have performed the "Configuring Your Printer" step correctly, your printer is now connected and ready to use. Ensure the printer is not paused (you will see a message on the printer's screen if it) and ensure you have media to print on inside the printer to start printing!

3. Test Your Printer

Testing your printer is extremely easy! It's important to ensure you followed all the steps above if you are setting things up yourself, you have media in the printer itself (e.g. roll of labels, fanfold stock), your printer is turned on and not paused, and you are connected to the internet.

1. Visit your dashboard and navigate to your list of attendees
2. Select an attendee, click on their Actions menu, and select "Print Badge"
3. Select any one of your printers and any template you may have already created, and press Submit - your first badge should print out!

Frequently Asked Questions:

I've followed all the steps above but my badge labels keep feeding out from the printer when I attempt to create a test print. What should I do?

It's best if you conduct a manual calibration of the badge labels inserted inside of the printer. To do this, please follow the instructions here:

1. Open the printer up and feed the badge labels through the opening. Ensure that the labels have the black bars facing downwards. Close the printer accordingly.
2. Send a test print of an attendee badge from your event dashboard via Attendees > Click into an Attendee > Print Badge.
3. On the printer, find the Pause Button and X Button. Click and hold on these two buttons at the same time. You should see the printer start "calibrating". The badges will move in and out and stop after a short while. Once this is done. Click on the Pause Button to unpause the printer.
4. Your printer should now be ready to use. Send another test print to the printer to see if it's working