Will my printer work with Label LIVE?
Answer
Most likely, yes. Almost all printers work with Label LIVE. Read on to learn the difference between built-in support and using a manufacturer printer driver.
Label printers can be split into 2 broad groups: USB Thermal Printers (built-in support) and System Printers (support provided by manufacturer driver).
USB Thermal Printers
These printers print a single color (black) to labels on a roll. Label LIVE uses its built-in drivers to directly connect to the printer. You don't need to install printer drivers.
What if my thermal printer isn't supported?
If your exact model isn't on our list of supported printers, but it's from a manufacturer that we do support, chances are it will work OK. Printers from the same manufacturer are often perfectly compatible with each other. We invite you to plug it in and give it a try. Let us know if it works and we'll add the printer to our list. If it doesn't work, we will work with you to add support.
Finally, as a last resort you can try installing the manufacturer driver and use the printer as a system printer (see below).
System Printers (Inkjet/Laser)
These desktop inkjet or laser printers print to sheets of paper, may support color, and will require a manufacturer driver. If you can print a PDF to your existing printer then you can print using Label LIVE. Just select the printer in the drop-down list.
Note: You can also install drivers for thermal printers, but beware that by default, Label LIVE may constantly poll the printer via USB. This can cause issues like app freezes. To remedy, consider turning off "USB Thermal Printer" support in Label LIVE settings.
Network Printers - AirPrint
Label LIVE supports AirPrint compatible printers. These can be both black and white (e.g. ROLLO Wireless) and color (e.g. HP Color LaserJet).
Network Printers - Driver
If you have a networked label printer setup with a driver, then Label LIVE will list it as a regular System Printer (above). Label LIVE will generate PDFs and submit them to the print queue. The printer driver is responsible for connecting to the label printer. Networked label printers can be challenging (i.e. super frustrating) because of the high variability between operating systems and drivers.
