Print to a Zebra label printer from a Mac, without a driver

What you need

• A Mac on macOS 14 or later.
• A Zebra ZD410, ZD411 or ZD421 on your network, by Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
• Direct thermal labels, the kind with no ribbon.
• A printer connected only by USB. Backfeed prints over the network, so a USB-only printer needs its Ethernet or Wi-Fi card first.

Steps

1. Install Backfeed

   Get it from the Mac App Store. Finding printers, calibrating and test printing are free and need no account.

2. Find the printer

   Open Printers. A printer on the same network as your Mac appears by itself. If it sits on another subnet, choose Add by IP and type its address.

3. Check the labels

   Open the printer and set Loaded media to the labels that are in it. Backfeed reads the label length from the printer’s gap sensor and suggests a match. Print a test label to check the alignment.

4. Print your file

   Go to Labels and choose a PDF or image, or drag one onto the window. You can also right-click a file in Finder and use Open With. Pick the printer and label size, check the preview, and print.

Why there is no Print dialog

Backfeed doesn’t install a print driver, so it won’t appear in another app’s File > Print menu. Save or export a PDF from that app, then open it in Backfeed. The preview is a 1-bit image of exactly what the print head will burn, so you see how barcodes and small text will come out before you spend a label.

What it costs

Finding, managing and test-printing your printers is free. Printing your own PDFs and images needs Backfeed Local, a one-time $9.99 purchase, or a Backfeed Cloud subscription. Either one also works on your iPhone and iPad.

More guides

• Print 4x6 shipping labels from iPhone or iPad
• Set up a Zebra printer’s Wi-Fi without a PC
• Print to a Zebra printer from anywhere

Which printer to buy, and which will not work, is on the printers page. Stuck? Ask us with your model and what you print. A person will answer.