Zebra ZD230D label printer

The ZD230D is a Zebra 4-inch desktop printer that prints only direct thermal labels without a ribbon, and the newer ZD230DA (direct thermal only, USB) and the thermal transfer ZD230TA are offered alongside it as variants. In the GoodLabel Designer model list, all four models are the single ZD230 line, so the label setup steps are the same whichever variant you have.

Choosing among the three variants

• If you print only direct thermal paper and shipping labels, it is either the ZD230D (direct thermal only, USB) or the newer ZD230DA (direct thermal only, USB). Both have a 203 dpi head and print up to 104 mm wide at up to 6 ips (152 mm/s).
• If you need to print art paper or Yupo labels with a ribbon, choose the ZD230TA (thermal transfer, USB). No ribbon is loaded on the two direct-thermal-only variants.
• All three variants have USB in their names, so the unit is a USB-connected configuration, and the white unit is a separate ZD230D (white) variant.

Whichever variant you have, it is set up as the same ZD230 model in the Designer, so a label file (.glb) made once opens as-is on all three units.

Setting up the ZD230D in GoodLabel Designer

• Install the Zebra universal driver v10 (Downloads) and the unit appears in the Windows printer list.
• In the Designer's Printer settings window, select that printer and search for ZD230 in the Printer model field. The ZD230 has only one resolution, 203 DPI, so the resolution is filled in the moment you select the model.
• The unit has no ribbon, so click the Direct thermal button for the print method in Printer settings. ^MTD is then placed before the first label each time you print.
• For the media type, choose the one that matches the roll: Gap labels (^MNY), Continuous media (^MNN) or Black mark (^MNM). With Continuous media, the label height is sent with it in the ^LL command and sets the length of one piece.
• After loading a new roll, click Auto detect in Troubleshoot to send the ~JC command, and the unit measures the label length and gap again. The number in the Gap length field is not included in ZPL commands.

If the Windows printer name contains ZD230 as one word, the model field is filled in automatically; if the name has letters after it, such as ZD230D, search for the model in the field and enter it yourself. If the first label is faint, raise the density in the Print window above its default of 21; this field ranges from 0 to 30.

Direct thermal label specifications for the ZD230D

The max width of media for the direct thermal unit is given as two values: 112 mm (2021 ZD230 technical specifications) and 108 mm (2024 Korean direct thermal user guide 212089-03KO). A roll that is 108 mm or less including the liner is within both values.

Labels 10 mm or 20 mm high fall short of the 25.4 mm minimum label length and are not chosen for this unit.

Rolls up to 127 mm outer diameter fit, and the standard core inner diameters are 12.7 mm and 25 mm. Rolls on 1.5-inch cores need the optional adapter kit, and this core inner diameter is given differently as 37.1 mm (2021 ZD230 technical specifications) and 38.1 mm (212089-03KO). Fanfold labels go in through the feed slot at the back of the unit, and in that case set the stop position of the media guides to the media width with the gold wheel.

In the label size in the Designer's Printer settings, enter the width and height of the actual label, measured with a ruler, in mm. If you set the width larger than the 104 mm print width, the part beyond 104 mm is not printed.