Zebra ZD220

The ZD220 is simple to install and begin printing right out of the box, but unlike the ZD120 it carries a real ZPL II/EPL2/XML firmware layer, so it can replace an older printer running those languages, or a non-Zebra printer through emulation, without rewriting label formats. A single LED and a single feed/pause button are the entire interface — there's no display, and no Real Time Clock option at all.

Print speed is 4 in./s (102 mm/s) at 203 dpi over a 104 mm maximum print width, with up to 991 mm of label length. Media runs 25.4-112 mm wide on 127 mm OD rolls, on a 12.7, 25.4 or (with an adapter) 38.1 mm core. The thermal-transfer build takes 33.8-109.2 mm ribbon, 74 m to a roll, and is physically larger and heavier than the direct-thermal build to fit it — 267×197×191 mm and 1.7 kg against 220×176×151 mm and 1.1 kg. Memory is 128 MB Flash and 128 MB SDRAM. The only connectivity is USB.

Software is Print DNA Basic — Zebra Setup Utilities, ZebraDesigner Essentials, and on-printer emulations for legacy or competitor command languages — rather than the full Print DNA suite on Zebra's industrial range. A factory-installed peeler is the one media-handling option.