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Badge prints from your browser to a Zebra label printer. There is no print queue and no driver install on macOS. Plug in a supported printer, pair it from the template editor, and you can print test badges within a minute. Windows laptops need a one-time driver replacement first. See Windows troubleshooting.
Prerequisites
  • A supported label printer
  • Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on the print-station laptop
  • The print-station laptop physically next to the printer
  • A Badge template open in the editor for the event you’re printing

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Pair the printer

1

Power on the printer and connect via USB

Plug the printer’s power cable in and switch it on. Connect the printer to the laptop with a USB cable. Wait for the status light to turn solid (typically green).
2

Open a Badge template

In TalkValue Badge, open the event, go to Templates, and open the template you want to print.
3

Click Connect printer

In the editor toolbar, click Connect printer in the left sidebar. The browser opens a permission dialog listing Zebra printers connected over USB.
4

Select your Zebra printer

Pick your printer from the dialog and click Connect. It appears under its USB name, which carries the model and resolution, for example ZTC ZD420-203dpi ZPL.
5

Print a test badge

Click Print test. A single test badge prints within 1 – 2 seconds. When it does, the printer is paired for this session.
The browser remembers the printer for this site. After a page reload, or after the USB cable is plugged back in, the station reconnects on its own. Pair again only after you switch browser profiles or clear the site’s permissions. Station mode holds the screen awake while its tab is open; keep the laptop on mains power and leave the OS sleep timers off as a backstop. The station sends a heartbeat while it’s open, and the staff check-in header shows it as Connected while that heartbeat is current.

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Name the print station

When you have multiple printers at a venue, give each station a name that matches its physical location. For example, Main entrance, VIP lounge, or Hall B. The station name appears in the station picker on every staff phone, so staff can send each badge to the right pick-up point. Set the name from the print station’s Setup screen inside Station mode, before doors open.

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Troubleshooting

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The printer doesn’t appear in the dialog, or connecting fails

On macOS: the USB cable is usually loose or the printer is still booting, and connecting reports The browser was denied access to the printer. Unplug, wait 5 seconds, plug back in, and click Connect printer again. On Windows: the printer either stays off the list, or connecting fails with Windows is holding the printer with its own driver. and an Open guide button. Both mean Windows has assigned the printer its own print driver, which keeps the browser from opening it. Replace that driver with WinUSB once by following Windows troubleshooting.

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Pairing succeeds but the test print is blank or misaligned

The label media loaded in the printer doesn’t match the template’s printer settings. Open Calibration and troubleshooting for the calibration recipe and label-size reference.

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The print station shows as Disconnected in the check-in header

The browser tab closed, the laptop slept, or the USB cable came loose. Plug the cable back in first, since the station reclaims the printer on its own once it reappears. If the tab closed or the laptop slept, reopen Station mode on the print-station laptop, then reconnect from the Printer tab of Settings. The station chip returns to Connected once the heartbeat resumes.