Windows 7: Need Help ASAP, Zebra/UPS Thermal 2844 And Windows 7

The only New Port types available are:
Adobe PDF Port Monitor
FaxBatch Monitor Port
Local Port
LogMeIn Printer Port Monitor
Standard TCP/IP Port
ZDesigner Port Monitor

The Standard TCP/IP Port won't work, as you can only specify an IP Address or name; it will not let you enter a UNC path.

Use the Local Port option, it will allow entry of a correctly formatted UNC.
i.e \\ups-server\zebralp2

Another option is to hook the printer to a Print Server, such as

TRENDnet TEW-P1PG Wireless Parallel Print Server
D-Link DP-301P+ Fast Ethernet Print Server

both available at Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

I will be installing one of ours on the TRENDnet, since the new Windows 7 computers we are getting do not have parallel ports.

We have 2 on Windows XP machines and 1 on a DLINK 3 port print server, all work fine with Windows 7 using the NiceLabel drivers on Windows 7 and local port UNC paths to XP machines and IP port for print server

Got it. Thanks!
-d

I finally got the ZP 450 working in Winodws 7 . I could print a test page but it was not printing lables from UPS.com even after installing the plugins. To get the ZP 450 to work on UPS.com I had to rename it UPS Thermal 2844.

I have talked to several tech people (UPS, Zebra, FedEx) and actually ended up combining several suggestions to get our Zebra LP2844 working with UPS Worldship 12.0.

This particular route will probably only work if you are using UPS Worldship.

-Of course get rid of all other drivers and uninstall current printer.

-Drivers need to be installed through UPS folder on your C drive.

C: > UPS> WSTD> FOSS > Drivers > Eltron > PrnInst64. It will run the setup.

Once that is installed go into Worldship program. TOOLS > System Preferences Editor > Printing Setup > Label Printer Setup > select your printer and the print test label after clicking okay.

From what I understand, if you are using UPS Worldship, getting the drivers from the Zebra website will not work.

Hi. I bought a TLP 2824 with parallel interface. Got a parallel to USB cable & installed the latest drivers downloaded from zebra site (Using Windows 7 Ult-32bit). It didn't work. Then I removed all the drivers/printers I could & using the supplied CD (that came with XP drivers) installed the drivers in compatibility mode. That worked. Great.

Now the printer was going to be used on this other laptop. The problem is that I've repeated the whole procedure, but it is not printing on the main laptop that it is supposed to. I've tried matching all settings but no use. The only place I'm really confused is the port .. Even on the first computer that it worked, it prints to only USB0002 port. Plugging it in another USB doesn't work. Can anyone get me through this mess & let me know how to fix it. Many thanks.

I have now successfully added a UPS LP2844 (Zebra Eltron LP2844), connecting through its USB port, on 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate, and have successfully printed UPS labels to it using the Internet Shipping feature on ups.com. I used a variation of the instructions provided above in this thread by rscinc. To him we all owe our thanks.

Like everyone else with a UPS LP2844 thermal printer bought from UPS, I found that the printer was about half-recognized by Windows 7, but no real drivers were ever installed.

What I got was a generic "USB Printing Support" icon in the Unspecified category of the Control Panel's Devices and Printers page. There was no entry for the printer in the Printers and Faxes category on that page. There is no "Printer Properties" in the context menu for the "USB Printing Support" icon, and therefore there is no "Print Test Page" button. Like I said, the printer was about half-recognized.

If this is your starting point, follow these steps in this exact order:

1. If you tried installing any drivers or ActiveX controls that you downloaded from ups.com, uninstall all of them and reboot.

The ups.com printing support page claims that their driver is Windows 7 compatible. However, it is byte-for-byte identical to the same driver they've been providing for years for Windows XP. Either UPS's developers honestly don't know the difference between an XP driver and a Windows 7 driver, or they do know but they think that claiming to support Windows 7 is all they need to do. In either case, they are less than stellar minds. The drivers on ups.com are useless for any Windows version newer than XP.

2. From zebra.com, download the Zebra Designer software for an LP2844. On the date of this post, zebra.com offered me ZD_2.6.42.03_Certified.exe, dated 17 May 2010.
3. Power off the UPS LP2844 and unplug its USB cable from your computer.
4. Install the Zebra Designer software. When prompted for a port, select USB001 (whether or not that is the precisely correct USB port for your LP2844). I elected to not install the optional software such as the Font Downloader.
5. Plug in and power on your UPS LP2844 and let Windows finish the installation.
6. Open the Windows 7 Control Panel's “Devices and Printers” page and locate the newly installed printer whose name begins with “ZDesigner”.
7. Right click on the ZDesigner printer's icon. From the context menu, open “Printer Properties” (not "Properties").
8. Change the name of the printer to “UPS Thermal 2442”. Note especially the change in the printer number from 2844 to 2442. This is the only printer name that the UPS plug-ins are designed to recognize, and your printer icon must have this exact name.
9. Download and install the “UPS Thermal Printer Plugin or ActiveX Control Program” from ups.com. Since I have both IE 8 and Firefox 3.6, the installer provided both an ActiveX control for IE and a plug-in for Firefox. Use IE to download and install this link, even if Firefox is your default browser.
10. If Firefox was running when you ran the installer in step 9, exit and restart Firefox.
11. Print a test page from each browser, using the "Set Preferences" page on ups.com (as described on the UPS site).

In my case, printing UPS labels from ups.com using IE now works exactly as expected. In the case of Firefox, two labels are printed for each print request (but only one shipment is recorded on ups.com). It is not a great hardship to remember to use IE for the times I need to print UPS labels.

I have no experience with connecting an LP2844 with its parallel port, or with the UPS WorldShip program. The instructions above work with a USB-connected printer and "Internet Shipping" on ups.com. Your experience may vary.

Good luck!

rscinc method worked without a hitch.

When he says to use the “UPS Thermal 2442” that
is what makes the difference.

A good testing method is to be logged in at UPS and
have your printer preferences page open. As you make
changes to your drivers-and-activex-installs test your
printer until it works.

Thanks a lot rscinc. I took a long time to find you.

rscinc method worked without a hitch.

When he says to use the “UPS Thermal 2442” that
is what makes the difference.

A good testing method is to be logged in at UPS and
have your printer preferences page open. As you make
changes to your drivers-and-activex-installs test your
printer until it works.

Thanks a lot rscinc. I took a long time to find you.