what barcode printer to use with a square terminal

[2familynotions]

We are just starting out and we have the square terminal. I can see the barcode scanners that work with it but I'm lost on what barcode printer to purchase. Does any barcode printer I purchase "like off Amazon or Office Depot" work? If not I'm not finding which square printer would work. Thanks so much.

[jjgard]

This should help answer your questions:

Create and Print Bar Code Labels with Square for Retail | Square Support Center - US (squareup.com)

Looks like you'll have to print them from a computer, but it does list an assortment of compatible printers.

[sayra]

Hey @2familynotions - Passing by once more to edit this post. jjgard is correct, if you are interested in a barcode printer the suggestions above should work.

Let us know if you have any other questions. 

[jjgard]

That wasn't the original question though.  They were asking about BARCODE printers...which is not something listed on the page you linked to.

[wildroastcafe]

I only see one printer model mentioned. Can you tell me which are listed in the assortment of compatible printers?

[TOV]

Thank you for asking this question!!! I need scannable barcode labels as item price tags  for my store. Seems basic, but apparently not! I called support and was told the receipt printer that comes with Square Hardware/Square for Retail should also print scannable Barcode labels, but I don't see that ability listed anywhere in the help pages so I'm very doubtful.  So, as I read this response, a separate printing system along with a computer or laptop is needed. We can't print barcode labels right from the Square Register. If so, that is something Square definitely needs to improve to be truly considered an all in one system!  I suppose  any standard printer hooked to my laptop would do if I went with the Avery labels. It wouldn't be any different than printing address labels,. How do other retailers do this? I'll get what I need, just want to make sure it's all compatible!  Thank you in advance!

[OldTownSoap]

We need to purchase printers for each of our locations to be able to print out barcodes for products. Which printer is the best for this? We use the Square Register and use square for retail. In the one store that we've converted already, they have a Star TSP650II that they use for their receipts, but I'm thinking I need to purchase another printer to be used for the barcode printing so that they can be ringing customers and generating barcodes at the same time. So that they are not loading and unloading different paper and labels all the time. Can someone tell me which printers I can get and or can I get one that is wifi? Thank you in advance!

[ashc]

Hey @OldTownSoap,

I moved your post to a thread where this question has been answered already.

Check out the Best Answer above for details. 

In the future, don't hesitate to search your question first here or on the Support Center for your quickest answer too!

[TOV]

But it doesn’t answer the question that’s the problem!!! Yes there’s  a nice general article, but no real advice. That’s why we are asking on the forum to get other seller’s experiences because we can’t get practical answers from square!!! 

[Candlestore]

I use a Zebra 420D label printer for printing my barcodes to Direct Thermal paper labels.  I do NOT use Square to print my Barcodes.   I created my own 2D barcodes (can be 1D) with the downloadable drivers or software.   Once a barcode is created for an item, you can save it to be printed whenever you need.  The reason I went 2D barcodes is so that my barcodes would be about the same size no matter how long the SKU is.  

What you would need is a computer somewhere on site that you can connect the 420D to.  

The software and Drivers that you need to download for said printer.

Direct Thermal labels in the size you need for barcodes.

So here is what I do 

I make 50 28oz candles of Lilac

when I need Barcodes I go to my computer 

Select my Barcodes Folder

Then I select my 28oz folder

then select Lilac (after I already made the barcode)

hit print

then it asks for quantity

type in 50 <enter> 

then exit out

There are other YouTube videos of people saving and creating their own Barcodes that can be read by Square.

[TOV]

Thank you very much for your response. It helps a lot!! 🙂 

[mysticalcrystal]

Thanks so much for this explanation!!! So, do you make your labels using the zebra software? Where do you make the barcodes? I see you say you get them from a folder but you skipped the tidbit about where you are able to make the labels. That’s the whole trip up that I’m having! Every zebra

ZD41022-D01000EZ

 printer is in a huge back order right now. 

[Candlestore]

@mysticalcrystal 

I thought I posted a longer write up stating the software I use which is from Zebra .. Zebradesigner 3 .  I watched a few YouTube videos how to setup my labels then the software is pretty easy to use. 

Tips for Zebra Designer 3 Video 

In this software you can choose multiple barcodes both 1D and 2D.  You type in or copy paste the text you want choose the Barcode you want ( easy as choosing a font in Word) and the software makes the Barcode for you.  You just need to choose the size in mils you want.  When you choose the size it spaces and sizes the barcode to be read by scanners.  You can also tell the software to put the text by the barcode or place a text box and type in or paste the text you want to appear by your barcode.  I put the item name by mine so I know what to put the label on.  After printing out a test label and making sure my scanner reads it, since I try for small 1/4" 2D barcode labels which pushes the limits for size, I save the label so I can just come back later and tell it to print how many I need.  The File save as feature is just like saving a document to a folder, I create folder for these labels only.  I organize it by categories to fit my needs so the labels are quick and easy to find to print again later.  I also saw you can purchase the Zebradesigner 3 Pro software that can pull data from a database or excel spreadsheet, which is how Square exports items as an Excel Spreadsheet.

Zebra also came out with some ZSB printers that are WIFI and Bluetooth capable.  The 2 inch wide one is about $130 Zebra ZSB-DP-12 and the 4 inch wide one is about $230 Zebra ZSB-DP14.  These printers use the ZSB software that I do not use to create labels.  These are prices from places like Staples for these models or on Amazon.  

But if you google or look on YouTube there maybe a video like the one above

[mysticalcrystal · Accepted solution]

You’re AWESOME!!! Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your day and/night to help others. I’ve been so upset and confused due to the limitations for making barcodes inside of square. I suppose with all of the new small businesses and those limitations, that would be the resin there is a national shortage on those darn zd410 printers. Some vendors are capitalizing on that and marking them up to $500! Shame on them for that. Thank you again, I’ll try the printer you’ve recommended! I appreciate you!!

[Candlestore]

@mysticalcrystal ;

The 420 D and T are 2 different printers I currently use and when I look up their prices now they range from $250 - $500 us  for refurbished models so they are not cheap either but the ZSB ones that are at Staples, Office Depot for $130 - $230 brand new seem like a good deal.  I just do not know alot about them or their software

[Candlestore]

@mysticalcrystal ;

I asked Zebra about their new ZSB series printers.  The good news is the price, bad news is right now there are limited types of labels for them since they do not use standard thermal printer labels but take a special cartridge of labels.  the number of labels per cartridge depends on the size of the label and each cartridge from what I saw is about $18.00.  So I would still go with the Zebra 420 refurbished off amazon or the new 421 series from Zebra if the ZSB series does not offer the label size your looking for.  Currently from Zebra there are only  8 sizes

: Link to Zebra Labels   2.25 x 1" labels are about $18.00 for 1000

Why I bring this up is because $18 a roll is expensive  I found 2.25x1.25 labels for one roll is $6.37 a roll of 1000 labels plus shipping (free if over $100)  $100 would be 6 rolls at $18 or 16 rolls at $6.37.  Link to these labels for a Zebra 420 series printer....Link : 2-25-x-1-25-thermal-labels/ 

So the printer is more upfront but the labels which need to be replace are about 1/3 the price.  Depends how many labels you plan to print is where you may want to look at the more expensive printer upfront.  I buy 60,000 labels at a time for my jar candles and run approximately 250 labels a day currently of one size jar and we make 3 different sizes of our standard candles.  For my Barcode labels I run anywhere from 250 to 350 labels when I get an order in that does not have labels or barcodes plus my burning instructions I run through these printers.  So I am using 4 different printers and 4 different label sizes.  All through the Zebra 420 T and D printers and I can choose from Rolls of labels or Fan Fold labels to get the best prices.  Just my 2 cents when your looking into a Barcode label printer, cheap is not always better because the item you need to print on may be more expensive.  Also keep in mind how small or big you may grow in the future.   You do not want to run out every 2 yrs or so to upgrade a printer.  

[keithzimm]

Would you consider a Square-approved app that pulls information from Square to create your barcoded labels? Always have your label data synced with Square and have a simpler method to create the labels. I would be interested in your feedback on our software. Check out DeliLabel.app, we're running a $250 hardware credit until the end of the month.

[Candlestore]

@keithzimm ;

I know I would especially since I see that you have a Zebra printer on your website.  Currently we type in the Barcode information and the Item information.  To buy the Zebra Software to do this is expensive.  But on your website I see nothing of pricing for the software.  The two problems I have noticed most about people printing barcodes with Square is no instructions on how to print out Scale barcodes that work.  Even following Squares steps the labels do not read in Square.  The other thing is people want more sizes of labels to print like Jewelry or Barbell labels, which your current offerings also do not have.    With your software integration can you print out 1 or 2 labels and not the total in inventory?  Say if a label was removed by a customer or fell off or was damaged.   Also what type of barcodes are we able to print with your software?  I currently use Aztec code 2D barcodes for my inventory and price barcodes, since they can be smaller in size than a standard barcode. 

[keithzimm]

So our software pulls in your sku# from Square and generates a barcode automatically from that, no Zebra software required. After the Square account is synced with Deli Label you need to go into the Deli Label admin and assign default label settings for each item. You can assign several different sizes and formats (here are all the available formats) and we'll even create a custom layout for you and make it available in your account. It sound like you would be looking at a small 1"x1" label, which we have available as a standard format, with just item price and barcode. So if a customer removes a label from say a pearl bracelet, you simply open the Deli Label app, tap the pearl bracelet tile or enter it in the search bar, the pearl bracelet will pop up and you hit print. It will print to your default label and print one. Or you can change the label count to 20 and it will print 20. The labels & equipment tab has all the hardware and pricing and the subscribe tab has the monthly and annual subscription options. The barcode format we use is code 128 and is compatible with Square. Zebra does support the Aztec code 2D barcodes you are currently using so we could in theory assign that to a custom label format for you. I would have to test it to be certain though. We are also running a $250 discount with a yearly subscription through the end of May that can be applied to all hardware and label purchases on our website.

[Peggymorse]

I bought a ZSB Zebra printer, only to find out Square Retail PLus does not work with this printer.  Other Zebra printers work but not the ZSB.  I was told this by the representative from Square.  I was on help line for Zebra for over an hour before she figured out the ZSB is not currently supported by Square.

[Candlestore]

@Peggymorse ;

I use Zebra printers all the time to print my barcodes, they are not compatible to print right from Square to the Zebra printers but if you use the software that either comes with or you can download from Zebra, the barcodes do work with Square.  I make my own products so we have to print out 50- 200 labels at a time.  From the production area we have a computer with 4 Zebra printers (1 printer for each label we print for our items).  We have a folder set up for each label by product, hit print 65 labels of X product and bam there they are.  With the Zebra Software you can do much more, add a logo, text, Sale Price, Clarence, product codes etc.  You can also copy and paste your SKU or GTIN from Square to this software, then save that design to print later.  Here is a link to basically this same topic but for DYMO printer and printing Label problems which was to be compatible with Square... also has a picture of a Label I print using Zebra Thermal Transfer printer with a 2D barcode : 

What-is-the-best-barcode-label-printer-to-use-with-Square-for/m-p/352734#M99329 

I would suggest installing the Zebra software for your ZSB printers and print a few labels out to test the ability for Square to read the barcodes with your scanner.