Zebra Label Printer Maintenance & Troubleshooting 101

Printer maintenance and troubleshooting are two sides of the same coin. While maintenance helps prevent issues from arising, troubleshooting addresses issues when they occur. For our Zebra GX-420 or GK-420 models (all), the steps you follow for both maintenance and troubleshooting are the same, making it easy to stay on top of printer health.

  • To avoid disruptions, weekly maintenance must be completed, and we highly recommend that Staff perform these tasks early in the business week. This way, if any issues arise that cannot be solved by the provided steps, you have enough time to escalate the issue by submitting an IT ticket. This proactive approach allows our IT team to address and resolve any problems promptly, ensuring printers are functioning smoothly before the busy weekend services.

Check-In Weekly Maintenance Steps

The  Zebra label printers should be maintenance weekly, these steps can also be used if there’s ever an issue as quick self-service troubleshooting.

  • Step 1: Power off the printer with the switch on the back. Do not unplug or plug in the printer unless this switch is in the off position or it may spark. Open the cover and remove the roller by gently pulling apart the 2 clips on either side holding it in and lift up. These clips are not attached and will fall off so be careful. They must be put back on the same way they came off so be sure to take note of that direction. This is also what you should do if the labels get stuck around the roller. Pulling them out with force can damage the printer.

  • Step 2: Use an alcohol wipe or pen to soften any adhesive that was stuck behind the rollers. Wipe it off with a lightly damp cloth if possible or scrape it off with anything you don’t mind throwing away after. Old pen caps seem to work great for this. Don’t worry if it scratches a bit, it won’t hurt it. Use more alcohol as needed to soften the paper and adhesive. Also clean the roller in the same manner. DO NOT USE HAND SANITIZER! It leaves a residue that will ruin the rollers. Gently clean the clear lens just above the roller (seen below) with an alcohol wipe or alcohol cleaning pen then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Don’t scratch the lens.

  • Step 3: On the underside of the lid of the printer, notice the small hole in the center.
    • Blow into it with canned air or your breath to dislodge any dust that may have settled inside. 
      • This is the receiver for the lens that tells the printer where the end of the label is. 
      • If you are getting blank labels in between good ones, this lens and receiver being dirty are likely to blame.
    • Use the alcohol wipe or cleaning pen to wipe any adhesive or dust off the black / white / tan strips at the top. This is the print head and can be very hot. DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH YOUR HANDS unless it has had ample time to cool.

*SPECIAL NOTE: If you are ever getting blank sections on the label after cleaning, gently take a firm PLASTIC object and gently but firmly push up on the orange wire connectors on either side of the print head (as seen above). Over time they may come loose causing blank sections. Submit an IT ticket if you feel anything less than comfortable trying this on your own.

  • Step 4: Reinstall the roller and gently but firmly close the lid until it clicks closed. Turn the printer back on and wait for it to go through its full start up cycle. Hold down the paper feed button (seen below) until it flashes once then again twice (a total of 3 flashes in all) then release. This will cause the printer to calibrate itself. If this light is ever flashing green, the printer is paused. Please press it one time to resume normal operation.

Filing an IT Help Desk Ticket:

If the above steps don’t fix the printer issue, please file an IT Help Desk ticket ASAP:

Please remember when filing a ticket surrounding a printer issue to include the check-in printer number and campus / room where it is located.

Other Best Practices Guidance:

  1. Make sure paper is loaded under the front teal colored (may be white on some models) clips. Shown below.

  1. Always rip paper up and away as shown below.