Zebra ZD220t 4-Inch Desktop Thermal Transfer Label Printer 203 dpi 4 ips USB Ribbon Not Included ZD22042-T01G00EZ

Key Features

• Prints 4.09 inches wide at up to 4 inches per second at 203 dpi.
• Thermal transfer build that also prints plain direct thermal media.
• Ribbon and labels are NOT in the box. Only an empty 74 m take-up core ships with it.
• Takes 74 m ribbons only. A 300 m ribbon will not fit this printer.
• USB 2.0 only: no Ethernet, no serial, no Bluetooth and no Wi-Fi.
• Zebra's value line, aimed at low-volume printing where a premium desktop is not warranted.
• Tear-off as standard. No cutter option is made for the ZD220.
• Energy Star qualified, FCC Class B, and it weighs 3.7 pounds.
• Drop-in media loading: lift the lid, drop the roll in, close it, and the printer calibrates.
• Link-OS firmware, so the printer is configurable and updatable from Zebra's own tooling.
• Labels are sold separately, so stock can be matched to the job rather than bundled.
• Ships with the printer, an external power supply, a US power cord and a USB cable.

Key Specifications

• Model: Zebra ZD220t, ZD200 value series 4-inch desktop
• Print method: Thermal transfer, also runs direct thermal
• Resolution: 203 dpi
• Print speed: Up to 4 ips (102 mm/s)
• Print width: Up to 4.09 in (104 mm)
• Max print length: 39.0 in (991 mm)
• Media width: 1.00 to 4.4 in (25.4 to 112 mm)
• Media roll: 5.00 in (127 mm) OD, 0.5 in and 1.0 in cores standard
• Ribbon: 74 m only, 1.33 to 4.3 in wide, 0.5 in core. NOT included
• Memory: 128 MB SDRAM
• Connectivity: USB 2.0 only
• Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.75 x 7.5 in, 3.7 lb

Which configuration this is

This is Zebra's value 4-inch desktop printer, and the single most important thing to know before ordering is that it ships with no ribbon. The ZD220t is a thermal transfer printer, which means it needs a ribbon to print at all, and Zebra's own user guide lists an empty 74 metre take-up core in the box while listing transfer ribbon and print media as not included. A customer who orders this and nothing else receives a printer that cannot produce a single label. Order a 74 metre ribbon and your label stock at the same time and it will work on arrival.

Speed and resolution

At 203 dpi the ZD220t prints 4.09 inches wide at up to 4 inches per second, programmable to 2 or 3. That figure needs stating carefully, because Zebra's own documentation causes confusion: the ZD200 Series thermal transfer user guide quotes up to 152 mm/s, or 6 ips, but that guide covers the ZD220t and the ZD230t together and 6 ips is the ZD230's number. Both ZD220-specific Zebra documents, the spec sheet and the tech-spec sheet, say 4 ips. The ZD200 Series is 203 dpi only; there is no 300 dpi option. Maximum label length is 39 inches.

Connectivity

USB 2.0 and nothing else. No Ethernet, no serial, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi and no USB host port. This is the clearest line between the value series and the ZD411 or ZD621 above it, and it is worth checking against your plans before ordering, because it cannot be added later - there is no modular slot. A warning about sibling part numbers while you are comparing: an E in this position of a ZD200 Series code, as in ZD22042-D0EG00EZ, is the European and United Kingdom power cord, NOT Ethernet. A reseller reading it as Ethernet will mis-sell. If you need a network port, you need the ZD230 or a ZD621.

Ribbon and media

Ribbon is the thing to get right. The ZD220t takes 74 metre ribbons ONLY, up to 66 mm in outer diameter, 1.33 to 4.3 inches wide, on a half-inch core, running 1:1 against the media. The 300 metre ribbon core and the non-Zebra 300 metre adapters that appear in Zebra's ZD200 Series user guide are asterisked to the ZD230 and will not work here, so buying a 300 metre ribbon against this printer produces a return. Media runs 1.00 to 4.4 inches wide at 3 to 7.5 mil on a roll up to 5 inches in diameter. Tear-off only: Zebra makes a factory-fitted peeler on a different part number, and no cutter at all for the ZD220.

Display and build

One status LED and one button for feed and pause. There is no screen, no icon panel and no mobile setup app, because there is no Bluetooth to run it over - configuration is done from a PC over USB. This is Zebra's Link-OS Basic tier and it is a deliberately simple machine. The thermal transfer build is also physically bigger and heavier than the direct thermal one: 10.5 by 7.75 by 7.5 inches and 3.7 pounds against 2.5 pounds for the direct thermal ZD220. The 2.5 pound figure is all over the internet against this printer and it is the wrong build.

What is included

In the carton: the printer, a power supply, a United States power cord, a USB cable, printer documentation, and an empty 74 metre starter ribbon core. NOT in the carton, in Zebra's own words: transfer ribbon and print media. The take-up core is exactly that - a core for the ribbon to wind onto, not a ribbon. This is the most commonly misunderstood thing about this printer and it is why we say it three times on this page. Ask us and we will quote the right 74 metre ribbon and label stock alongside it.

Where it fits

The ZD220t suits low to moderate volume 4-inch labelling where a premium desktop is not warranted and a USB connection to a single PC is all that is needed: a small warehouse bench, a back office, a retail stockroom, a workshop. Thermal transfer means the labels last, which is what separates it from the cheaper direct thermal ZD220. If you need a network port, faster printing, a cutter or 300 metre ribbons, the ZD621 in this range is the printer to look at instead.

For straightforward 4-inch thermal transfer labelling on a single PC, the Zebra ZD220t ZD22042-T01G00EZ does the job at a sensible price - just order the ribbon with it. Contact us to learn more or secure this solution for your business today.