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Printing ZPL from an iPhone, iPad or Android Device
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On a computer, ZPL needs no driver: you send the bytes and the
printer's firmware does the rendering (see
printing ZPL without a
driver). Phones and tablets make that harder in one specific way:
their built-in Print button sends a document, not raw
commands. AirPrint on iPhone and iPad delivers finished pages, and on
Android the printing framework asks the app for a PDF. So the
question is never "which driver?" but "which route carries my ZPL bytes
unchanged?"
Same Wi-Fi: send the ZPL file with Zebra's setup app
Zebra's free Printer Setup Utility exists for iOS (App Store)
and Android (Google Play). Its Files feature sends a file to the
printer — Zebra lists ZPL scripts among the file types — so a
.zpl saved on the device prints as-is. Discovery looks on
the same subnet; if the printer is elsewhere, enter its IP address by
hand. The iOS version needs Link-OS 5.2 or newer on the printer.
Writing your own app? The network route is the same one desktop tools
use: open a TCP connection to the printer on port 9100 and write
the ZPL — Zebra's own Android print app uses port 9100 for network
printing. The commands and the "nothing prints" checklist are in
how to send ZPL
to a network printer.
Printing a PDF or image instead of ZPL
If what you have is a shipping-label PDF, not ZPL, the document route
is the right one. On Android, Zebra's Zebra Print service plugs
into the system print dialog and prints PDFs and images to supported
Link-OS printers (Android 10 or newer, Link-OS 5.2 or newer; Zebra lists
the ZQ, ZD, ZT and ZR families). On Apple devices, Zebra documents
AirPrint for its ZSB series on the same Wi-Fi network; for
industrial Link-OS models we found no official AirPrint list, so do not
plan on it. Either way the printer receives a picture of the page — any
ZPL inside a document is printed as text, not executed.
Bluetooth
The Printer Setup Utility for iOS connects over Bluetooth Classic and
Bluetooth Low Energy; a Classic connection is paired once in the iOS
Settings app first. If you build an iOS app that talks to a Zebra
Made for iPhone printer over Bluetooth, Zebra's SDK documentation
uses Apple's ExternalAccessory framework with the protocol string
com.zebra.rawport.
From a different network: let the printer call out
A phone on mobile data cannot reach a printer behind the warehouse
router. Two patterns avoid opening ports:
1. Weblink (Link-OS). The printer itself opens an outbound,
TLS-encrypted WebSocket connection to a server you configure, and
reconnects if it drops; the Printer Setup Utility can set the Weblink
server address. You still need that server — a device-management
product or your own service — which then forwards jobs.
2. A small agent on a computer next to the printer. Labelixa's
DirectPrint agent runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (not on phones); it
collects jobs from the cloud and prints them to a USB or network
printer. The phone only calls the API or uses the panel. Details:
printing
to a USB Zebra printer from the cloud.
From a web page in Safari or Chrome
A web page cannot open a raw TCP connection to port 9100, on a phone
or anywhere else. Zebra's Browser Print helper is published for Windows,
macOS and Android — there is no iOS version. The working patterns (relay
through a server, a local helper, or a document print) are in
printing ZPL from a
browser.
Whatever the route, a raw path has no undo: check the label in the
online viewer first — it works in the
browser on a phone, too.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my iPhone print the ZPL code as text?
AirPrint and the Android print framework send documents, not raw commands. ZPL inside a document is printed as text. Send the file with Zebra's Printer Setup Utility (Files) or over port 9100 instead.
Can I print ZPL from an iPad without a computer?
On the same Wi-Fi, yes: Zebra's Printer Setup Utility for iOS can send a ZPL file to a Link-OS printer (Link-OS 5.2 or newer), and your own app can write to port 9100.
Does Zebra Browser Print work on iOS?
No. Zebra publishes Browser Print for Windows, macOS and Android; there is no iOS version, and a web page cannot open port 9100 itself.
