Zebra ZC10L

The Zebra ZC10L is our large format credential printer. This printer cannot be networked and must be plugged directly into the computer. To print from the ‘Checkin App’ you will need to attach the iPad to the print server laptop that is connected to the printer. These printers are ribbon based printers so there is no ink or waste cartridge needed. The stock is just one size and one type which is a plastic 3.5in by 5.5in card. For setup you just need a tables that fit the printer which is 2 feet long and 1 foot wide. Voltage for the printer is 100-240v.

Best environment for these printers is an air conditioned room that can be locked up after hours. All equipment should be locked up after hours or have security to keep it protected. The stock can stick together so we recommend buying and air can onsite to spray the cards apart, this will help with static. Also make sure to fan through all of the credentials before putting them into the drawer. Touching each credential and separating them will help with sticking as well. If the event is using holograms please do not hologram before printing. Placing the hologram on the badge before printing can cause credential sticking to each other and can also cause the wheels and input tray to stick. The hologram will start to make the printer sticky and won’t allow for more cards to be pulled or pull too many at one time. For more information on the Zebra ZC10L please go to this link.

Per attendee breakdowns

• Printers

  •  Zebras print a card every 25 seconds so how many printers depends on how each setup and planned rushes there are. If we are pre printing badges with data on them to hand out, then that event can have 3 Zebra ZC10Ls onsite. 2 as main printers and 1 as a backup. 

  • If the event is attendees checking in and printing their own badge then I recommend a printer per 500 attendees. This does depend on how fast checkin needs to be and if there will be one huge rush. 

• Check-in Stations

  • This is event by event basis depending on the amount of attendees, planned rushes, and what client wants to pay for. Usually check-in stations are double the printers. So if you have 5 printers you want 10 iPad for check-in stations.

• Staff 

  • Staffing should be talked about per event basis. 1 staff can hold down 2 stations usually but events may differ.

• How much pre-printed stock

  • For pre printed stock you always want to order around 20% more but also have a back up design ready to print in case the stock runs out.

• Backup equipment needed

  • Printers should be at least 1

  • iPads should be 2-3 at least

  • Scanners should be 5

• Ribbons: 

  • Each ribbon will print 400 cards each. So if there are 4,000 attendees you will need at least 10 ribbons but I would recommend sending 3-4 extras just in case. This gives a 1200 credential buffer and what isn’t used will be send back to Myrtle and put into inventory.

• Typical setup time: Best setup time is 45 minutes to an hour per station. This allows time to setup the printer, ipad, and print server. When setting up each station you need to make sure internet is connected, iPad and printer server are talking to each other, and that the print server is connected to the correct printer. After everything is connected you will need to do test prints on each printer to make sure everything is printing correctly.