Set up the printer client

The Zippendo Printer desktop app (window title Zippendo Printer) connects the printers on this computer to Zippendo. It stays in the system tray, keeps a WebSocket open, and prints labels and documents as jobs arrive. It is not the same surface as sidebar Printers. You download the app from Printers, but you register devices in the desktop app. After a printer is Active, you edit name, type, and Rotate wide pages to portrait on the web Printers list. Journey: Labels and printing. Web list, filters, and Print All: Add a printer. Browser Authorize Printer Client states: Authorize the printer client. Jobs: Printer jobs.

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Printer client vs Printers

There is no Add printer button on the web list. Empty copy: No printers yet — Printers will appear here once they are registered from the printer client application.

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Download

Sidebar Printers. Header action Download Printer Client. Menu title Download for your system. Each row is a direct installer from the latest GitHub release (not a landing page):

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Install and first launch

The app does not ask for macOS Screen Recording or Accessibility. Network access is enough to sign in and print.

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macOS

macOS will not report the app as “damaged” — the installer is ad-hoc signed. The extra click is the unidentified-developer prompt, not a Screen Recording or Accessibility dialog.

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Windows

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Sign in with the browser

There is no pairing code and no email/password form in the current app. Sign-in is browser OAuth. On first launch the window title is Zippendo Printer. The card: Advanced options reveals Server URL (placeholder https://api.zippendo.com). Packaged installs already point at production. Leave it unless Zippendo support gives you a different API host. Click Sign in with Browser. The app starts a local callback listener and opens /authorize-printer?session_id=… (optional callback_port for the HTTP fallback). The desktop window switches to Waiting for Authorization. Errors on this screen: Authorization was rejected, Authorization session expired, Failed to initiate sign in, Sign in failed.

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Authorize in the browser

You must already be signed in to Zippendo. Title Authorize Printer Client. Description: A printer client is requesting access to your Zippendo account. Authorize Printer Client redirects to zippendo://callback?token=… (preferred) or http://localhost:PORT/callback. Stay on the tab until the desktop app receives the token. Then Authorization Complete: The printer client has been authorized. You can close this window and return to the application. Other authorize states (no extra fields — start again from Sign in with Browser if needed): Invalid Request, Session Error, Already Authorized, Authorization Rejected, Session Expired. Full copy: Authorize the printer client.

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Printer Dashboard

After a successful callback the app shows Printer Dashboard — Manage your printers and connection status. Footer: Signed in as {name} and Settings. Empty state: No printers configured and Add Your First Printer. Heading Printers still has + Add Printer.

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Connection status

The status row is the WebSocket to Zippendo, not the USB/network cable to the device. Subtitle: {n} active printer(s) and, when any are ACTIVE, · {n} connected (local OS printers the app currently sees as idle/ready). Reconnect appears when status is Disconnected or Connection Error. It stays disabled until at least one printer is Active. Error if connect fails: Failed to connect. The app reconnects on its own after a drop (1s, 2s, 4s, … up to 60s) and does not stop until you Sign Out. Closing the window hides it to the tray (it keeps running).

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System tray

Tooltip Zippendo Printer, or Zippendo Printer - Connected / Connecting… / Disconnected / Connection Error. Menu: Double-click the tray icon to show or hide the window.

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Add a printer

+ Add Printer or Add Your First Printer opens Add Printer. Every field is required — empty submit shows Please fill in all fields. Failures: Failed to add printer, Failed to discover printers. Actions: Cancel, Add Printer (busy: Adding…). Use Label Printer for shipping labels (thermal / ZPL). Use Document Printer for packing lists and invoices (usually A4). The same OS printer can be registered once per type on this client — for example as both Label and Document, but not twice as Label. Printer names must be unique in the organization. Local Printer is stored as OS Printer Name on the web and cannot be changed there.

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Pending approval vs Active vs Offline

A new printer is Pending Approval until someone uses Approve on web Printers. The desktop app shows a yellow banner {n} printer(s) pending approval in Zippendo. and the row Waiting for admin approval. The OS name and type (LABEL / DOCUMENT) sit under the display name. Row status dots in the desktop app: Trash icon title Remove printer. Confirm: Remove printer “{name}”? Failure: Failed to remove printer. On the web list, Status (Active / Pending Approval / Disabled) is independent of Connection (Online / Offline). A printer can be Active and Offline: approved, but this app is not connected. Approve is only in the row menu while status is Pending Approval. Toast: Printer approved successfully.

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Rotation (web only)

There is no rotate control in Zippendo Printer. After the printer is Active, Edit it on Printers and turn on Rotate wide pages to portrait. Helper: Turns landscape (wide) pages 90° when printing — useful for wide carrier labels on portrait label rolls. OS Printer Name is read-only.

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Print jobs and a test print

Printer Dashboard does not list jobs and has no Test Print button. Jobs are created from a shipment Documents tab (Print / Print All) or from auto-print when you send. Open Printers → the printer → Jobs. Stats: Pending, Processing, Failed, Completed. Retry a Failed job from that list. Full columns and toasts: Printer jobs. To confirm the path end to end: send a shipment (or Print All on Documents), then watch the job leave Pending while this app is Connected and the row is green.

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Auto-print

The desktop app does not have an auto-print toggle. Auto-print is configured on a shipping rule (Auto-Print Labels / Auto-Print Documents) or on a shipment with no rule (Printer Settings). When you send, Zippendo queues jobs to an Active printer; this app must be Connected for them to print. Setup: Auto-print labels and documents.

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Settings

Footer Settings. Back to Dashboard returns to Printer Dashboard. Device (Client ID) and About (Version, Platform) sit below Language — scroll the desktop app window to see them. Sign Out disconnects the WebSocket and returns to Welcome to Zippendo. The Client ID is kept so printers registered from this machine can be restored after you sign in again.

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Troubleshooting

More: Printer offline or not printing.

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