Zebra ZT220 4-Inch Industrial Thermal Transfer Label Printer 203 dpi 6 ips USB Serial Ethernet ZT22042-T01200FZ

End of life. Zebra placed the ZT220 at end of sale on 27 June 2022, with support running to 31 January 2027. Zebra's named replacement is the ZT111, which Barcode Printer Shop does not currently stock. The closest unit we do carry is the Zebra ZT231 thermal transfer industrial printer, a 203 dpi four-inch industrial printer with a colour touch display. Remaining ZT220 stock is sold for fleet matching, replacement units and validated workflows where requalifying a new model is not practical.

Key Features

• Thermal transfer and direct thermal, with the core-to-core ribbon system fitted on this part number.
• 203 dpi at up to 6 inches per second, in 1-inch increments from 2 ips.
• Prints a full 4.09 inches wide and up to 157 inches in a single label.
• USB 2.0, RS-232C serial on a DB-9 and an internal ZebraNet 10/100 print server are all fitted.
• Takes an 8-inch roll on a 3-inch core, four times the media of a desktop printer.
• Handles 984 ft of ribbon on a 1-inch core, wound ink side out.
• Tear-off on this part number, with peeler and cutter available only on other part numbers.
• Dual media sensors, transmissive and reflective, so it handles gap, notch and black-mark stock.
• 128 MB RAM and 128 MB Flash on a 32-bit 400 MHz processor.
• Speaks ZPL, ZPL II, EPL II and XML, so existing label formats keep working.
• Two-year Zebra warranty following the January 2021 extension on industrial printers.

Key Specifications

• Print method: Thermal transfer and direct thermal
• Resolution: 203 dpi (8 dots per mm)
• Print speed: 2 to 6 ips (51 to 152 mm per second) in 1 in increments
• Print width: 4.09 in (104 mm)
• Maximum print length: 157 in (3,988 mm)
• Media: 0.75 to 4.50 in wide; 8.0 in OD on a 3 in core or 6.0 in OD on a 1 in core
• Ribbon: 984 ft (300 m) maximum, 2.7 in maximum roll OD, 1.0 in core, 1.57 to 4.33 in wide, ink side out
• Media handling: Tear-off only on this part number
• Connectivity: USB 2.0 high speed, RS-232C serial (DB-9), internal ZebraNet 10/100 Ethernet
• Memory: 128 MB RAM (4 MB user), 128 MB Flash (58 MB user), 32-bit 400 MHz processor
• Languages: ZPL and ZPL II selectable, EPL II, XML-enabled printing
• Dimensions and weight: 11.0 x 9.4 x 17.0 in (280 x 239 x 432 mm), 17 lb (7.8 kg)

Where the ZT220 sits

The ZT220 is the entry point of Zebra's industrial range, and the word industrial is carrying a lot of weight in that sentence. Against a desktop printer it is a genuine step up: an 8-inch media roll rather than a 5-inch one, 984 ft of ribbon rather than 244, a metal frame, and a duty cycle meant for a shift rather than an hour. Against the ZT510 and ZT610 higher in the same range it is the lighter machine, with a plastic media cover, no display, 128 MB of memory against 512 MB or more, and 6 ips against 12. It suits a shipping bay that runs steadily rather than a production line that runs constantly.

Print method and ribbon

The T in this part number is the thermal transfer mechanism, and Zebra's own configuration string for it reads thermal transfer printer, 203 dpi, US cord, serial, USB, internal 10/100. Having the ribbon system fitted does not lock the printer into using it: a thermal transfer printer also runs direct thermal with no ribbon loaded, so one machine covers a durable wax-resin label and a plain shipping label. Ribbon capacity is 984 ft on a 1-inch core with a 2.7 inch maximum roll diameter, wound ink side out. Note that the ribbon capacity does not match the ZT510 or ZT610, which take 450 m rolls; the supplies are not interchangeable across the range.

Media capacity

This printer takes an 8-inch outside-diameter roll on a 3-inch core, or a 6-inch roll on a 1-inch core, with media from 0.75 to 4.50 inches wide and 0.003 to 0.010 inches thick. That roll capacity is the practical reason to buy an industrial printer rather than a desktop one, because it is roughly four times the label count between reloads and an operator who reloads once a shift rather than once an hour is an operator doing other work. Dual media sensors, one transmissive and one reflective, mean the printer handles continuous stock, die-cut gaps, notches and black marks without a sensor change.

Connections fitted

USB 2.0 high speed, an RS-232C serial port on a DB-9 running from 4,800 to 115,200 baud, and the internal ZebraNet 10/100 print server are all fitted on this part number. That combination covers the three ways an industrial printer normally gets its work: directly from a PC, from a network queue shared across a site, and from a scale, applicator or terminal that speaks nothing but serial. Parallel and wireless exist in the ZT220 range but on other part numbers and as field kits, so this unit as supplied has no Wi-Fi and no Bluetooth. There is also no display: the ZT220 uses status lights and a button pad rather than a screen.

End of sale

Zebra placed the ZT220 at end of sale on 27 June 2022 and set end of support at 31 January 2027, naming the ZT111 as its replacement. That leaves a real support window still open, which is why this printer remains a defensible purchase for the right reason. Matching an existing bank of ZT220s so that spares, ribbons and label formats stay common across the site is a good reason. Replacing a failed unit in a validated process where requalifying a new model costs more than the printer is a better one. Starting a fresh multi-year deployment on it is not, and the current equivalent should be priced instead.

Memory and languages

The ZT220 runs a 32-bit 400 MHz processor with 128 MB of RAM and 128 MB of Flash, of which 4 MB and 58 MB respectively are available to the user. That is modest by current standards and it is the clearest line between this printer and the ZT510 above it, which carries 512 MB of RAM and 2 GB of Flash. In practice the limit shows up when a site wants many stored formats, large graphics or resident fonts on the printer itself. It speaks ZPL and ZPL II selectably, EPL II from firmware V72.19.5Z onward, and XML-enabled printing, so label formats written for older Zebra hardware run without a rewrite.

Barcode Printer Shop supplies Zebra printers to US businesses, configuration by configuration rather than model by model, so the part number on the invoice is the one that fits the line. Contact us to learn more or secure this solution for your business today.