Zenstores AutoPrint sends your labels straight to the printer at your packing bench. There is no PDF to open and no print dialogue. Pick lists, packing slips, invoices and customs documents print the same way.
There are two ways to start a print. You can click print and the label comes out of the printer. Or you can set a print trigger, so it prints without a click. That is hands-off printing.
A print trigger is an automation. You set it in the Zenstores Automations builder, a whiteboard-style canvas, and each packing bench can have its own. These are the main options.
Scan completion prints the label when the last item is scanned into the parcel. The packer's check and the label happen in one step, so it suits any bench that verifies every order. Most brands use this one.
Order import prints the label when the order arrives from your sales channel, so it is already waiting at the bench. This works well when the pick list and the label print together, one after the other.
Batch release prints the whole run at once, in picking order. It suits teams that pick in waves.
Whichever you choose, or create, each order needs a carrier and service, a weight and a connected printer. The steps below set those up.
- Install Zenstores Workstations
Download the Zenstores Workstations app at https://app.zenstores.com/workstations/download/ and install it on the computer at your packing bench. It runs on Mac and Windows and authenticates through the Zenstores web app. This takes under five minutes.
- Connect your printers
Connect any thermal or A4 printer and register the bench as a station. Each bench can have one or more printers, for example a thermal printer for shipping labels and an A4 one for invoices. This means all labels and paperwork print where the packer is standing.
- Print a shipping label
Open an order, pick the items and click print. The label comes out of the printer. There is no PDF to open and no print dialogue. Pick lists, packing slips, invoices and customs documents print directly the same way.
- Remove the click with a print trigger
Set up a print trigger for each station in the Zenstores Automations builder. Choose scan completion, order import or batch release, depending on how that bench works.
- Set rules and weights so labels can print automatically
A label can only print on its own when the carrier, service and weight are already known. Rules in Zenstores Automations set the carrier and service, using weight, destination, order value, SKU, channel or tags. Weight comes from your product data, held in Zenstores or imported from your sales channel, such as Shopify or Magento. If weights vary between orders, connect a scale at the bench. Orders that match no rule are flagged for review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zenstores print labels straight to the printer?
Yes. Zenstores AutoPrint sends labels directly to your printer, so there is no PDF to open and no print dialogue. You click print and the label comes out. You can also remove the click with a print trigger, so a bench prints when the last item is scanned, when an order arrives, or when a batch is released.
What stops an order printing automatically?
A missing weight with no scale connected, no rule matching the order, or an incomplete address or customs field. Anything unmatched is flagged for review rather than printed. A newly added product with no weight will stop until you fill it in.
Do I need a connected scale?
No. Zenstores takes weight from your product data. Add a scale if weights vary between orders, or if a wrong weight means a carrier surcharge.
Does it need software installed, and does it work on Mac and Windows?
It needs the Zenstores Workstations desktop app on the computer at the bench, and the app runs on both Mac and Windows. The same app connects a scale, so a bench using both only needs one install. You can download Zenstores Workstations for Mac or Windows.
What printers can I use?
Any thermal or A4 printer. A bench can have more than one, for example a thermal printer for shipping labels and an A4 printer for invoices. Integrated labels print the shipping label and dispatch note together on one A4 sheet, so a standard office printer is enough to start.
What else does it print?
Pick lists, packing slips, invoices and customs documents print directly, the same way as labels.
What happens if the printer is offline or out of labels?
The labels queue in the Workstations app. Nothing is lost and nothing needs reprocessing, so once the printer is back the queue clears.
How many benches can I set up, and can they work differently?
As many as you need, with no charge for them on current plans. If you're on an older plan, check with the Zenstores team. Each bench has its own printers and its own print trigger, so one can print on order import while another prints on scan completion.
Does automatic printing work with more than one carrier?
Yes. Zenstores integrates with 15 or more carriers including Royal Mail, DPD, Evri and DHL, and the rules decide which orders go to which. The label prints with the carrier already assigned.
How many labels an hour can it handle?
Your printer sets the pace, not Zenstores. Check your printer's labels per minute. At higher volumes, put a printer on each bench rather than sharing one.
How long does it take to set up?
Under five minutes to set up a bench. Rules and printing can be running the same day once your channels and carriers are connected to Zenstores.
