Striped Printer

A fast, native macOS replacement for Zebra Browser Print. Drop it in, point your web apps at localhost:9100, and print ZPL to any network Zebra printer — no Java runtime, no Electron wrapper, no 200 MB install.

Why?

Zebra's Browser Print bridges the gap between web applications and thermal printers by running a local HTTP server that accepts ZPL and forwards it over TCP 9100. It works, but:

• It's a Java application that bundles its own JRE (~200 MB)
• It runs a heavyweight process for what amounts to proxying TCP connections
• The installer hasn't been meaningfully updated in years
• It's closed-source and Windows-first; macOS is an afterthought

Striped Printer is a ~2,000 line Swift app that does the same thing. It's a single binary, starts instantly, lives in your menu bar, and uses about 15 MB of RAM. It implements the same HTTP API that the Browser Print JavaScript SDK expects, so your existing web integrations work without changing a line of code.

Features

• Drop-in compatible — implements the full Browser Print HTTP API (/default, /available, /config, /write, /read)
• Double-click .zpl files — registers as the macOS handler for .zpl files, shows a printer picker, and sends directly
• Auto-discovery — finds Zebra printers via Bonjour and active subnet scanning with ~hi identification
• HTTPS support — self-signed TLS on port 9101 for HTTPS-hosted web apps, auto-trusted in your login keychain
• Menu bar app — lightweight status item with printer list, manual add, network scan, and default printer selection
• Zero dependencies — pure Swift using Network.framework, Security.framework, and AppKit. No SPM packages, no CocoaPods
• CORS + Private Network Access — handles Chrome's Access-Control-Allow-Private-Network preflight requirements

Installation

Homebrew (recommended)

brew install WDC/tap/striped-printer
brew services start striped-printer

Download

Grab the latest notarized app from GitHub Releases:

1. Download StripedPrinter.zip
2. Unzip and move StripedPrinter.app to /Applications/
3. Open it — it will appear in your menu bar

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/WDC/Striped-Printer.git
cd Striped-Printer
make bundle
make install

This builds a universal binary (arm64 + x86_64), creates an app bundle, installs it to /Applications/, registers .zpl file association, and sets up a LaunchAgent to start at login.

Quick Start

A printer icon appears in your menu bar. Striped Printer will:

1. Start HTTP on port 9100 and HTTPS on port 9101
2. Discover printers via Bonjour (_pdl-datastream._tcp)
3. Scan your local subnets for Zebra printers on port 9100
4. Serve the Browser Print API to your web applications

You can also double-click any .zpl file to send it directly to a printer. If multiple printers are available, a picker dialog appears.

Migrating from iZPL / ZPL Printer

If you previously used iZPL (ZPL Printer), Striped Printer will automatically import your printers from ~/.zplprinters on first launch. The old config file is renamed to ~/.zplprinters.migrated.

Uninstall

# Homebrew
brew services stop striped-printer
brew uninstall striped-printer

# Manual / make
make uninstall

API Compatibility

Striped Printer implements the endpoints that the Zebra Browser Print JavaScript SDK (BrowserPrint-3.x.js) calls:

Endpoint	Method	Description
/default?type=printer	GET	Returns the default printer device JSON
/available	GET	Returns {"printer": [...]} with all discovered devices
/config	GET	Returns application config (version, supported conversions)
/write	POST	Sends ZPL data to a printer
/read	POST	Reads response data from a printer
/convert	POST	Returns 501 (not supported — send raw ZPL directly)

The device JSON matches Browser Print's format exactly:

{
  "deviceType": "printer",
  "uid": "10.175.176.30:9100",
  "provider": "com.zebra.ds.webdriver.desktop.provider.DefaultDeviceProvider",
  "name": "ZT230-200dpi (10.175.176.30)",
  "connection": "network",
  "version": 3,
  "manufacturer": "Zebra Technologies"
}

Adding Printers

Striped Printer finds printers three ways:

1. Bonjour — automatically discovers printers advertising _pdl-datastream._tcp
2. Subnet scan — probes your local /24 subnets on port 9100 and identifies Zebra printers via the ~hi command
3. Manual — add printers by IP address through the menu bar (persisted to ~/Library/Application Support/StripedPrinter/printers.json)

If your Zebra printers are on a different VLAN or subnet, use Scan Network from the menu bar to scan specific subnets, or Add Printer to enter an IP directly.

Requirements

• macOS 13+ (Ventura or later)
• Swift 5.9+ toolchain
• Network-accessible Zebra printer(s) on port 9100

How It Works

Browser JS SDK                 Striped Printer              Zebra Printer
─────────────────            ─────────────────            ───────────────
                    HTTP/HTTPS                    TCP 9100
BrowserPrint.js  ──────────▶  localhost:9100  ──────────▶  10.x.x.x:9100
                               (or :9101)
  GET /default                                              Raw ZPL data
  POST /write { zpl }                                       ◀── response
  POST /read

The Browser Print JS SDK makes HTTP requests to localhost:9100 (or https://localhost:9101 on HTTPS pages). Striped Printer receives these, looks up the target printer, opens a TCP connection to port 9100 on the printer, and sends the raw ZPL. No drivers, no print spooler, no CUPS — just TCP.

License

MIT