Everything you need to print the full-size, lanyard credentials from scratch on a machine you have never touched before. Read top to bottom the first time. After that, jump to the Cheat Sheet.
The Zebra ZC10L is a large-format card printer. It prints a finished, edge-to-edge plastic credential about 3.46 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall. That is the card that drops into a lanyard holder. It is not the little credit-card printer (that is the ZC300, the wrong machine for this job).
Six moves. Each gets its own section below.
Always print one test card first and look at it before you run the batch. These large cards and the matched ribbon are not cheap, and the ribbon runs out in step with the cards (one kit = 400 of each). A bad size setting can chew through ribbon fast. One test card catches 90% of mistakes.
Thirty seconds now prevents loading the wrong media or installing the wrong driver.
Look at the front face of the printer and the sticker on the back or bottom. You are looking for the text ZC10L. It is a wide machine (much wider than a normal card printer) because it prints a tall, large card.
If the blank cards loaded in it are about the size of a passport page or a small index card (roughly 3.5 x 5.5 inches), you are at the right machine. If the blank cards are credit-card sized, that is a ZC300 or similar and it is the wrong machine for lanyard credentials.
If the label reads a different Zebra model (for example a ZC300, ZXP Series, or ZD-something), stop and confirm with whoever owns the hardware. The connect-load-print flow below is broadly the same across Zebra card printers, but the card size and driver download are model-specific. This guide is written for the ZC10L.
The ZC10L connects over USB and is plug-and-play on Windows. You still want the latest official driver for clean output. Do the driver download first, then plug in.
On the computer, go to Zebra's official ZC10L support page:
zebra.com/us/en/support-downloads/printers/card/zc10l.html
Download these (grab whatever is offered, in this order of importance):
Open the downloaded driver file and follow the prompts. When it asks for the connection type, choose USB. The installer will tell you when to plug the printer in.
Plug the USB cable from the printer into the computer and switch the printer on. Windows should detect it and finish setting it up. When it is done, the ZC10L appears in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Open Printers & scanners and check that a printer named ZC10L (or Zebra ZC10L) is listed and not showing an error. If it is there with no error, you are connected.
The ZC10L ships with a Windows driver included and is USB plug-and-play, so Windows can often install a basic driver on its own when you connect it. The downloaded driver is better, but if you are stuck offline, plug it in and let Windows try first.
Zebra ships a card-design program called CardStudio. You do not strictly need it because your art is already done in Canva. Here is when to use which path.
Because the credential is already designed in Canva, the fastest reliable path is to export it as a file and print that file to the ZC10L through the normal Windows print dialog. No extra software to learn. This is the path the rest of this guide follows.
Reach for Zebra CardStudio if you need to print different names, photos, or numbers on each card from a spreadsheet, or you want the printer's exact card template to guarantee sizing. A 30-day CardStudio 2.0 trial is included with the printer, and the download lives on the same Zebra support page as the driver.
For a single shared credential design printed many times, you do not need it.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) to open and print a PDF, or the Windows Photos app for a PNG. Acrobat gives you the cleanest control over scale, so PDF is the recommended export from Canva.
Two things to load: the blank cards and the print ribbon. The kit is designed so the ribbon and the stack of cards run out together.
Open the top cover. The ribbon has two spools: a full supply spool and an empty take-up spool.
For full-color credentials you want a color ribbon (a YMC-type ribbon, sometimes with an overlay layer). A monochrome black ribbon only prints black. If a color design comes out black-and-white, you have a mono ribbon loaded.
Spools and the card tray seat with light pressure. If something resists, it is in the wrong rail or backwards. Re-seat rather than push hard.
The card is roughly 3.46 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall. Match the Canva canvas to that so nothing stretches or prints with white borders.
For a standard portrait lanyard credential, the design should be about 3.46 in wide x 5.5 in tall (about 88 x 140 mm). In Canva, open File > Resize (or check the size shown when you open the design) and confirm it matches, or create a Custom size at those dimensions and move your art onto it.
If the credential is meant to be landscape, swap the numbers (5.5 wide x 3.46 tall).
The ZC10L prints edge to edge, so design your background full-bleed all the way to the edge. But keep important text and logos about 1/8 inch (3 mm) in from the edge so nothing critical sits right on the cut line or the lanyard slot.
Click Share > Download. Choose:
Leave crop marks and bleed OFF. The card is a fixed pre-cut size, so there is nothing to trim. Flatten to a single page.
Save the export to the Desktop or Downloads so it is one click away in the print step. Name it clearly, for example credential-staff-final.pdf.
This is where credentials go wrong (wrong size, off-center, white border). Get these four settings right and the rest is automatic.
Open your exported PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Go to File > Print (or Ctrl+P).
In the Printer dropdown, select ZC10L (or Zebra ZC10L). Not the office laser printer, not a PDF writer.
Click Properties (or Preferences) next to the printer name. In the Zebra driver:
Click OK to return to the print dialog.
This is the big one. Under page sizing / scaling, choose Actual size (100%), not "Fit" or "Shrink oversized pages." If your Canva canvas matched the card, Actual size prints it perfectly. "Fit" is what creates white borders and shrunken art.
The preview thumbnail should show your design filling the whole card with no white frame.
Check the preview. If you see a white border around the design, your scaling is on "Fit," or the canvas size does not match the card. Fix it now. Do not print a batch with a white frame.
Set copies to 1 and print. The printer pulls a blank card from the hopper, prints it edge to edge, and ejects it. Wait for it to finish.
If anything is off, go back to Print Setup (section 06) or the Canva size (section 05) and fix it, then print one more test.
Once the test card is right, set copies to the number of credentials you need and print. Keep an eye on the card hopper and refill blank cards as it runs low. Same for the ribbon, the printer will flag when it is out.
Collect the printed credentials from the output, drop each into a lanyard holder, and you are done. Store leftover blank cards and ribbon flat and out of direct sun so they stay clean for next time.
The usual suspects, and the fix.
Fix: Check the USB cable and that the printer is powered on. Try a different USB port. Reopen Printers & scanners. If still missing, reinstall the driver and connect when the installer asks.
Fix: Scaling is set to "Fit." Change it to Actual size (100%). Also confirm the Canva canvas is the card size (about 3.46 x 5.5 in).
Fix: The canvas aspect ratio does not match the card. Resize the Canva design to 3.46 x 5.5 in (or 5.5 x 3.46 landscape), re-export, reprint a test.
Fix: A monochrome ribbon is loaded, or the driver is set to monochrome. Load a color ribbon and set the driver to color.
Fix: Take the stack out, fan it to break the static, reseat it in the hopper. Make sure the card pickup tray is on and the cover is closed.
Fix: Ribbon may be low or the print head needs cleaning. Run a Zebra cleaning card through the printer, and check the ribbon level.
Fix: Open the top cover, confirm the supply spool is in the rear rails and the take-up spool in the front rails, slack removed. Replace the ribbon if spent.
Fix: Power off, open the cover, gently remove the stuck card (do not yank). Check that the cards are the correct ZC10L thickness and not warped. Power back on.
For when you have done it once and just need the steps.
| Machine | Zebra ZC10L Large-Format Card & Badge Printer |
|---|---|
| Prints | Large event credentials / badges, edge to edge |
| Card size | About 3.46 x 5.5 in (88 x 140 mm) |
| Sides | Single-sided (front only) |
| Resolution | 300 dpi, dye-sublimation color |
| Speed | Up to about 195 cards/hour in color, faster in monochrome |
| Connection | USB (some units add optional Ethernet) |
| Driver | Windows driver from the Zebra ZC10L support page |
| Design software | Optional: Zebra CardStudio 2.0 (30-day trial included). Not needed for a finished Canva design. |
| Media kit | Matched 400 cards + ribbon, designed to run out together. Cards usually pre-slotted for a lanyard. |
| Design source | Canva, exported as PDF Print at card size |