Windows Driver Delivers Exceptional Power, Common Interface, and New Features

VERNON HILLS, Ill., March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in delivering printing solutions for business improvement, today announced the release of its new universal driver -- a Windows printer driver that is compatible across the company's entire range of thermal bar code label and receipt printers, from high-volume industrial and commercial models to compact desktop and mobile printers. This powerful driver can be used with more than 50 printer models and is available as a free download from www.zebra.com .

With the new driver, users and software developers now can easily integrate and drive multiple printer types via a single, common interface. Only Zebra has the product range for applications as diverse as mobile receipt and ticket printing to electronic parts identification to pallet labeling and inventory tracking.

"Our customers wanted the convenience of having one printer driver to use with all of their thermal printers," says Stuart Itkin, Zebra's vice president of marketing and product management for its bar code business unit. "This driver takes advantage of the internal capabilities of our printers, and makes these features accessible to users in any Windows application, across Zebra's broad bar code product line."

In addition, by working in tandem with customer applications, the driver widens the opportunity for systems integrators and developers to use Zebra's on-demand printing technology to solve business problems.

The universal driver comes standard with all currently shipping Zebra printers and also is available as a free download for current Zebra printer owners at www.zebra.com .

Highlights of the new driver include a convenient cloning feature that allows users to configure the driver once and then export those settings to other users installing the same printer model. In addition to the common user interface, the driver also makes printer native fonts and bar codes available within Windows applications, and allows True Type fonts to be downloaded directly to a printer through the driver. A user-friendly label set-up utility and a simple set-up wizard help with the installation process and guide users through printer configuration.

The driver supports more than 50 printer models including EPL 2-, CPCL-, and ZPL II-based printers using firmware version X.10 or later. It is designed for use with the following versions of Microsoft Windows: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT V4.0, Windows ME, Windows 98, and Windows 95. The driver also is compatible with Windows 2000 Terminal Services and Citrix Metaframe v1.8 for Windows 2000. USB-enabled printers are supported in Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.

For more information on Zebra's universal printer driver, or the company's numerous solutions for business improvement and security applications, visit www.zebra.com or call +1.800.423.0442.

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA) delivers innovative and reliable on- demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 90 countries around the world. More than 90% of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra(R)-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra- brand thermal bar code, "smart" label and receipt printers, and Eltron(R)- brand card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs, and better customer service. The company has an installed base of nearly 3 million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions, and printing supplies. Information about Zebra bar code products can be found at www.zebra.com . The company's Web site for thermal printing supplies is www.zipzebra.com .