ZEBRA® GK420D™ & GK420T™

PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications are provided for reference and are based on printer tests using
Genuine Zebra™ supplies and accessories. Results may vary in actual application
settings or when using other-than-recommended Zebra supplies. Zebra
recommends always qualifying any application with thorough testing.

Standard Features
 Maximum speed 5 ips (127 mm/sec)  OpenACCESS™
design for easy media loading
 203 dpi print resolution (8 dots/mm)  Direct thermal (d) and Thermal transfer (t) printing of
bar codes, text, and graphics
 Fully-enclosed 5.0″ (127 mm) media compartment  Dual-wall frame construction
 ZPL II® programming language
 EPL2 page mode programming language
 EPL Line Mode support (GK420d)  32 bit RISC processor  8 MB Standard SDRAM memory (3 MB available to
user)  4 MB Standard Flash memory (1.5 MB available to
user)  Zebra E3™ Printhead Energy Control  Triple communications interface: Serial, USB & Parallel  User interface feed button (ZPL® style)  Odometer for print length tracking
 Unicode™
compliant for multi-language printing
 Auto-calibration of media
 16 resident expandable bitmap fonts (ZPL language)  One resident scalable font (ZPL language)  5 resident expandable bitmap fonts (EPL language)  Auto-switching 100-240V power supply
 IEC 60601-1 Certified (GK420 Healthcare models only)  Transmissive and reflective media sensing
 Head-up sensor  Programmable print speed: 2, 3, 4 & 5 ips
(51, 76, 102, 127 mm/sec)  Standard tear-off mode feature
 Zebra printer driver for Windows®
 ENERGY STAR® 2.0 qualified

Optional Features
 Dispenser (peeler) – Label peel and present with label
present sensor (not available on GK420 Healthcare)  Ethernet – 10/100 internal offered in combination with
USB interface (replaces Serial and Parallel ports)  Font Packs – Asian and other international font kits
 Power Cord – US, Europe, UK, Australia, Argentina,
Japan, and China
 ZBI 2.0™ – Field installed via activation key
Accessories
 ZKDU™
and KDU Plus™
– keyboard display units for
stand-alone printing solutions
ZebraLink Solutions
Software
 ZebraDesigner™ Pro – An intuitive, easy-to-use
software program for creating complex label designs
(option)  ZebraDesigner – Offers basic features for simple label
design (standard)  ZebraNet™ Bridge Enterprise – Centrally manage
Zebra printers anywhere on your global network from a
single PC screen (option)  ZebraNet Utilities v 7.0 – Provides printer
administration, management, alerting capabilities and
more for Windows® 95/98/2000/2003/ME/NT/XP
(standard)  ZebraDesigner™ Windows Driver – Microsoft certified
for Windows Vista®
, Windows 7, Windows 8 Windows
8.1, Windows 2008, and Windows 2012 (downloadable
from www.Zebra.com)

 ZBI 2.0 – Powerful programming language that lets
printers run standalone applications, connect to
peripherals, and much more (option)  ZBI-Developer – Programming environment for
developers to simplify creation, testing and distribution
to printers of complex ZBI 2.0 programs (standard with
ZBI 2.0)  POS Driver – Supports integration with Windows- based point-of-sale applications.
Networking Options
Ethernet – 10/100 internal – Offered in combination with
USB & Serial interface (replaces Serial and Parallel ports)
Firmware
 EPL2 – Eltron Programming Language simplifies label
formatting and enables format compatibility with legacy
applications
 EPL – Line Mode support (GK420d) enables format
compatibility with legacy applications
 ZPL II – Zebra Programming Language Provides
sophisticated label formatting and printer control.
Compatible with tabletop and mobile Zebra printers.  Web View – Connect and control Zebra bar code
printers via the printer’s Web interface using a common
Web browser  Alert – Printers equipped with ZebraNet print servers
will notify you via any email-enabled, wired, or wireless
device to minimize downtime

Media Specifications
NOTE: For optimum print quality and printer performance,
use of Zebra genuine supplies is recommended.  Media Width: 0.75″ (19 mm) – 4.25″ (108 mm)  Label Length: – Using tear off mode:
Minimum Length Model Printing Mode
0.38″ (9.7 mm) GK420d Direct thermal
0.38″ (9.7 mm) GK420t Thermal transfer
0.5″ (12.7 mm) GK420t Direct thermal – Minimum using dispenser – 0.50″ (12.7 mm) – Maximum – 39.00″ (990 mm)  Core Inner Diameter: 0.5″ (12.7 mm), 1.0″ (25.4 mm),
1.5″ (37.1 mm)  Max Roll Diameter: 5.00″ (127 mm)  Media Thickness: 0.003″ (0.08 mm) – 0.0075″ (0.19
mm)  Media Sensing: fixed reflective and transmissive gap,
black line, and notch
 Media Types: Roll-fed or fan-fold, die cut or continuous
direct thermal labels with or without black line, tag
stock, continuous receipt paper, and wristbands
 Dispenser peeler (optional) may not work with all media
types and should be tested for media compatibility.
Calibration Procedure
 The GK420 is equipped with a standard auto-calibration
feature that can be set to initiate automatically during
start-up of the printer – utilizing two to four labels to
calibrate for efficient operation and less waste. The
printer will also save the new settings in memory until
the next calibration is performed.  A manual calibration procedure can also be performed,
if required. Consult your User’s Guide for more details
on the specific manual calibration steps.
ZPL Programming Language (ZPL/ZPL II)  Communicates in printable ASCII characters
 Compatible with mainframe, mini, and PC hosts
 Downloadable objects include graphics and bitmap
fonts, label templates and formats
 Automatic memory allocation for format while printing

Printing Specifications
Parameter 203 dpi
(8 dots/mm)
Dot pitch 0.0049″ (0.125 mm)
Maximum print length 39.0″ (991 mm)
Minimum print length 0.005″ (0.127 mm – one dot)
Print length in line mode Unlimited (GK420d)
Maximum print width 4.09″ (104 mm)
Minimum print width 0.005″ (0.127 mm – one dot)
Programmable print
speed
2, 3, 4 & 5 ips (51, 76, 102, 127
mm/sec)
Bar code modulus “X”
dimension
203 dpi = 5 mil to 50 mil

Automatic serialization of fields
 Format inversion (white on black)  Mirror-image printing
 Four position field rotation (0º, 90º, 180º, 270º)  Slew command
 Programmable label quantities with print, pause
 Status messages to host upon request
ZPL Font Specifications
203 dpi (8 dots/mm)
Font
Matrix
(in dots)
(H x W)
Type* Minimum
Char. Size
(H x W)
Maximum
C.P.I.
A 9 x 5 U-L-D .044″ x .030″ 33.3
B 11 x 7 U .054″ x .044″ 22.7
C,D 18 x 10 U-L-D .089″ x .059″ 16.9
E 28 x 15 OCR-B .138″ x .098″ 10.2
F 26 x 13 U-L-D .128″ x .079″ 12.7
G 60 x 40 U-L-D .295″ x .236″ 4.2
H 21 x 13 OCR-A .103″ x .093″ 10.8
GS 24 x 24 SYMBOL .118″ x .118″ 8.5
P-V U-L-D Backward compatible w/ S-300
Ø 15 x 12 U-L-D Scalable (Smooth) Font
*U = upper case, L = lower case, D = descenders
 Character Fonts: Standard bitmapped Zebra fonts: A,
B, C, D, E (OCR-B), F, G, H (OCR-A), GS, P, Q, R, S,
T, U, V & Ø Smooth font (CG Triumvirate™ Bold
Condensed)  Supports user defined fonts and graphics – including
custom logos
 Bitmap fonts are expandable up to 10 times, height and
width independent. Fonts E and H (OCR-B and OCR- A), however, are not considered in spec when
expanded.  Smooth scalable font Ø (CG Triumvirate Bold
Condensed) is expandable dot-by-dot, height and width
independent, while maintaining edges to a max. 1500 x
1500 dots
ZPL Barcode Symbologies
 Barcode Ratios: 2:1 (non-rotated) and 3:1
 Linear Barcodes: Code 11, Code 39, Code 93, Code
 128, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, EAN-14, UPC-  A and UPC-E with EAN 2 or 5 digit extensions,
Plessey, POSTNET, Standard 2 of 5, Industrial 2 of 5,
Interleaved 2 of 5, LOGMARS, MSI, Codabar, and
GS1 DataBar (formerly RSS)  2-dimensional Barcodes: PDF417, MicroPDF-417,
Code 49, Maxicode, Codablock, Data Matrix, QR code,
and Aztec
EPL Programming Language (EPL2)  ASCII EPL2 programming language (Page Mode)  Field Rotations
 Variable field support (up to 100)  Counter support (up to 10)  Variable field addition and subtraction
 Status reporting
 Form, fonts, and graphics storage
 Simple set of formatting commands
EPL Font Specifications
203 dpi (8 dots/mm)
Font Width (dot) Height (dot) CPI
1 8 12 20.3
2 10 16 16.9
3 12 20 4.5
4 14 24 12.7
5 32 48 5.6
8-Simp 32 32 6.3* 8-Trad 32 32 6.3*
* Spacing of Asian characters is controlled via the i
command. The formula for CPI is 203 / (32 + i). Thus as i
increases, CPI decreases. For example: If i = 2, CPI =
203/34 = 6.0

EPL Barcodes Symbologies
 Linear barcodes: Code 39, Code 128A, B & C (User
selectable/Auto), UCC/EAN-128, Code 93, Codabar,
Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A, UPC-E, UPC-A with 2 and 5
add on, UPC-E with 2 and 5 add on, EAN 13, EAN 8,
EAN 13 with 2 and 5 add on, EAN 8 with 2 and 5 add
on, Postnet (5, 9, 11, & 13 digit)
Japanese Postnet, Plessey (MSI-1), MSI-3, German
Post Code, and GS1 DataBar (formerly RSS)  2-dimensional Barcodes: Maxicode (modes 2,3,4,6),
PDF417, MacroPDF417, QR Code, Data Matrix, and
Aztec
Communications Specifications
 Centronics® Parallel (36 Pin) connector ports
 RS-232 auto-sensing, adaptive Serial interface, DB-9
 USB V1.1, bi-directional  Internal 10/100 Ethernet – optional (replaces Serial and
Parallel ports)
Electrical Specifications
 Auto-detectable (PFC Compliant) 100-240VAC, 50- 60Hz rated at 70Watts
 ENERGY STAR 2.0 qualified printers
 IEC 60601-1 Certified (GK420 Healthcare models only)
Agency Approvals
G-Series GK420 Models (excluding Healthcare):  Emissions: FCC Part 15, Subpart B (Class B), ICES
003 , VCCI, C-Tick, CQC, EAC, KCC, BSMI, ICES-003
 Emissions and Susceptibility: EN55022 (Class B),
EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3
 Safety: CB Scheme IEC 60950-1, TUV NRTL, C-Tick,
CCC, NOM, EAC, KCC, BSMI, BIS
GK420 Healthcare Models:  Emissions: FCC Part 15, Subpart B (Class B), ICES
003
 Emissions and Susceptibility: EN55022 (Class B),
EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3
 Safety: CB Scheme IEC 60950-1, TUV NRTL
Physical Specifications
(no options installed)
GK420d GK420t
Height 6.0″ (152 mm) 7.5″ (191 mm)
Width: 6.75″ (171 mm) 7.6″ (193 mm)
Depth: 8.25″ (210 mm) 10.0” (254 mm)
Weight: 3.0 lbs (1.4 kg) 4.6 lbs (2.1 kg)
Environmental Specifications
 Operating Temperature: 40º to 105ºF (4.4º to 41ºC)  Storage Temperature: -40º to 140ºF (-40º to 60ºC)  Operating Humidity: 10% to 90% non-condensing R.H.  Storage Humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing R.H.
Healthcare Features
(Healthcare models only)  Disinfectant-ready plastics
 Approved cleaning agent ingredients (see separate
“Guide to Disinfecting and Cleaning Zebra Healthcare
Printers” for more details): – Isopropyl and Ethyl alcohol (including wipes) – Ammonium
– Hydrogen peroxide – Phosphoric acid – Bleach/sodium hypochlorite – Mild dish soap
 Medical-grade power supply certified to IEC 60601-1
standards to protect patient and staff safety by reducing
the risk of electrical shock
 Enable production of labels that meet the Clinical and
Laboratory Standards Institute®
(CLSI) harmonization
standard
 Certified and recommended by all of the leading
Electronic Health Records (EHR) providers

Preventative Maintenance
Zebra recommends cleaning the printer on a regular basis
using standard Zebra printer parts and cleaning supplies.
Consult your User’s Guide for further details. Cleaning: The exterior is cleaned with a lint-free cloth
and, if necessary, a mild detergent solution or desktop
cleaner. Interior components are cleaned with 70%
isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or blown air to remove any
particles. (For Healthcare models see separate “Guide to
Disinfecting and Cleaning Zebra Healthcare Printers”)