How to print stickers easily (in colors)

Question

Hello, I need to develop a small delphi app that prints stickers (text + graphics) to label printer such as DYMO one by one.

What is best way to do this, is there e.g. some custom API for DYMO printers or how to print color graphics to small stickers?

Answer 1

I've used plain old Printer.Canvas from the Printers unit to write to DYMO label printers, with labels printing OK.

Answer 2

The label printer may have a normal Windows printer driver.

If that is the case you can print simply with something like this:

Printer.BeginDoc;
Printer.Canvas.TextOut(10, 10, 'Hello label');
Printer.EndDoc;

Have a look on this dymo.com page for a Dymo SDK you can download.

Answer 3

We've been printing to Zebra label printers for years through standard printing functionality. We actually create a report (QuickReport) and send it to the printer using the basic Print command.

The ability to print color is going to depend on the facilities of your printer. For example, the Zebra printers that we use are thermal transfer ribbon printers which means that there is only one color possible.

Answer 4

As Scott W suggested using the Windows printer drivers, is the easiest way to output labels to a printer, and your software can be used with other label printers.

You just need to create a page with the correct label size, using QuickReports, Rave or any other reporting components.

You can download drivers from DYMO direct. For other label printers I would highly recommend using drivers from Seagull Scientific. There drivers are better than those supplied by the printer manufacturer.