Set up your TSC label printer

USB setup for the TSC DA210, DA220, DA310 and DA320 (and older DC2700 / DC2900). 

Get the driver from TSC. On their downloads page, filter Product to Desktop and model to DA Series, then open Driver. emea.tscprinters.com/en/downloads. Direct links below are the current Mac and Windows WHQL files. If one stops working, use that page — TSC replaces the file when they ship a new driver.

Windows

Works on Windows 10 and 11, 32-bit and 64-bit. Use the WHQL driver — Windows trusts it.

Download Windows driver (WHQL) All TSC downloads

  1. Install the driver first, then plug the printer in. Open the downloaded file and follow the installer. If Windows asks, choose Yes. Restart only if the installer asks you to.
  2. Load labels and switch the printer on. Power switch is on the rear. Labels must face up — the print head is in the lid, so you should see the label face as it comes out. Pull the green guide on the right to seat the roll, close the lid firmly with the first label sticking out, then press the feed button on the lid. The printer finds the gap and stops at the next label.
  3. Connect the USB cable to the computer. Windows should add “TSC DA210” (or your model) on its own. If it does not, go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device, and pick the TSC printer.
  4. Set the label size. Settings → Printers & scanners → your TSC printer → Printing preferences. Create or select a custom size of 102 mm wide × 175 mm high (name it r3pack 102x175). If your courier PDF is 100 × 150 mm, make that size instead and use it for those jobs.
  5. Print a label at 100%. In the browser print box, choose this printer, choose the 102 × 175 mm paper size, set scale to 100% (not Fit to page), and turn headers and footers off. A shrunk barcode will not scan.

Mac

Works on every Mac, including newer ones. The installer will be blocked the first time — that is normal. You also need to move one small file into a special folder. Follow the steps and pictures below closely.

Download Mac driver All TSC downloads

Also download the file for your printer (or the zip of all of them). You will move this file later. Do not try to use it from Downloads.

DA210.ppd DA220.ppd DA310.ppd DA320.ppd DA200.ppd DC2700.ppd DC2900.ppd All PPDs (zip)

DA210 uses DA210.ppd. DA220 uses DA220.ppd. DA310 uses DA310.ppd. DA320 uses DA320.ppd. Older DC2700 uses DC2700.ppd. Older DC2900 uses DC2900.ppd.

  1. Download the driver and open it. The file is called something like TSC-1.29-install.pkg. It lands in Downloads. Double-click it.
  2. If you see this warning, click Done. Do not click Move to Bin. Mac warning: TSC installer not opened. Click Done, not Move to Bin.
  3. Allow it in Privacy & Security. Click the Apple menu (top left) → System Settings → Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the Security section. You will see the installer was blocked. Click Open Anyway. Privacy and Security settings with Open Anyway next to the TSC installer. A second box appears. Click Open Anyway again (not Move to Bin). Enter your Mac password or use Touch ID if asked. Confirm open dialog. Click Open Anyway.
    If Open Anyway is missing, double-click the installer in Downloads again, then come straight back to this screen.
  4. Finish the installer. Click Continue, then Install. Enter your Mac password or use Touch ID when asked. Move through the installer until you see this, then click Close. The installation was successful.
  5. Move the printer file into the special folder. The installer does not put this file where the Mac needs it. Selecting it from Downloads will not work.
    • Open Finder. In the menu bar choose Go → Go to Folder… (or press Shift + Command + G).
    • Type exactly /Library/Printers/TSC/PPDs and press Return.
    Go to Folder box with /Library/Printers/TSC/PPDs typed in.
    • If that folder does not exist: go to /Library/Printers instead, make a new folder called TSC, open it, and make a folder called PPDs. The Mac will ask for your password.
    • From Downloads, drag the .ppd file for your printer into that PPDs folder. Enter your password if asked.
    • When you are done it should look like this:
    Finder showing Macintosh HD, Library, Printers, TSC, PPDs with the ppd files.
  6. Load the labels and turn the printer on. The power switch is on the back. Labels face up (you should see the white label as it comes out). Pull the green guide on the right, put the roll in, close the lid with a bit of the first label sticking out, then press the feed button on the lid. 
  7. Add the printer. Apple menu → System Settings → Printers & Scanners → Add Printer. Click your TSC printer so it is highlighted. In the Use box, choose Other…. Add Printer window with TSC printer selected and Other chosen.
  8. Choose the file you moved earlier. Go to Macintosh HD → Library → Printers → TSC → PPDs. Click the appropriate file for your printer (for example DA310.ppd), then click Open, then Add. File picker in the PPDs folder with a ppd file selected. Do not pick the copy that is still in Downloads. If the Mac says the software was installed incorrectly, click Repair.
  9. Set the label size. Open TextEdit (in Applications). File → Print. Choose the TSC printer. Click Show Details if you only see a small box. Paper Size → Manage Custom Sizes → click the + button. Fill it in exactly like this, then click OK. Custom paper size r3pack 102x175, 102 mm wide, 175 mm high, 3 mm margins. When you print a courier label, pick paper size r3pack 102x175, set scale to 100% (not Fit to page), and turn headers and footers off.

Linux

TSC’s Linux driver is a 64-bit CUPS package (V1.2.13). It covers the DA series on x86_64. It does not cover Raspberry Pi or other ARM boards.

Open TSC downloads

Filter to Desktop and DA Series, then download Linux driver V1.2.13 (64 bit). The old V0.2.06 file is 32-bit only — skip it unless the computer is actually 32-bit.

  1. Install CUPS if it is not already there (sudo apt install cups on Debian/Ubuntu, sudo dnf install cups on Fedora). Make sure your user is in the lpadmin group, then log out and back in.
  2. Unpack the zip and run the installer inside it with sudo, from the folder the zip extracted to. The package drops a CUPS backend and the PPD files. Read the notes in the zip if the script name differs — TSC has changed the filename between versions.
  3. Load labels, switch the printer on, and plug in USB. Labels face up. Press the feed button so it stops on a gap.
  4. Add the queue. Open http://localhost:631 → Administration → Add Printer. Pick the TSC USB device, continue, and choose the PPD that matches the model (DA210.ppd, DA220.ppd, DA310.ppd or DA320.ppd). Set the default media to 102 × 175 mm if CUPS offers a custom size, or set it in the application print dialog.
  5. Print at 100%. Same rule as the other systems: paper size 102 × 175 mm, no fit-to-page, no headers. A scaled barcode will not scan.
Official support for this driver is thinner than Windows and Mac. If the installer script fails, the useful files inside the zip are the CUPS backend and the PPD. Copying those into /usr/lib/cups/backend and /usr/share/cups/model and restarting CUPS is the usual fallback — check the filenames in your zip before copying.

Label loading, all computers

  • Take the sticker off the roll and unwind a little so the roll sits flat.
  • Print side faces up. If labels come out blank, the roll is in backwards.
  • Close the lid firmly. A loose lid is the usual cause of “printer not ready”.
  • Press feed once after every new roll. The printer measures the gap and lines up the next label.

If the label prints but will not scan

  • Scale was not 100%. Reprint with actual size, not Fit / Shrink.
  • Paper size was A4, so the label was a small stamp in the corner. Choose r3pack 102x175.
  • Darkness is too light. In the driver preferences, raise darkness one step and reprint.
  • The courier file is 100 × 150 mm. Add that custom size and use it for that site only.

NZ distributor support for the printer itself: Techspan Group, 09 827 6567. Driver files are published by TSC Auto ID — we link to them so you always get the current build.

 

Simple Printer Help Page

Hi! This page helps you set up your courier label printer. Choose your model and computer type below. We have detailed PDFs with pictures for the main USB setups — easy to follow!

VERY IMPORTANT: Save your work, close all programs, and RESTART your computer before starting. This fixes most issues!

Most common label size: 102x175mm (200 label roll) or 101mm wide x 174mm high (375 label roll) — use this when setting custom size.

Quick Fixes for Common Problems

Labels come out blank?
  1. Check labels face UP (shiny side top).
  2. Use the correct power adapter (not swapped).
  3. Hold feed button while powering on for test page.
Print blurry/faded?

Clean printhead with alcohol. In settings, set "Dithering" to "None" for sharp text. Increase "Density" a bit if needed.

Printer not working?
  1. Unplug everything, wait 30 seconds, replug and turn on.
  2. Try different USB port/cable.
  3. Run self-test (hold feed on power-on).

Set Up Your Printer

Select a model and OS above to see setup instructions.

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