Zebra ZD500 Labels & Ribbons

The Zebra ZD500 does both. In thermal transfer mode it prints through a ribbon for durable, long-life labels; in direct thermal mode it prints straight onto heat-sensitive stock with no ribbon at all, which is how most shipping labels are produced.

The Zebra ZD500 takes thermal transfer ribbons up to 4.33" wide, up to 984 ft (300 m) long, on a 1" core, wound coated side out (CSO). Wax suits coated paper labels, wax-resin handles synthetics and heavier handling, and full resin is the choice for chemical, solvent and outdoor exposure.

The Zebra ZD500 accepts media up to 4.25" wide, with a maximum print width of 4.09". Any narrower label will run as well, so long as the roll core and outside diameter also fit the media bay — width alone is not enough.

The Zebra ZD500 takes rolls on 0.5" / 1" cores, with a maximum roll diameter of 5". A roll on a larger core will not seat on the spindle, and one over the diameter limit will not let the cover close.

No. The Zebra ZD500 takes 0.5" / 1" cores. A 3" core roll — the usual industrial format — will not fit its spindle, so check the core before ordering, not just the label size.

Three things stop a roll loading in this printer: the roll is over 5" in diameter; the core is not 0.5" / 1". Label width is usually the first thing people check and the least likely culprit — core size is the common one.

Yes. Because the Zebra ZD500 prints thermal transfer, it can image polypropylene, polyester and other synthetic facestocks that direct thermal printers cannot mark. Pair them with a wax-resin or full resin ribbon; wax will not anchor properly to a synthetic surface.

Vantage Labels stocks blank thermal labels and printer ribbons that fit the Zebra ZD500, shipped from Canadian stock. Everything listed on this page has been checked against the printer's published media specifications — width, core, roll diameter and ribbon format — rather than matched on the printer's name.