Brother QL-series label printers do not print bar codes

As of the writing of this article, printer drivers written for Brother QL-series (Quick Labeler) label printers only allow fonts to print in standard horizontal orientation, and do not allow any fonts to print in the rotated vertical orientation. Using the example of vertically-oriented bar codes which use a standard code 39 bar code font, the bar code can be seen in the label print preview within AYS, but there is a blank space on the printed label where the bar code should be. Printing the same label to other printers prints the bar codes correctly.

This printer driver bug has been specifically verified with a variety of fonts (both bar-code and non-bar-code) on the Brother QL-570, QL-580N, and QL-720NW label printer models.

AYS opened two support incidents with Brother (one in Canada and one in the United States) to report this bug in their printer drivers. Brother’s response in both cases was that, although they have released printer drivers for their label printers, they only support printing to those printers using their own stand-alone P-Touch Editor software.

We are continuing to pursue other support options with Brother, however in the meantime we recommend one of two possible resolutions:

Option 1: Customize your label so that all fonts are oriented horizontally.

Option 2: Use another brand of label printer. Many of our customers have had success with Dymo LabelWriter label printers or with Zebra desktop or Zebra industrial label printers.