"Operations Labels - Print Control" (User Manual)
Creation date: 8/20/2026 12:49 PM
Updated: 8/20/2026 12:51 PM
Operation Labels — How to Create & Print Sector Labels
The "Operation Labels - Print Control" Smartsheet workflow · Rev. 2026-08-14 · Maintained by Alex Argumedo
Drop a file, tick a box, and the Zebra prints a ready-to-cut ribbon of labels — tags on top. No commands, no software to open besides the tracker.
| Printer | Label | Where it prints |
|---|---|---|
| Zebra ZD421 — 300 dpi | 4" × 1" direct thermal | Queue ZDesigner ZD421-300dpi ZPL 4x1 Raleigh — the Durham option on the
sheet prints to this same printer |
1. The only two places you touch
| Where | What you do there | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Drop folder | P:\Operation_Labels\Labels to Print (shared drive) |
Put your Assembly Summary Excel files here |
| 2 — The tracker | Smartsheet: Operation Labels - Print Control | Review what's ready and tick Approve to print |
2. Create labels (drop a file)
One Excel file = one module. The system reads it and lists it in the tracker, split into its sectors.
- Open the drop folder —
P:\Operation_Labels\Labels to Print. - Copy in the Assembly Summary file for the module (for example ITH-01 LEFT). It needs the usual assembly list — ASSY-## numbers with a quantity each. Totals, insulation saddles, and hardware rows are skipped for you.
- Wait a minute or two. The server reads the file, moves the original into Processed Files, and adds one row per sector to the tracker, each marked Detected.
- Drop several at once — each module file becomes its own set of sector rows.
- Re-dropping the same file won't create duplicates.
- Bad file? It moves to No processed due to errors with a
.error.txtnext to it explaining exactly what was wrong (usually a missing quantity). Fix the Excel and drop it again.
3. Print a section (tick Approve)
Each tracker row is one module in one sector — e.g. ITH-01 LEFT — S3. You approve exactly what you want to run.
- Open the tracker and find the rows for your module and sector.
- Tick the Approve box on each row you want printed. That's the whole action — no Save button needed.
- Collect the ribbon. Within about a minute the Zebra prints that section. The row moves to Printed, stamps Printed At, and the Approve box clears itself.
Reprints & extra copies
- Reprint: find the Printed row and tick Approve again. The same section reprints.
- More copies: set the Copies number first (e.g. 2), then tick Approve — every label in the section prints that many times.
- Damaged just one label? A reprint runs the whole section; print it and pull the one you need.
4. Reading the ribbon
The ribbon prints in reverse on purpose — the tags and headers land on top of the strip so you read it top-to-bottom:
| SECTOR 3 | Black tag — sector divider: start of a new sector |
| ITH-01 LEFT | Boxed header — module: everything under it belongs to that module, until the next box |
| S3-ASSY-08 ITH-01 LEFT |
Two-line label — the part code on top, its module underneath, so a loose sticker is never a mystery |
5. The tracker, column by column
Most columns are information. The only two you ever change are Approve and (sometimes) Copies.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Job | The module — ITH-01 LEFT, PWR-03, and so on |
| Sector | Which sector this row is for (S1, S2, …) |
| Source File | The Excel file this came from |
| Codes/Sector | How many different label codes the section has |
| Labels/Sector | How many stickers this section prints |
| Copies | You can edit this. How many times each label prints — leave at 1 normally |
| Total Labels | Labels/Sector × Copies |
| Approve | The button. Tick to print; it clears itself when done |
| Status | Where the job is — see the legend below |
| Progress | Live progress while a section is printing |
| Printed At | When it last finished printing |
| Notes | Messages from the system — including printer problems |
Status legend
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Detected | File read, section staged and ready | Tick Approve when you want it printed |
| Queued / Printing | The server is sending it to the Zebra | Wait — watch Progress |
| Printed | Done; Printed At is stamped | Collect the ribbon. Re-approve any time to reprint |
| Paused | Held on purpose | Check with your lead before approving |
| Error | Something went wrong — the reason is in Notes (most often the printer dropped offline) | Read Notes, fix the printer (see the Label Printing Troubleshooting Guide article), then tick Approve again |
6. If something looks stuck
- Row stays Detected after you approved it (more than ~2 minutes) — the print watcher on the server may be down. Report it (see below).
- Row shows Error — read Notes. Printer problems (offline, out of labels) are covered step-by-step in the Label Printing Troubleshooting Guide article. After the printer is back, tick Approve again — nothing is lost.
- Your file never appeared in the tracker — look in
P:\Operation_Labels\No processed due to errorsfor your file and its.error.txt, fix what it says, and drop the corrected file again. - Anything else: open a ticket / contact [FILL IN — contact or JitBit category] with a screenshot of the tracker row.
Related articles: Label Printing — WAY-LABELPRINT Troubleshooting Guide (printer and server fixes). Doc owner: Alex Argumedo.