WholeCell's PrintNode integration lets you print inventory and shipping labels directly to your printer — no browser print dialog required. Instead of previewing and manually printing each label, your labels are sent straight to your printer with one click.
PrintNode works with any printer connected to your computer, including the Dymo and Zebra thermal label printers commonly used for inventory asset tags in the device resale industry.
This feature is currently in public beta. To enable it, go to Settings > Beta Features and turn on PrintNode.
What You'll Need
A printer connected to your computer (USB, network, or Bluetooth)
The PrintNode client application installed on the computer connected to your printer (download links are provided during setup)
Setting Up PrintNode
Step 1: Enable the Beta Feature
Go to Settings > Beta Features and enable PrintNode. Once enabled, a new PrintNode option will appear in your Settings sidebar.
Step 2: Create Your PrintNode Account
Navigate to Settings > PrintNode. WholeCell will create a PrintNode account on your behalf — you just need to provide an email and password. These credentials will be used to sign in to the PrintNode desktop client in the next step.
Important: Use a unique password. Do not reuse credentials from other accounts.
Click Connect to create your account.
Step 3: Download and Install the PrintNode Client
After connecting, you'll see download links for the PrintNode desktop client for Windows and macOS. Download the version that matches your operating system and install it.
Once installed, open the PrintNode client and sign in with the email and password you created in Step 2.
PrintNode Client on Windows:
PrintNode Client on Mac:
Note: Install the PrintNode client on every computer that has a printer you want to use with WholeCell. Printers will only appear in WholeCell while the client is running.
Step 4: Assign Printers to Label Types
Once the PrintNode client is running, your printers will automatically appear on the Settings > PrintNode page. Each printer displays its name, computer name, and online/offline status.
For each printer, assign it to a label type by clicking one of the buttons:
Inventory Label — for printing inventory asset tag labels
Shipping Label — for printing shipping labels
Each user can have one printer assigned per label type. You can change a printer's assignment by clicking Change to [label type] or remove it by clicking Unassign.
Using PrintNode
Printer Dropdown
Once you have printers assigned, a printer icon appears in the top navigation bar. Click it to see your assigned printers with their status. Use the toggle switch next to each printer to quickly enable or disable it without unassigning it. This is useful if you're temporarily away from your printer and want to fall back to browser printing.
Printing Inventory Labels
Single inventory: On any inventory detail page, click the Label button. If you have an inventory label printer enabled, the label is sent directly to your printer. You'll see a brief spinner followed by a checkmark when the print job succeeds.
Bulk printing: Select multiple inventory items and open the Bulk Edit modal. Choose
Print Labels. If you have an inventory label printer enabled, click Print Labels to send all selected labels to your printer in one job.
If no inventory label printer is assigned or enabled, the label will open as a PDF in your browser as usual.
Printing Shipping Labels (Scan to Print) **currently requires ShipStation V2 API Beta**
Navigate to Shipments > Scan to Print. currently requires shipstation v2 api beta enabled
Scan an IMEI, Hex ID, Order #, Transaction #, or Tracking # into the scan field. If you have a shipping label printer enabled, the shipping label is automatically sent to your printer as soon as the shipment is found.
Troubleshooting
Printers not appearing in WholeCell
Make sure the PrintNode desktop client is installed, running, and signed in on the computer connected to your printer. Go to Settings > PrintNode to refresh the printer list — printers sync from PrintNode each time you visit this page.
Printer shows as "Offline"
The printer's status is reported by the PrintNode client. Check that your printer is powered on, connected, and that the PrintNode client is running. Visit the settings page to sync the latest status.
Print job not printing
Verify the printer is assigned to the correct label type and that the toggle in the printer dropdown is enabled. If the icon shows an X after clicking print, check your printer connection and try again.
Labels opening in browser instead of printing
This means no printer is currently assigned and enabled for that label type. Open the printer dropdown in the navigation bar and make sure the relevant printer is toggled on.