> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.omnilinker.pl/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Devices and printing
> How stations, locations, printers and print jobs fit together, and what you need before labels print on your own printers.
Omnilinker can send shipping labels straight to the printers at your site, instead of you downloading and printing each
PDF. The printers stay connected to a Windows PC as they are today. That PC runs the free **Omnilinker Station** app,
which takes print jobs from Omnilinker and hands them to the printer.
Stations are optional. Without one, you can still download every label as a PDF (and as ZPL, when the carrier sends
one) from its shipment. See [Download instead of printing](/shipping/shipments#download-instead-of-printing).
## The parts
| Term | What it is |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Station** | One Windows PC that runs the Omnilinker Station app and prints for Omnilinker, for example "Packing desk 1". Any number of people can print at the same station, from any computer. |
| **Location** | A place you define to group stations: a building, a floor, a room. A location decides who can print at its stations and where automatic labels go. Locations are optional. |
| **Printer** | A printer installed in Windows on the station's PC. The Station app finds printers by itself; you say what each one prints and in which format. |
| **Print job** | One document sent to a station, such as one shipping label. It shows where it is going, why, and what happened to it. |
| **Your station** | The station the computer you are working on prints to. You pick it with **Choose station** in the top bar. |
A station is not the computer you work on. Three packers can work on three PCs and print at the one station that has
the label printer, and one person can print from two desks.
## Who does what
| Who | Does | Where |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| An administrator | Creates locations, adds stations, says what each printer prints, sets automatic printing | [Stations and locations](/devices/stations), [Automatic printing](/devices/automatic-printing) |
| The IT person at the site | Installs the Station app on the PC next to the printer and pairs it with a code | [Install the Station app](/devices/install-station-app) |
| People who pack and ship | Choose the station they print at, print labels, and deal with the printer when it needs someone | [Choose your station](/devices/choose-station), [Use the Station app](/devices/station-app), [Print labels](/shipping/shipments#print-labels) |
| Supervisors | Watch the print queue, move stuck jobs to another station, retry or cancel them | [Print jobs](/devices/print-jobs) |
## How it works with shipping labels
When you create a shipment through a courier, Omnilinker remembers the station your computer prints to. When the
carrier sends the label, it prints at that station by itself, unless the station or its location is set not to print
labels automatically. You can also print any label by hand with **Print label** on the shipment, or print many labels
at once from the **Shipments** list.
Each label is stored as PDF, plus ZPL when the carrier offers it. Omnilinker sends each printer the format it takes:
ZPL for thermal label printers, PDF for any other printer.
See [Automatic printing](/devices/automatic-printing) for how Omnilinker decides where a job goes, and
[Print labels](/shipping/shipments#print-labels) for the print buttons.
## Set up printing
If you print in more than one place, or only some people may print at some printers, create locations first. See
[Locations](/devices/stations#locations).
Open **Devices** > **Stations**, click **Add station**, and install the Station app on the PC next to the printer.
Type the pairing code that Omnilinker shows into the app. See [Add a station](/devices/stations#add-a-station) and
[Install the Station app](/devices/install-station-app).
Once the app connects, choose which printer prints shipping labels and which prints documents, then send a test
label. See [Printers](/devices/stations#printers).
Everyone who prints picks their station with **Choose station** in the top bar, once per computer. See
[Choose your station](/devices/choose-station).
## Modules
Two features switch this area on or off for your organization. Both are on by default.
| Feature | Group | What it controls |
| ------------------------------- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enable stations and devices** | **Devices** | **Devices** > **Stations**, and **Choose station** in the top bar. When it is off, the Stations page says "Stations are switched off for your company." |
| **Enable printing to stations** | **Printing** | **Devices** > **Print jobs**, the print buttons, and the printing settings on the Stations page. When it is off, print buttons are replaced by downloads and labels do not print by themselves. |
Omnilinker switches these features. See [Modules and feature availability](/administration/features).
## Permissions
Permissions are in two groups, **Devices** and **Printing**, in the role editor. See
[Users and roles](/administration/users-and-roles).
| Permission | Group | Lets you |
| --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Stations** | **Devices** | Open **Devices** > **Stations** and see stations, their printers and who prints there. |
| **Manage stations** | **Devices** | Add, rename, move, pair again and remove stations. Needs **Stations**. |
| **Choose a station to print at** | **Devices** | See **Choose station** in the top bar and pick a station. It does not show the Stations page. |
| **Locations** | **Devices** | Open the **Locations** dialog. |
| **Manage locations** | **Devices** | Create, edit and delete locations, and decide who can print at them. Needs **Locations**. |
| **Print** | **Printing** | Print, see your own print jobs, and retry, move or cancel them. |
| **Print jobs** | **Printing** | See everyone's print jobs, and **Devices** > **Print jobs** in the menu. |
| **Manage everyone's print jobs** | **Printing** | Retry, move and cancel anyone's print jobs. You also get the alerts about print jobs that are stuck or have no station. Needs **Print jobs**. |
| **Printers** | **Printing** | See printer settings, what prints at each station, and each location's printing settings. |
| **Manage printers** | **Printing** | Change printer settings, what prints at each station, automatic printing, what happens when a printer stops, a location's default station, and send test prints. Needs **Printers**. |
| **Station app (service accounts only)** | **Devices** and **Printing** | Nothing for people. |
Never grant **Station app (service accounts only)** to a person or to a role people have. Omnilinker gives it to each
station's own account, in a role called **Station Agent**, when the station is paired. That role is managed by
Omnilinker; do not edit it.
To print a shipping label you also need **Download shipment labels**. See
[Shipments permissions](/shipping/shipments#permissions).
## Next steps
Add stations, group them in locations and set up printers.
For the IT person: install, pair, update and remove the app.
Pick the station your computer prints to.
Follow the queue and fix jobs that did not print.