4-inch rugged successor to the ZQ520
If you need to print 4-inch receipts and labels around 100 mm wide in harsh environments, the ZQ521 is the model Zebra designated in place of the discontinued ZQ520. It takes media 51-113 mm wide on rolls up to 57 mm OD, and the ZQ521R, capable of RFID encoding, is sold as a separate product.
Weight with the battery is 0.75-0.79 kg (0.75 kg per the user guide, 0.79 kg per the spec sheet), and 0.89 kg per the spec sheet with the 6,500 mAh extended battery.
Ratings raised by the Exoskeleton case
The unit alone is IP54 and has passed multiple drops onto concrete from 2 m and a 1,300-tumble test at 1 m (IEC68-2-32). With the optional Exoskeleton case, the drop rating rises to 3 m and the dust and water rating to IP65, and the ports are sealed.
Both the standard and extended batteries are used with the case on, and it fits into the 4-bay power station and 1-bay charging cradle as is.
Two-way tear bar
The standard ZQ521 has tear bars at both front and back, so receipts tear upward or downward. The distance from the head heater line is 4.8 mm to the front tear edge and 6.2 mm to the rear edge, so the length from the last printed line to the tear line differs by 1.4 mm depending on which way you tear. Linerless models do not have this two-way tear bar.
Vehicle charging configuration
For use in a vehicle, connect a 12-24 V DC power supply to the cigarette lighter socket or vehicle wiring and plug it into the printer's round jack. The dual vehicle charging adapter charges the ZQ521 together with Zebra TC70, TC72, TC75, and TC77 terminals.
The vehicle cradle is rated IP43, and when ordering, choose one of hardwired, cigarette lighter, or AC adapter. Drivers and manuals are on the ZQ521 driver download page.
