Get Up and Running with the i5100 Series in Brady Workstation
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Print Labels to the i5100 From Brady Workstation - Full Setup Guide
This guide is designed to assist first-time or existing i5100 users with with installation, license recovery, activation and operation of their i5100 and Brady Workstation software.
This will determine which suite to download. The majority of i5100 users will use the Product Wire and Identification suite, which is the Design & Print Pro Suite as of May 2025, however the i5100 is a versatile printer so it's best to confirm license info prior to installation. Installing the wrong suite for your license will result in the "invalid license" error.
If you already have your license and password or you're using the Design & Print Essentials Suite, you can skip this step.
Even if your software came on a disk, we recommend installing using the links below which provide the latest bug fixes and features. These installations will launch as an unactivated 30 trial until you enter your license information. Make sure to download the correct suite that corresponds with the license information you located in the first step. If you're not sure which suite you should buy: Brady Workstation - Differences Between the Suites.
If you've installed any software in Windows 10 before, this setup will be straightforward. If you'd like step-by-step video instructions, see the next section.
Once Workstation is installed, simply launch any of the paid apps in your suite (for example, Custom Designer) and enter your license information. Activating a single app activates all paid apps in the suite. For detailed instructions see: How to Activate Your Brady Workstation Suite License
The i5100 printer requires a driver for use with Brady Workstation. The i5100 can be connected to Brady Workstation via USB, ethernet or WiFi connectivity options (WiFi requires purchasing an accessory USB dongle). See driver download and installation instructions here: How to Install the i5100 Driver
USB - When prompted during the driver install, connect the square end of the USB cable into the square USB type-B port on the printer. Then connect the rectangular USB type-A end of the USB cable directly to your PC. Don't connect the printer to a docking station or USB splitter, connect it to a port directly on the PC.
Network - Ethernet & Wifi
If you are not an authorized network administrator for your company, we do not recommend attempting to setup a device on your network without contacting your IT. Brady Technical Support cannot add devices to your corporate network. Reference this article to configure the i5100 for a network connection in Brady Workstation: How to Network the i5100.
The i5100 is a thermal transfer (THT) printer, this means it requires label material and a corresponding thermal ribbon. The i5100 takes THT materials formed around 3" cardboard cores. The ribbon material comes on a proprietary plastic core. i5100 ribbon and label cores contain RFID chips that communicate information about the materials to the printer and software: i5100 - Loading Ribbon and Label Media.
In this step we'll create a very basic label and print it to the i5100 series. This simple test will confirm the printer is loaded correctly, and has a good connection to the PC. More advanced label creation topics are covered elsewhere in this knowledge base, or see the resources sectionat the end of this article.
This knowledge base contains thousands of articles to address error messages, how-to processes and workarounds for your i5100 and Brady Workstation. Use the links below to get started.
Q: What if I need more people to create labels, do I need to purchase more licenses? A: Licenses can be active on one PC at a time, however Brady Workstation's functionality is versatile and some options exist for free/trial use. See this article to determine if additional licensing is the best option for your needs: Brady Workstation - Pricing and Licensing Multiple PCs
Q: What if someone leaves and I need to recover or re-register my license? A: The software self-service portal provides license holders the option to manage their own license information without contact Brady Technical Support. See this article for all functionality available in the self-service portal: Managing Your Licenses in the Brady Software Self-Service Portal
This covers only a few of the most common problems new users face, use the search functionality of this knowledge base if you're experience a specific error message or symptom.
I clicked print and nothing happened
Check the printer first - does it have any error messages? Can it feed labels? Then work your way back to the PC checking each component - USB/network connection, selecting the right printer in the software. See this article for detailed troubleshooting: Unable to Print from Software - Troubleshooting Driver Communication Issues
Workstation says "Warning, unknown part"
This error occurs when the software cannot establish bidirectional communication with the printer. With the i5100 this will be more common with network connections, since networks may block bidirectional communication protocols. Bidirectional communication is not required to print labels, but it can be an indicator of communication issues: Troubleshooting Bidirectional Communication Issues
When I try to launch the driver or software nothing happens or I get a prompt for login credentials
Nothing comes up when I click the "Installed" option during label part selection
This means bidirectional communication is not working. While convenient, bidi is not necessary to print labels. You can simply select the label part manually, or follow this troubleshooting guide to restore bidi: Troubleshooting Bidirectional Communication Issues
