ZebraDesigner

Zebra Technologies is the undisputed global monopoly of the physical hardware world; they manufacture the actual, physical thermal barcode printers and rugged barcode scanners used in almost every warehouse on earth. ZebraDesigner is their proprietary, highly specific software designed to interface exclusively with their own hardware. The primary version, ZebraDesigner Essentials, is completely free. It is specifically designed so that when a small business buys a $400 Zebra desktop printer, they don't have to immediately spend another $500 on third-party software like BarTender. They install ZebraDesigner, drag a barcode onto a blank canvas, type in a SKU number, and the printer spits out the label instantly. While the free version is basic, ZebraDesigner Professional offers massive capabilities specifically tuned to the physical hardware. Because Zebra writes both the software and the physical printer firmware, the software can utilize the physical printer's internal memory. Instead of sending a massive graphic file over the network 10,000 times, the software caches the graphic permanently on the printer's motherboard, resulting in unbelievably fast, high-volume batch printing.