# Set up the Starshipit Desktop App
URL: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/360000693156-set-up-the-starshipit-desktop-app
Canonical: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/360000693156-set-up-the-starshipit-desktop-app
Markdown: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/360000693156-set-up-the-starshipit-desktop-app.md
Updated: 2026-09-03

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.starshipit.com/llms.txt).

> Install the Desktop App, connect it as a Print Client, and map received labels and documents to local printers.

Set up the Starshipit Desktop App to receive print jobs from Starshipit and send each label or document type to the correct printer on a Windows PC or Mac.

{{video:youtube:AlFxnaUhcYc}}

## Before you begin

You need:

- A Windows PC or Mac that can stay on while your team prints through it.
- Permission to install applications on that computer.
- A Starshipit login and access to the account's printing settings.
- Each physical printer installed and available in the computer's operating-system printer list.

The Desktop App uses two scopes of settings. Starshipit account settings choose which Print Client machine receives a remote job. The receiving Desktop App's local **Print Settings** choose the physical printer, PDF destination, paper size, and orientation.

If you are not sure which settings you need, read [Understand how Starshipit printing works](/articles/90200000000155-understand-how-starshipit-printing-works).

:::important
Do not run the legacy standalone Print Client and the Desktop App's Print Client connection for the same machine and account. Duplicate clients can cause jobs to be handled unpredictably.
:::

## Install the Desktop App

<!-- tabs:start -->

<!-- tab:Windows -->

1. Sign in to [Starshipit](https://app2.starshipit.com/).
2. Open **Settings > Printing**.
3. Select the Windows Desktop App download.
4. Run the installer and complete its prompts. Install the required Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime if prompted.
5. Open the Desktop App and sign in with your Starshipit login.

<!-- tab:macOS -->

1. Sign in to [Starshipit](https://app2.starshipit.com/).
2. Open **Settings > Printing**.
3. Select the macOS Desktop App download.
4. Open the downloaded file and drag the Desktop App into the **Applications** folder.
5. Open the Desktop App and sign in with your Starshipit login.

If macOS reports a problem opening the app, download and install the latest version from Starshipit. You can also open **Starshipit Desktop > Check for Updates...** from the macOS menu bar.

<!-- tabs:end -->

## Map received jobs to local printers

Configure this on every computer that receives print jobs. These mappings are local to that Desktop App; changing one computer does not update another.

<!-- tabs:start -->

<!-- tab:Windows -->

1. Open the **Starshipit Desktop App**.
2. Open **Printing > Print Settings**.
3. Assign each required document or label type to a printer available on this computer.
4. Set the required paper size and orientation for each mapping.
5. Save the mappings.

The Windows app may also prompt you to select a printer the first time it handles a label type.

<!-- tab:macOS -->

1. Open the **Starshipit Desktop App**.
2. Select **Starshipit Desktop > Settings...** from the macOS menu bar.
3. Select the **Print Settings** tab.
4. Under **Document Defaults**, choose whether each document type prints to a printer or downloads as a PDF.
5. Select the physical printer for every document type that uses **Printer**.
6. Under **Shipping Label Type Routes**, add a more specific route when a shipping label type needs a different printer, PDF destination, paper size, or orientation.

![Starshipit Desktop menu with Settings selected](/uploads/articles/printing-labels-packing-slips/printing/set-up-desktop-print-application/mac-desktop-app-menu-settings.png)

![Print Settings showing local document defaults and shipping label type routes in the Starshipit Desktop App](/uploads/articles/printing-labels-packing-slips/printing/set-up-desktop-print-application/mac-desktop-app-print-settings.png)

<!-- tabs:end -->

These settings answer: “When this Desktop App receives a job, what physical printer or PDF destination should it use?” They do not choose which Desktop App receives a job started elsewhere.

## Connect the Desktop App as a Print Client

Complete this section when printing starts in Starshipit web, WMS web, Pick & Pack, or another supported Print Client workflow instead of inside this Desktop App.

### Get the authorisation code

1. Sign in to [Starshipit](https://app2.starshipit.com/).
2. Open **Settings > Printing > Advanced**.
3. Select **Add new print settings**, or select **Settings** for an existing label type.
4. Copy the authorisation code.

### Connect and name the receiving machine

The exact location of the Print Client connection controls differs between the Windows and macOS Desktop Apps.

<!-- tabs:start -->

<!-- tab:Windows -->

1. Open the **Starshipit Desktop App**, then select **Printers > Print Client Settings**.
2. Paste the authorisation code.
3. Enter a machine name that staff will recognise, such as `Packing bench 1`.
4. Save the connection.
5. Confirm its status changes to **Online**.

<!-- tab:macOS -->

1. Open the **Starshipit Desktop App**.
2. Select **Starshipit Desktop > Settings...** from the macOS menu bar.
3. Select the **Print Client** tab.
4. Paste the authorisation code.
5. Enter a machine name that staff will recognise, such as `Packing bench 1`.
6. Save the connection.
7. Confirm its status changes to **Online**.

<!-- tabs:end -->

The machine name identifies this receiving Desktop App. It is not the name of the physical printer.

## Route Starshipit jobs to this machine

Configure the account-level route after the Desktop App is connected and online.

1. In Starshipit, open **Settings > Printing > Advanced**.
2. Select **Add new print settings**.
3. Select a document or label type, such as **Packing Slip**.
4. Set **Print Method** to **Print Client**.
5. Under **Machine**, select the machine name configured in the Desktop App.
6. Save the route.
7. Repeat the steps for each document or label type that this machine should receive.

These settings answer: “Which Print Client machine should receive this job?” After the selected Desktop App receives it, that app applies the local printer mappings you configured earlier.

:::note
Some mobile workflows can print directly through the mobile device's system print flow, such as AirPrint. Direct device printing bypasses the Print Client and the Desktop App mappings in this guide. Starshipit WMS Mobile uses this direct-device path rather than the Pick & Pack Print Client fallback.
:::

## Verify the setup

1. Confirm the intended Desktop App shows **Online** in its Print Client connection.
2. Confirm the Starshipit route uses the expected machine name for the document or label type.
3. Confirm that machine's local Print Settings use the expected physical printer or PDF destination.
4. Reprint an existing label or another low-risk document from the Starshipit workflow your team will use.
5. Confirm the selected Desktop App receives the job and the output reaches the expected printer queue or PDF destination.

Repeat the test for each document type or special shipping-label route that uses a different printer.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | What to check |
| --- | --- |
| The Desktop App does not receive the job | Confirm the app is **Online**, signed into the expected account, and selected as the **Machine** for that document or label type. |
| The wrong Desktop App receives the job | Change the account-level **Machine** route in Starshipit printing settings. |
| The correct Desktop App receives the job but uses the wrong printer | Change the document default or shipping-label route in that Desktop App's local Print Settings. |
| The job reaches the printer queue but does not print | Check the physical printer, driver, queue, loaded paper, size, and orientation. |
| A mobile print does not appear in the Desktop App | Confirm whether the mobile workflow used direct device printing. Direct mobile prints bypass the Desktop App. |

For more fixes, see [Troubleshoot printing](/articles/213724603-printing-troubleshooting).

## Configure optional peripherals on macOS

If you use a connected scale or dimensioner with the macOS Desktop App:

1. Open **Starshipit Desktop > Settings...** from the macOS menu bar.
2. Select the **Peripherals** tab.
3. Enable the device you want to use.
4. Select the scale or enter the dimensioner IP address.
5. Use the test button to confirm the device responds.

![Peripherals tab in the Starshipit Desktop App settings window](/uploads/articles/printing-labels-packing-slips/printing/set-up-desktop-print-application/mac-desktop-app-peripherals.png)

For more detail, see [Set up USB scales](/articles/6530818242831-use-usb-scales-to-declare-package-weights).

## Related articles

- [Understand how Starshipit printing works](/articles/90200000000155-understand-how-starshipit-printing-works)
- [Set up your printer](/articles/9171767654799-setting-up-your-printer)
- [Choose a shipping label printer and label size](/articles/360001921655-shipping-label-printers-and-label-sizes)
- [Maintain an existing legacy Print Client setup](/articles/115003720583-legacy-set-up-the-print-client)