Labels by Zaweba on Mac and Linux
Labels by Zaweba also comes for macOS and Linux, built from the same source as the Windows app, with the same designs and address book formats.
Windows isn't the only home for Labels by Zaweba. Version 1.1.3 also comes for macOS and Linux, built from the same source as the Windows app, at the same version. Label designs and the address book use the same formats on every system, so a household or club with a mix of computers can share the work.
The Mac and Linux builds use Avalonia, a toolkit that lets one program run on all three systems. They are made on GitHub's machines from the same source as the Windows app, and the project keeps notes on how in its MAC-LINUX file.
What stays the same
Because both are built from the same source, the whole idea of the app carries across: an address book with groups, a label designer with merge fields, pictures, shapes, barcodes and QR codes, and printing onto Avery UK sheets, custom sheets, roll labels and DL, C5 and C4 envelopes. A design saved as a .ozl file on Windows opens on a Mac or Linux machine, and the other way round.
That matters when the person who keeps the address book isn't the person who prints. A club secretary on a Mac can maintain the members list and send it on, while a treasurer with a Windows PC prints the newsletter labels. Because the formats are the same, nothing needs converting.
How printing works there
On Windows, Labels prints through the normal Windows print dialog at actual size. On Mac and Linux, it prints to the chosen printer through CUPS, the printing system those computers use, or saves as PDF. Either way, the label layout is the same one used for the preview and the PDF export.
Exporting a PDF is a handy middle route on any system. It is built at the stock's exact size, with vector shapes and codes, real text and embedded fonts, so you can make it on one computer and print it on another.
Moving an address book between computers
The simplest way to carry contacts from one machine to another is CSV. Export the address book, or a single group, as a CSV file (UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, so spreadsheets open it correctly), copy it across and import it. Import matches header names generously and skips duplicates with the same name, company and postcode, so importing twice doesn't double your list.
Designs are even easier. Pictures and logos are stored inside the .ozl file, so copying the file is all it takes.
Systems it runs on
The specifications list macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon and Intel, and 64-bit Linux on x86 and ARM, alongside Windows 10 and 11. Like the Windows version, it is free software under the EULA, offline and with no account.
Things to check on a new machine
Printers behave differently from one computer to another, even the same printer model. Before a big job, make a test: export a PDF with label outlines, print it on plain paper and hold it against a label sheet. If the labels drift, calibration is the fix on Windows, where Print > Calibrate a printer saves an offset per printer.
Fonts can differ between systems too. If a design uses a font the other computer doesn't have, choose one that is available and check the preview, since a missing character shows as a box.
One app wherever you work
For many people the computer they print from changes over the years. Having the same labels program, with the same files, on Windows, Mac and Linux means the address book you build now keeps working whichever machine you end up using.
