Originally Posted by
Often1
Rather than confusing you further, just bring the bags and the pre-printed boarding passes from on-line check-in to the counter marked "bag drop". You will receive further directions if you need them.
You can also go to the regular counter if you can't find the special bag-drop one (I often drop bags at the premier counter at SFO rather than walking all the way to the dedicated bag drop). And, you can also drop them off with the curbside baggage people if such an option exists at the airport you're leaving from.
In essence, don't stress out. Think of online checkin as simply adding an extra option (the dedicated OLCI bag-drop station) to the options that you already had for dropping off your bags.