It is a fact that for many applications, a tablet device with a nice big screen is better than the tiny cramped display of a traditional mobile computer. A lot of businesses have been introducing consumer tablet devices into their operations – particularly the old faithful iPad from Apple.

While this can be great from a function and usability point of view, iPads and other consumer devices are not really tough enough for the industrial world, nor do they have the sophisticated security and device management that IT managers insist on.

Enter the ET1 Enterprise Table from Motorola Solutions. Introduced at the end of last year, the ET1 is clearly intended to combine everything we love about consumer tablet devices with the robustness of more industrial devices.

The ET1 certainly looks to be a lot beefier than an iPad, although at 1.4 lbs, it actually doesn’t weigh a huge amount more.

I think that there is a great opportunity for Motorola or its competitors to fill this void in the market, between the industrial mobile computers and the consumer tablets. A lot of customers I’ve spoken to of late have been wishing more screen real estate and and a more convenient form factor. For people using cloud-based apps, this kind of device will be perfect.

The ET1 looks to be a great start, but there is a ways to go. Being stuck with older version of Android (designed for phones rather than tablets) doesn’t help and having to use the built in camera to scan barcodes sounds painful – although I’m sure Motos Bluetooth barcode scanners will work with the ET1.

There really hasn’t been much exciting in the rugged mobile world for a while (just how many look-alike Windows Mobile devices do we need?) so it is cool to see something new.

What do you think? Is Moto onto something here? Are you wishing Apple would make a rugged iPad?

Joining the RL4 in the Datamax line up of mobile printers is a new family member, the RL3.

The RL3 is a 3 inch wide mobile printer, designed mainly for label printing in retail environments.

Although not specifically intended for those tough industrial applications (that would be the RL4,) RL3 is still pretty robust. It will service up to 26 consecutive 6 foot drops onto concrete so it should be hard to break.

As we’d expect from a modern wireless printer, 802.11 a/b/g protocols are supported and the RL3 has all the security we are likely to need. Plenty of built in printer emulation as well, so RL3 can function happily in ZPL, CPCL, IPL, XML and ExPrint applications.

I’ll add more details as they become available. Right now, DMX says it will accept orders, but deliveries are not expected to start until the 3rd quarter of this year.

Here at Winco ID, we feel we have the best on-site label printer service team in the business. Our customers agree and many have used our service for many years to keep their barcode and label printers working at their best.

We appreciate that many other organizations prefer to take care of their own equipment and have their own technicians carry out any repairs and PMs that might be needed.

If this is you, Winco can still help you.

If you repair your own label printers, you will need parts. We have an extensive stock of parts for most of the popular label printer models. If we don’t have something, we can get it fast – at good pricing as well.

Better yet, we can often provide parts for older models that are no longer supported by the manufacturers – we are really creative at finding ways to keep those old printers up and running.

So if you need a printhead for a Zebra, a network card for a Datamax, a platen roller for an Intermec – contact Winco today!

Oh, you really should check out our barcode printer service plans as well.

A lot of our customers are replacing their Windows XP computers with new Windows 7 ones, having skipped Vista in the process.

As a result, we often get questions about which versions of BarTender and LabelView will run on the new operating system.

According to Seagull and Teklynx, these are the versions of their products we should be using with Windows 7.

Teklynx LabelView: Version 8.5

Seagull BarTender: Version 9.2

If you have these versions (or newer) you should be good to go with Win7. In the event your label software is older than these, you’ll want to think about upgrading.

Of course, we can help with this!

5 Labeling Resolutions That Can Improve Your Business

Eliminate Data Entry
Every time someone has to manually enter information to print a label is an opportunity for a mistake to be made. Look at ways to automate your label printing process, using data that already lives in your database.

Distribute Your Printers
Instead of your workers have to walk around to get printed labels, use smaller printers right at the point the labels are needed. This can save time and money as well as help reduce errors.

Control Those Assets
Whether you use barcodes or RFID, there are a number of really good asset tracking solutions that allow you to keep on top of all your fixed assets. If you are keep track manually at the moment, there is huge scope to save time and improve control here.

Look at Different Label Materials
Could a change of label material reduce costs or improve performance? Would a clear “no label” look help with your product’s appearance?

Make Everything Work Properly
Get your label printers on a service plan to make sure they perform well all year. Look at upgrading to new equipment as well – there are some great deals around at the moment. Be pro-active; don’t wait for something to fail at a critical time.

There are a lot more than just five ways to enhance your labeling operations for 2012. Do you have any great ideas to share? How can we best help you?

We’ve all been there, have a barcode label and need to make sure that the correct information has been printed. Only problem – no barcode scanner is handy. Result: frustration!

So here’s a simple solution that works in a lot of cases.

No scanner? No problem – just get out your smartphone and fire up the QuickMark scanner app!

There are a lot of barcode scanner apps for the iPhone and Android phones, but most are limited to QR Codes, maybe Datamatrix and sometimes even UPC codes.

What’s nice with QuickMark is that it can also scan Code 39 and Code 128 barcodes, both of which are widely used in the Industrial world. It also has QR, Datamatrix and UPC capability, making QuickMark the most versatile barcode app I have on my phone.

Sure, it isn’t going to be replacing my industrial barcode scanners anytime soon, but it is fantastic to have a good barcode tool around nearly all the time. Really impresses customers, I’ve found.

So head off to your Apple, Android or Windows Phone app store and get this clever little tool on your phone.

Got any ideas for helping in our barcode lives? We’d love to hear of them!

We’ve all seen those little videos from the printer manufacturers – you know, the ones that show how little time is needed from sending the data to printing the first label.

Well, I happen to have a Datamax-O’Neil RL4 printer sitting on my desk, so I just had to try it out.

Not bad, eh?

Next I’ll have to try the old “throw it up in the air and see if it still works after hitting the ground and being run over by a truck” test!

How do you take care of and repair your label printers? I had a really interesting conversation with one of our good customers today, on the subject of service for their label printers.

The company uses a lot of barcode label printers and a couple of years ago decided not to renew the service plan for them. Prior to this, WincoID had been taking care of all the client’s label printers for some years.

Like many US based manufacturers, our client was facing pressure from overseas competitors as well as trying to contend with the tough economic landscape. Eliminating the cost of the service plans seemed to be a good way to make some savings. It didn’t seem to be much of a risk since very few label printing issues had been reported to the IT Help Desk.

Fast forward to today and the picture isn’t very rosie.

Turns out that just about all the company’s Zebra printers have issues and a lot of production time has been lost because the IT team has had to tweak the printers and re-callibrate them just about every time a new label needs to be run. There has also been downtime associated with printers breaking down and needing to have parts replaced – in some cases expensive parts like the printheads and the main control boards.

The client is hiring WincoID’s technicians to overhaul all the label printers and get them back into proper working condition.

So what went wrong?

To me it is quite simple. While WincoID’s service plan provide great coverage, all on-site repairs and parts are included (with the option to include printhead coverage as well), one of the key benefits is the fact the plans include Preventive Maintenance for each machine.

By having the printers checked out and maintained twice a year by WincoID’s technicians, problems are spotted and addressed before they become serious and start to interfere with productivity. This is why the IT Help Desk isn’t bothered by many calls to help with label printing problems.

Want to make sure that your label printers are always at their best? Our technicians are factory trained and certified by Zebra, Datamax and Intermec – we can take care of just about every other brand of thermal printer as well.

Whether you are interested in service plan coverage for your label printers or just want to get your printers fixed, give me a call at 603-598-1553 x237. I’ll put you in touch with the best service team in the business and you’ll have one less thing to worry about!

Check out more info on our Label Printer Repair and Support Service here!