Labeling News » mobile printer

Choosing The Right Mobile Printer

Linda — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Mobile printers today have all types of features that make your labeling tasks efficient and cost-effective. Being able to print labels when and where you need them is a time and cost saver. When a printer can move to the job, you don’t need to walk to a stationary printer to pick up the labels, check them to be sure they are right, and then bring the labels to where they are needed. But mobile technologies will only add value if they fit into your environment. So how do you go about selecting the mobile printer that is right for you?

Our friends at Intermec have written an informative article called “Top 5 Tips for Choosing Mobile Printers”, and the information here is a summary of some important features you should consider.

What is the work environment? Unlike a computer room or desk in which stationary printers usually sit, printers that move with the worker are exposed to weather elements and are often bumped or dropped. Therefore it makes sense to select a mobile printer that is rugged and protected from the work environment.

Rethink how productivity is measured. Mobile printers are used differently from stationary printers because they produce labels, receipts, etc., on demand, often while the user is waiting. Productivity for mobile printers is measured in terms of throughput, or the total time it takes for the printer to complete a job after receiving a print command, rather than how many inches per second it can print. Remember that the printer will need to access a database or some other information on a mobile computer in addition to printing out the label.

Is the printer easy to use? Simple things like dead batteries will oviously affect the productivity of the mobile printer. Since mobile printers might be far from your IT staff, you need to consider how easily the user can recharge batteries, or fix a paper jam. Printer features like an LCD screen that prompts the user through operations, clear error messages, or even belt clips for carrying the device can make the printer user-friendly and more productive.

Compatibility with existing platforms. To take full advantage of mobility, the printers must be integrated into your development environments and work with your software applications. Therefore, be sure that the printer models you select are compatible with your platforms and connect to your networks in a secure manner.

Match the printer with the mobile computer. A mobile printer can be compatible with many different mobile computers. However, printer performance can vary significantly depending on the computer it is paired with. So test the mobile printer with different mobile computers to determine if the printer is right for you.

So if you are looking to make your labeling tasks more efficient, or change the way you label to add productivity, then give us a call or leave us a comment. We know labeling and can help you get the printer that is right for the way you label.

Zebra P4T – The Mobile RFID Printer

David — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:08:40 +0000

New, easy-to-use Zebra P4T and RP4T mobile printers deliver long-lasting RFID tags and barcode labels for improved workforce efficiency

I’m a huge supporter of the concept of distributed printing. It just makes so much sense to produce labels right where you actually need them which can really improve processes and help reduce errors.

The printer manufacturers seem to agree and we often see new products that fit into this philosophy. A really good example is the new P4T Mobile Printer from Zebra.

It is a personal RFID label printer that can produce Gen2 RFID labels right at the point of use. Imagine how much time you can save labeling items according to government contracts specifying RFID under MIL-STD-129.

As you’d expect, the P4T has all the connectivity one could need, USB 2.0, bluetooth and 802.11B/G.

Unusual for a mobile printer, it also has thermal transfer printing – now there’s a nice step forward. Thermal Transfer Print will out perform Direct Thermal when the label and the print must be durable to withstand the test of time, abrasion, heat/cold, moisture, chemicals and other elements. This is a welcome addition for those who have labeling applications such as Asset Tracking that require data collection from various locations and require durable labels last the life of the product.

Here in North America, the P4T is already available (I believe the RFID option is not yet released).

Update – the Zebra website now shows the RFID version as being avaiable. This version is called the RP4T and is a great option if you need to print and encode RFID labels anywhere within your facility.

Read Zebra’s Press Release Here.

Quick Specs
Resolution: 203 dpi (8 dots/mm)
Width: 4″ (101.6 mm)
Speed:
Direct thermal 3″ (76 mm)/sec
Thermal transfer 1.5″ (38 mm)/sec

The P4T serves many industries, including government, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, mobile workforce and healthcare.

Benefits

Prints long-lasting thermal transfer bar code labels and other documents up to 4″ wide
Future RFID upgradability
Lightweight mobile solution that is comfortable to wear and hold
Fast and easy media and ribbon loading
Rugged for outdoor use

Applications

Manufacturing and Industrial – shipping and receiving, warehouse pick-and-apply operations, inventory control, work-in-process and parts tracking.
Transportation and Logistics – shipping, loading dock receiving, cross-docking and in-transit labeling.
Military/DoD Supply Chains – asset tracking, lower volume UID and/or RFID compliance labeling, and in-the-field MIL Spec-compliant re-labeling of broken or damaged sea/land shipping containers, cases and pallets.

New products are emerging on the market to enable distributed and mobile printing. For more information or to see if Zebra’s P4T fits your applications, please contact David Holliday or call 1.800.325.5260 X237.

__________________________________________________
Contact Winco ID to learn how to benefit from the latest advancements in barcode, labeling and RFID technology.
Phone: 1-800-325-5260
David Holliday X237

Datamax MP Series – Hands on Preview

David — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:39:27 +0000

Datamax MP Series – Hands on Preview

Our friends at Datamax recently dropped off one of their new MP printers – the MP Compact4 Mobile – for us to check out. A very interesting little device it is.

The MP printers were originally manufactured by Markprint, a Swedish maker of thermal printing systems. Over time Markprint was acquired my Image, a French business in the inkjet market. When Image was in turn purchased by Dover Corp, the printers from Markprint found their way into the Datamax range.

When I first saw these new MP printers, my thought was that here was my solution for a small, high quality printer to meet the need for distributed printing. A quick glance at the pricelist showed that this was not going to happen.

However, there is one version of the MP, the Compact4 Mobile that just might fill a need in the US market.

In many warehouses, there are a lot items that need to be identified, so most enterprises are using thermal printers to produce barcode labels. Currently there are two ways to do this – desktop printers, which force the operators to return to a print station to pick up labels and mobile printers that can be worn on a belt or mounted on a forktruck.

The problem with these mobile printers is that they are all designed for relatively low volume applications, not for the tough industrial warehouse world.

The Compact4 Mobile printer seems to address the problem nicely, industrial level construction combined with tiny footprint and the ability to work on voltages from 12-48 volts.

So what are my thoughts?

My first impression was “Wow! This thing is heavy” Printer companies all like to boast about how beefy their products are, but there is a lot of heft to this machine, especially considering the tiny size. (The tiny size was my second impression).

The printer is designed to be mounted in just about any position, giving great flexibility in how it can be installed. On our test unit, the clip holding the printer to its bracket was way too stiff to operate, but that’s probably because it is a demo unit and been bashed around a lot.

Threading the labels (it takes 4 inch wide labels and rolls up to 4 inches in diameter) is simple; the idea is that a fork truck driver wearing gloves can thread the printer without difficulty.

So far everything looks good, but of course in real life there is always a problem or two.

The first is that the Compact4 Mobile uses a proprietary programming language. Most people writing applications for warehouse or logistics management are used to using the code for the US made printers, ZPL, DPL etc. Having to use something else is just a pain and is something Datamax need to address as soon as possible. These days most printers offer some kind of emulation that allows various programming languages to be used and I would expect this to be offered for the Compact4 Mobile before too long.

Another major issue is the lack of any wireless connectivity. I really don’t understand this at all, a mobile device without wireless? Since Datamax inherited this product it’s hardly their fault, but all the same, I’m hoping to see this remedied in the very near future. Until then, the only way to communicate with the printer is by having a computer mounted on the fork truck.

I really hope that Datamax addresses these issues (and perhaps devises a more customer friendly pricing program) because the Compact4 Mobile really does seem to fill a need in the market place. Tiny form factor, robust and simple to use – I can see this being used in a lot of tough warehouse applications.

If you would like to get more info, just call me at 603-598-1553 x237 or dholliday@wincoid.com