Selecting the best barcode printer (thermal transfer or direct transfer) for your business is an important decision. It will impact the effectiveness and efficiency of your operation for many years to come. The right printer makes your operation and your team more productive.
Before starting your selection process, carefully consider your needs and specific application. Here are some important questions you should ask:
Printer Durability
Some barcode printers are specially designed for challenging industrial environments. These units have sealed cabinets / housings to prevent debris and dust from disrupting proper operation. This type of "ruggedized" printers may be a smart choice for some industrial and commercial uses. They perform exceptionally well in challenging industrial environments.
Daily Print Volume
Some high-performance printers are designed to operate continuously. This includes during peak cycles or even 24-hour non-stop cycles. Still other printers are well suited for intermittent, lower volume use. Also, consider print speed (see below) as it is certainly an important factor in meeting print volume requirements.
Average Printing Speed
Printing speed is critical if your use requires a high volume of labels on a daily basis or during periodic peak cycles. It's important to note that print speed is not only about printing time, but also on label data processing / formatting time. This is the time required to convert input data to an actual label image. Complex label designs may require a sophisticated printer capable of formatting these labels quickly in order to prevent slow print speed.
Over time, print speed has a significant impact on the productivity and efficiency of your operation. Paying a bit more for speed may payoff in the long run.
The factors described above are some of the important considerations for your selection process. Additional factors are discussed in part 2 of this article.
Before starting your selection process, carefully consider your needs and specific application. Here are some important questions you should ask:
- How will the bar code labels be used?
- Where exactly will the printers be located?
- What kind of environmental factors will the printers are exposed to (extreme temperatures, vibration, moisture, chemicals/fumes)?
- What will the duty cycles (print volumes) be?
- Is speed an important requirement? If so, how fast?
- What are the dimensions of the labels to be printed?
- Will label specifications change? How often?
- Will the labels be exposed to unique environmental challenges (temperatures, friction / abrasion, moisture, chemicals)?
- Will the printers be connected to a network or to stand-alone terminals?
- What is the current budget for printers?
Printer Durability
Some barcode printers are specially designed for challenging industrial environments. These units have sealed cabinets / housings to prevent debris and dust from disrupting proper operation. This type of "ruggedized" printers may be a smart choice for some industrial and commercial uses. They perform exceptionally well in challenging industrial environments.
Daily Print Volume
Some high-performance printers are designed to operate continuously. This includes during peak cycles or even 24-hour non-stop cycles. Still other printers are well suited for intermittent, lower volume use. Also, consider print speed (see below) as it is certainly an important factor in meeting print volume requirements.
Average Printing Speed
Printing speed is critical if your use requires a high volume of labels on a daily basis or during periodic peak cycles. It's important to note that print speed is not only about printing time, but also on label data processing / formatting time. This is the time required to convert input data to an actual label image. Complex label designs may require a sophisticated printer capable of formatting these labels quickly in order to prevent slow print speed.
Over time, print speed has a significant impact on the productivity and efficiency of your operation. Paying a bit more for speed may payoff in the long run.
The factors described above are some of the important considerations for your selection process. Additional factors are discussed in part 2 of this article.
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