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Barcode Printers for Your Business

Choosing the right barcode printer for your needs can be a bit overwhelming. There are a few questions you must ask yourself before buying a printer. The first is what are you printing? Most people use a thermal barcode printer to print labels or tags. The paper that runs through these printers isn’t standard laser paper. Depending on what printer you buy, it may require a certain type of paper. Smaller, desktop printers are great for running small batches of labels or tags. These printers are typically direct thermal only; meaning they use a heat sensitive paper. Direct thermal labels are fine for shipping labels or something that isn’t going to be around for a long period of time. Direct thermal paper changes color with exposure to heat or sunlight. Choosing a printer with a thermal transfer option will give you more range in the materials that you can print on. Thermal transfer paper is a coated paper label or tag stock that bonds well with a thermal transfer ribbon. The advantage of thermal transfer is longer life to the image on the label. Direct thermal labels are typically more expensive, but you have to factor in purchasing a ribbon with a thermal transfer label. Thermal transfer printers will give you more versatility. For instance; you may need to print shipping labels and also print a synthetic rack label for your warehouse. There are more thermal transfer label material options on the market, so if you think you’ll be printing more than just shipping labels, then thermal tranfer might be a better option. Most of the larger printers can switch between direct thermal and thermal transfer with just a setting on the front panel of the printer. Using thermal tranfer labels will require that you change a ribbon after every 2 to 3 rolls of labels. In a manufacturing setting like a seafood distributor, they don’t want the downtime of changing out a ribbon. A direct thermal shipping label can get printed rather fast and is only on the product the time of transit. A health care facility printing patient file labels may want to go with a thermal transfer barcode Printer because the label will be around for the life of the patient.

If you are just printing a handful of shipping labels every month because a retailer requires you to, consider purchasing some sheet fed laser labels for your laser printer. Seagull Scientific makes a great label design software package called Bartender that allows users to create labels on the fly and incorporate barcodes and text on one label. Bartender will work with your laser printer and most thermal printers, should you decide to upgrade down the road.

If you are needing to print thousands of labels at a time, tying up your laser printer really doesn’t make sense. Toner is expensive and it’s not fun printing several sheets of labels at a time. A thermal printer will give you the speed and functionality you need. I would go with a printer that has a 4″ print width and the capacity to hold an 8 inch roll diameter of labels. Your options are more diverse for different size labels than smaller, compact rolls. A printer will run between $800 and $1500. Plan on additonal money if you need faster speed, additional memory, higher resolution (DPI) or a wider print width. These printers can accomodate a variety of different label stocks from papers to polyesters. Print rack labels, asset labels and shipping labels on the same printer.

Rule of thumb is that if you are printing just text and a barcode on the label, a printer with a 203 DPI resolution is just fine. If you want a nice looking logo, have it preprinted on the labels and use the thermal printer to print just the variable information on the label. This will give you a professional look to your labels without breaking the bank.

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Bar Code Equipment

Barcode equipment is an all encompassing term. It may include automation products such as Barcode Fonts, latest ActiveX Controls, .NET forms controls, class libraries, components, encoders and barcode hardware including barcode printers and scanners. We will briefly touch upon some of these categories, which add to up what we call Barcode equipment.

Modern barcode fonts are used with a variety of alternative operating systems like TrueType, BDF, FON, PCL LaserJet soft fonts, PostScript et al. Modern fonts also come in several font formats and font tools. Macros and source code in a barcode font helps in the integration of fonts with a given application. These fonts can range from data matrix to the True Type barcode font packs offered by various companies these days.

Some barcode components like ActiveX Control and DLL do not make use of fonts. These components create barcodes as graphic images. They also support several linear and two dimensional barcode symbologies. ActiveX control is basically a trouble-free drag-and-drop control used as a barcode add-in for Microsoft Access and Excel.

Likewise, with .NET barcode web component, we can create images that are then saved to a disk. These controls are simple and compatible with most of the development environments. They permit the creation of barcodes, which are then printed. These barcode controls do not make use of any fonts and function only as smart graphic images.

The Barcode Label Software is very simple to use. It can print barcodes, texts and graphics on a standard laser or inkjet printer. This is in addition to labels that are etched by thermal transfer barcode printers. This software employs the effortless WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) layout and options such as print preview make this labeling software very easy to use.

Barcode scanners and printers also fall in the category of barcode equipment. In the present times, we have thermal barcode label printers and new generation Barcode wands to print and read barcodes in addition to the conventional contraptions.

Barcode Printers

The History of Barcodes

Wallace Flint was the first person to suggest an automated checkout system in 1932. But the history of modern barcode begun only in 1948, when Bernard Silver, a graduate student of Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, asked his friend Norman Woodland to develop a system to automatically read product information during checkout.

The first coding system was developed by Woodland, a twenty-seven-year-old graduate of the same institute. On October 7, 1952, Woodland and his friend Silver were awarded a patent for this invention named “Classifying Apparatus and Method.” Woodland’s first idea was to use patterns of ink that would glow under ultraviolet light. The barcode Woodland and Silver developed was a “bull’s eye” symbol, made up of a series of concentric circles. Later, the barcode was made up of a pattern of four white lines on a dark background. Information was coded and classified in these lines.

The barcode was first commercialized in 1967, when RCA installed the first scanning systems at a Kroger store in Cincinnati. In 1969, NAFC asked Logicon. Inc. to develop an industry-wide barcode system. They developed Part 1 and 2 of the UGPIC (Universal Grocery Products Identification Code) in 1970. Based on this, a Uniform Grocery Product Code was formed. In 1973, the U.S. Supermarket Ad Hoc Committee recommended the adoption of the UPC symbol set, which is still in use. This was developed by George Laurer of IBM. In June 1974, the first UPC scanner was installed at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was developed by NCR Corp. The first product scanned was ten-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

The industrial application of barcodes began in late 1950s, and in 1967, the Association of American Railroad adopted an optical barcode, but it was abandoned in 1970. In September 1981, the United States Department of Defense adopted the use of Code 39 for marking all products sold by the United States military, called LOGMARS. This was the event that popularized barcodes. Today, this is a billion dollar business. In 1962, Silver died, and in 1992, Woodland was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Bush.

The Three Types Of Barcode Printers

You may be surprised to know any black & white printer can become a barcode printer. All you need are some barcode labels and barcode software to print barcodes. It is best to use a laser printer for this type of print job because it requires barcode print accuracy in order for the barcode scanner to read correctly.

However, it does require some technical knowledge to set up. Also, it is not suitable for large barcode printing jobs. If you do not want the fuss with setting up and testing barcodes, I would suggest getting a standalone, dedicated barcode printer. All the necessary software and hardware are in place and is designed to print barcodes right out of the box.

There are mainly three categories of barcode printers currently available on the market.

1) Small Office/SOHO barcode printers

These types of printers are cheap but do not have large barcode printing capability. It is mostly useful if you need to print barcodes occasionally.

2) Large Batch Printing Barcode Printers

These type of printers are dedicated barcode printing powerhouses. They are expensive but able to print large amounts of barcode very quickly. It is mostly used in factories, large retail outlets and hospitals where speed and reliability is important.

3) Portable Barcode Printers

Most portable barcode printers cannot print in large quantities. They are usually used to print receipts, forms at the spot as required. Most portable barcode printers uses wireless or bluetooth for communications

I would recommend getting a dedicated barcode printer as cost wise it is more effective than trying to cobble together a barcode printing system using your existing document printer.

How To Choose A Barcode Printer

Barcode Printers nowadays comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes with varying price range. Technically, general purpose laserjet and inkjet printers cannot print barcodes by default. Usually, they require a add-on component or module. An example is Capella Technologies which provides barcode printing functionality to standard HP laserjet printers through an add-on flash card. Such barcode printers are usually limited in the number of symbologies that can be used.

Thermal Barcode printers, on the other hand supports multiple symbologies right out of the box.

There are two ways barcode printers print barcode, the first method is Thermal Transfer and the second method is Direct Thermal. Direct Thermal prints the barcode directly on the label while Thermal Transfer make use of a ribbon and a printhead. The ribbon is heated and the image is etched on by the printhead on a pre-defined area.

Thermal transfer allows you to print barcodes on a wider variety of materials than direct thermal. As such, the type of material you are going to print barcodes on is a crucial factor in determining which barcode printer to purchase.

Larger barcode printers usually have the ability to switch between direct thermal and thermal transfer. One disadvantage of thermal transfer is that the ribbon needs to be changed quite frequently. If you are using the barcode printer in a manufacturing environment, there could be a lot of downtime. A direct thermal printer is faster and is useful particularly where speed is required and you are not printing a lot of barcodes all the time. An example would be in a hospital where each patient warded is given a barcode to identify them.

If you need to print thousand of barcode labels at a time. Look at purchasing one of the thermal printers from symbol or zebra. I found them to be pretty good in terms of speed and functionality. I would advise to get a barcode printer that has a larger print width and a larger print label capacity.

Barcode Printing technology has evolved tremendously over the last few years. Lately, barcode manufacturers have implemented several security features to ensure there is no counterfeit coding. The latest models of barcode printers are capable of printing labels with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) tags in them. Such security features are mandatory in some highly sensitive industries and help to provide a guarantee of authentication.

Bar Code Printers

Barcode Printers come in various types, including general-purpose laser and inkjet printers. Then there are printers that support multiple symbologies. They are called Thermal bar code label printers. General-purpose laser and inkjet printers cannot directly print barcodes. That is because these basic printers do not support bar code symbologies and are therefore upgraded to do so. They need to be programmed to support bar coding, which may entail addition of more features and fonts.

Barcode printers employ two major printing methods, namely Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer. Both methods basically involve the same technique to print bar codes with difference in the use of ribbon. They make use of a print-head that applies heat to a surface that is pre-marked. Heated ribbon is used to produce long-lasting images in Thermal Transfer printing, while Direct Thermal does not use ribbon and instead prints the image directly on the label. In Thermal Transfer printing, a large number of materials may be used. This generally helps in creating durable images over a long period of time. Direct Thermal, on the other hand, helps in making put-away labels, receipts and other such small variety.

Ideally, barcode printers can print on labels that are specifically designed for the purpose. However, the printers are also capable of printing on fabrics like polyester. We have printers etching away prints on headbands and even synthetic materials. Quite contrary to popular perception, barcodes are not only black. Barcode printers can print in various colors, but black is generally preferred because a light color may end up with insufficient contrast between the bars resulting in unreadable barcodes.

Nowadays, several security features are available to ensure that there is no counterfeit coding by the printers. The latest thermal printers are capable of printing smart labels that contain radio frequency identification chips within the label media. These smart features go a long way in plugging any loopholes in barcode printing and provide a guarantee of authentication.

Bar Code Scanners - Know the Features

Barcode Scanners are hand-held or stationary devices used for capturing information from barcodes. A barcode scanner consists of a code reader and a decoder. These devices are connected to a computer through compatible ports

The earliest, most basic and cheapest barcode scanners consisted of a fixed light and a single photosensor. Modern barcode scanners have polygonal mirrors and use laser scanning technology. Laser barcode printers have the advantage of reading barcodes from any angle.

Barcode scanners are available in different varieties like hand-held, hands-free, wearable, rugged, scan engines, laser and digital. Pen-wand scanners are the simplest and most portable type of such devices. They have to be kept in direct contact with the barcode and held at a precise angle to interpret the barcodes. Modern day digital cameras have enough resolution to capture both 1D and 2D barcodes.

Barcode scanners can be distinguished as follows:

  • LED scanner: Also referred to as CCD scanners, even though the CCD is in fact the photo imaging sensor, not the light source.
  • Laser scanner: More expensive than LED scanners but are generally capable of longer maximum scanning distances.
  • Imager scanner: These scanners take an image of the linear barcode, generally more rugged as they have no moving parts.
  • 2D Imaging scanner: These scanners take a 2D image of the barcode as in a camera and can be used to scan 2D barcode types such as Datamatrix as well as the more common linear barcode types.
  • Handheld scanner: With a handle and typically a trigger button for switching on the light source.
  • Pen scanner (or wand scanner): a pen-shaped scanner that is swiped.
  • Stationary scanner: Wall- or table-mounted scanners that the barcode is passed under or beside. These are commonly found at the checkout counters of supermarkets and other retailers.
  • Fixed position scanner: An industrial barcode reader used to identify products during manufacture or logistics. Most often used on conveyer tracks to identify cartons or pallets which need to be routed to another process or shipping location.
  • PDA scanner: A PDA with a built-in barcode reader.

The latest in barcode scanner technology is mobile barcode scanners which use color code and mCode (new two-dimensional code format) to scan barcodes.

General purpose barcode scanners are used at checkout counters and hospitals. These are also used to process identification documents. Certain other kinds of scanners, like rugged scanners, are used in harsh or extreme conditions. Of the different barcode scanners, laser scanners and camera scanners are widely used these days. Camera scanners scan and capture the barcode images, which are then processed by sophisticated image techniques to decode the barcode.

Barcode scanners have increased the speed of data retrieval and data processing. They have become a mainstay in commercial establishments, libraries, counters, and virtually at any point-of-sale.

The benefits of barcode scanners are many. It greatly helps you organize your inventory, monitor the movement of goods, and ensure the security of your premises. Bar Code technology is helping enterprises worldwide streamline their business and control costs at the same time.

Choosing a right barcode scanner is an essential step for better inventory management and customer service.

Barcode readers come in different forms, sizes and prices. Their prices range from $50 to several thousands depending on the features, built, durability etc.

However, before purchasing a laser or CCD scanner, define your requirements:

  • The type of environment where you are going to use the scanner
  • Consider the portability factor
  • The symbology you plan to follow
  • The average scanning range

Choose a credible and reliable company. Go for a bar code scanner which has proved its usability. POS Components has made it its goal to provide the customers with the right equipment, from the right manufacturer, and at the right price!

Bluetooth Wireless Barcode Scanners

Bluetooth Wireless Barcode scanners are fast gathering popularity in the retail and service related industries. Many companies have adopted using Bluetooth wireless barcode scanners and found them to be an integrated part of their business operations

Wireless barcode scanners using Bluetooth technology provided wireless coverage and lower cost per barcode scanner compared with wireless 802.11b barcode scanners.

Bluetooth wireless barcode scanners are light and portable thus allowing the operator to move easily from place to place.

It also makes it easy to scan huge, bulky and immoveable items as the operator can scan easily without moving the large items.

They are two types of barcode scanners available. One used CCD based technology, the other is laser-based technology. CCD-based barcode scanners uses optical cameras to capture barcode images and then translate that to barcode information. One major disadvantage of CCD barcode scanners is that the scanning distance is shorter. CCD barcode scanners is used mostly in fixed or static barcode scanners where distance is not a problem.

Laser barcode scanners uses a laser to capture barcode information. As such, they have a longer scanning distance and also can scan curved surface. Most Bluetooth wireless barcode scanners are laser-based.

The price of Bluetooth wireless barcode scanners have rapidly dropped over the years and nowadays you can get a pretty good one for a few hundred dollars. Therefore it is a good investment to get these for your business.

How Does A Barcode Scanner Work?

To understand how a barcode scanner work, it is important to first understand how barcodes are produced and being read.

Each barcode has specific symbols defined as a series of bars in a barcode. The way to differentiate the barcode is by the height and width as well as the bar spacing. Each strip of bar can represent a number, character or alphanumeric character depending on which type of barcode symbology set is used.

Usually a barcode contains a start and end bar to denote the starting and ending point of the barcode. Sometimes, there is an additional bar called the checksum bar. The purpose of the checksum bar is used to determine whether the barcode is correct after calculation and ensures the accuracy of the barcode.

The barcode scanner’s photosensors can then read the barcodes and convert them to electrical pulses. Since each strip of bar is equivalent to a character, the barcode software can easily convert these electrical pulses into readable text that can be displayed on a monitor. This process is actually very fast and only takes a few milliseconds.

Nowadays there are many varieties of barcode scanners models. Their usage depends a lot on the type of industry and the work environment. Examples are desktop models, handheld and portable models.

One of the most popular type is the wireless barcode scanner. They connect to the base station or workstations wirelessly and can transmit data back to the terminal as long as they are within the wireless range radius.

Wireless barcode scanner are often used in the warehouse industry where workers can easily scan a barcode that can be placed in awkward positions or angles. It is also used in industries where goods are often moving from one location to another. Using a wireless barcode scanner allows freedom of movement and thus more efficient.

How To Choose A Barcode Scanner?

Barcode scanners are light emitting devices that are used to read barcodes. Usually attached to a computer or laptop via PS2 or RS-232, the data collected is stored on a computer for processing or storage. It is now used in many different industries such as retail or production.

They have been on the market for many years now with new versions of barcode scanners available every year. The prices can vary from as low as $50.00 to as high as several thousand dollars. So how do you pick a good barcode scanner?

To answer that question, it is important you know there are 2 major classes of barcode scanners, image-based and laser-based. Image-based barcode scanners use a camera usually embedded in a barcode scanner. The camera will capture the images and then processed by complex image techniques to decode the barcodes. Laser-based barcode scanners uses mirrors and lenses to read the barcodes.

Laser barcode scanners are usually more expensive than image-based scanners. They have their own pros and cons. An image-based barcode scanner do not have internal movable parts therefore are more resistant to drops or knocks than laser barcode scanners. Also, image-based barcode scanners have a shorter scanning distance (4 to 10 inches) compared to laser barcode scanners. On the other hand, laser scanners are more prone to wear and tear due to their lenses. They not only have a longer scanning distance (up to 24 inches) but also are able to scan from a wider angle from the barcode.

Be aware that the scanning distance for both image-based and laser barcode scanners have already improved dramatically over the years and I wouldn’t be surprised if a barcode manufacturer claims an image-based scanner has a scanning distance of 24 inches.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before getting a barcode scanner. The size of scanner required? Type of environment the barcode scanner will be using (outdoors, shop, warehouse)? The scanning distance required? Are they to be used hands free or hand-held? Your budget?

So my suggestion is if you need a barcode scanner for long range scanning, get a laser barcode scanner. For short range scanning, use an image-based barcode scanner such as a CCD barcode scanner. The environment as I asked earlier also plays an important part. If the barcode scanner is being used outdoors or in rugged environments where it is expected to take a drop or knock or two, then it is best to get an image-based barcode scanner. If it were for example being used in a retail shop, then a laser barcode scanner would be the best choice.

There are such a wide variety of barcode scanners available that I just can’t explain completely in this article. If you are in doubt, consult the barcode manufacturers such as symbol or metrologic who have sales consultants who are able to do an analysis of the type of barcode scanners needed by your business.

Free Barcodes

The barcode, generally called the Universal Product Code, has been in use in America since the 1970s. There are several patterns of codes including dots, concentric circles, and hidden images. As barcodes are very useful in tracking inventory and identifying legitimate record labels, it has become a vital tool in all organizations and firms.

One can obtain barcodes free of cost. Many types of barcode fonts are available on the market, and many of these barcode fonts can be owned without paying a single penny. Free barcodes are a great relief for many small businesses unable to buy the costly barcodes.

Many companies are providing free barcode fonts through online services. One can easily download these fonts and use them conveniently. These free sample fonts are used to print letters, numbers, and some symbols. Graphics are also used for the creation of barcodes. Individuals and organizations with gross annual revenues of less than $500,000 can use the free barcode fonts. Many educational organizations such as schools and universities also use the free barcodes. But in the case of freeware, choice is limited. The common free barcode font available is the Code 39 TrueType format, which is also known as the 3 of 9. Some free barcodes, which come without the fonts, are graphic images. For these, there is no need for installation and configuration of plug-ins.

Many modern businesses offer barcode image generators as free software. Most of these user-friendly software packages help in creating barcode image files in a range of formats. There are many software packages that offer barcode generators. These barcode generators can be downloaded from the Internet as freeware. Some firms give options for online generation of barcodes.

Bar codes improve data management significantly, and almost every business is using very advanced versions of this technology today. Bar codes speed up data collection considerably by storing significant amounts of data digitally in small black lines that can be easily machine-read. Better printing technology, label materials, scanning systems and wireless communication systems have made bar codes even more indispensable.

Bar code label printers are generally the most common dot matrix, laser, and ink jet and thermal printers. Dot matrix printers are one of the oldest printers used for printing bar codes. In these printers, the lines are built dot-by-dot as a solenoid-driven needle strikes an ink ribbon, transferring the ink to the paper. These printers are inexpensive, can print any form and are easily accessible. However, the quality dot matrix printer is unacceptable today. Ink jet printers are one of the most commonly used printers, especially for high-speed applications. They can also be used to print directly onto a carton where a label has already been affixed.

However, they are suitable for only high-speed printing and may not be very cost-effective for small-scale bar code printing operations. Ink jet clogging, limited barcode resolution, “bleeding” ink, and poor contrasts are some of the disadvantages. Laser printers are quite good as far as the quality of the print is concerned. They have very good resolutions and can scan quite well. However, they cannot effectively print smaller labels. The adhesive on the labels has to be good enough to take the heat and pressure from the printer as most label adhesive tend to melt. Thermal printers for bar coding are of two types: direct printing and thermal transfer.

Bar code printers have to be analyzed on the basis of: quality of the print, readability, initial installation cost, speed, long-term maintenance cost, materials waste. Each of these printers has different results. Thermal label printers score well on all aspects except for material waste. They are most suitable for applications that have variable data fields, point-of application systems, varying label sizes, graphical and scalable text fonts, and high-definition bar codes. They are also compact, quiet, and have lower operating costs.

Today, there are special bar code label printers available with various options like different print modes, label cutter, liner take-up, peel, rewind, tear, real-time clock (for printing time and expiration dates); alerts for maintenance; portability, compatibility with parallel; serial, USB, wired or wireless Ethernet, twinax or coax cables; memory for storing frequently used data; font options like styles and colors; multi-lingual options; sensors and many more. These printers are also compatible with different sizes and materials of labels, including water-resistant, fabric or acrylic.

Barcode Printers for Your Business

Choosing the right barcode printer for your needs can be a bit overwhelming. There are a few questions you must ask yourself before buying a printer. The first is what are you printing? Most people use a thermal barcode printer to print labels or tags. The paper that runs through these printers isn’t standard laser paper. Depending on what printer you buy, it may require a certain type of paper. Smaller, desktop printers are great for running small batches of labels or tags. These printers are typically direct thermal only; meaning they use a heat sensitive paper. Direct thermal labels are fine for shipping labels or something that isn’t going to be around for a long period of time. Direct thermal paper changes color with exposure to heat or sunlight. Choosing a printer with a thermal transfer option will give you more range in the materials that you can print on. Thermal transfer paper is a coated paper label or tag stock that bonds well with a thermal transfer ribbon. The advantage of thermal transfer is longer life to the image on the label. Direct thermal labels are typically more expensive, but you have to factor in purchasing a ribbon with a thermal transfer label. Thermal transfer printers will give you more versatility. For instance; you may need to print shipping labels and also print a synthetic rack label for your warehouse. There are more thermal transfer label material options on the market, so if you think you’ll be printing more than just shipping labels, then thermal tranfer might be a better option. Most of the larger printers can switch between direct thermal and thermal transfer with just a setting on the front panel of the printer. Using thermal tranfer labels will require that you change a ribbon after every 2 to 3 rolls of labels. In a manufacturing setting like a seafood distributor, they don’t want the downtime of changing out a ribbon. A direct thermal shipping label can get printed rather fast and is only on the product the time of transit. A health care facility printing patient file labels may want to go with a thermal transfer barcode printer because the label will be around for the life of the patient.

If you are just printing a handful of shipping labels every month because a retailer requires you to, consider purchasing some sheet fed laser labels for your laser printer. Seagull Scientific makes a great label design software package called Bartender that allows users to create labels on the fly and incorporate barcodes and text on one label. Bartender will work with your laser printer and most thermal printers, should you decide to upgrade down the road.

If you are needing to print thousands of labels at a time, tying up your laser printer really doesn’t make sense. Toner is expensive and it’s not fun printing several sheets of labels at a time. A thermal printer will give you the speed and functionality you need. I would go with a printer that has a 4″ print width and the capacity to hold an 8 inch roll diameter of labels. Your options are more diverse for different size labels than smaller, compact rolls. A printer will run between $800 and $1500. Plan on additonal money if you need faster speed, additional memory, higher resolution (DPI) or a wider print width. These printers can accomodate a variety of different label stocks from papers to polyesters. Print rack labels, asset labels and shipping labels on the same printer.

Rule of thumb is that if you are printing just text and a barcode on the label, a printer with a 203 DPI resolution is just fine. If you want a nice looking logo, have it preprinted on the labels and use the thermal printer to print just the variable information on the label. This will give you a professional look to your labels without breaking the bank.

How To Buy A Good Printer?

Introduction

These are most commonly used output devices used to get prints of documents on the pager. Different printers have different mechanisms. Therefore purchasing a printer can be a sometimes confusing task. The following is additional information that will help in your purchasing decisions.

Technology of printers

There are many types and technology of printer are available in market but the most popular and commonly used are inkjet and laser printer.

Ink Jet Printer. The inkjet printer is not-impact character printer and prints one character at a time. The printing quality of inkjet printer is measured by the number of tiny ink of drops per inch(dpi). Most inkjet printers range from 300 to 2400 dpi. Printers with higher dpi usually are more expensive but having high printing quality. The speed of an inkjet printer is measured by the number of pages per minute (ppm) it can print. Its printing speed is up to 15 ppm. Therefore purchasing a printer can be depends upon printers dpi and ppm but It depends upon user need.

Laser Printer. A Laser printer is the fastest and high quality printer, but a laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers and their print quality is also higher. The print quality and printing speed of laser printers make them ideal for offices and business. The laser printer can print text and graphics in very high quality resolution. The commonly user laser printers have resolution of 300 or 600 dpi and printing speed is from 5 to 30 ppm. The high quality laser printers have resolution from 600 to 2400 dpi. The printing speed of these printers is also more than 150 ppm.

Speed and price range

The price of laser printers depend on the quality and printing speed. The color printers are more costly than black-and-white laser printers. The higher the resolution and speed, the more expensive the printer. The price range can vary depending upon the quality of the printer and the type of printer for example inkjet, laser printers.

Ready to Buy

Once you have reviewed the appropriate information and believe that you are ready to make a purchase of a printer ensure that the source which you plan on purchasing the printer from is a reputable source and you have reviewed our section on what to look out for when purchasing over the Internet.

Buying Printers Online

Computers would not be able to function completely without a printer. If you are looking into purchasing a printer, then it could be a bit of challenge. Thankfully, you now have the wonderful option of buying printers online. You would be able to browse through the printer selections of different companies on their websites and compare them with each other.

Probably one of the primary decisions that you need to making as you buy a printer online would be to decide on which print technology would be able to fill your needs and requirements. The two printing systems available in the market today would be: the printers that use laser technology, which have toner cartridges along with a transfer drum assembly; and ink jets which have ink tank cartridges, along with fine-spray nozzles.

To be able to determine which would work better for you, you would need to know first what your new printer will be printing, as well as the associated operation costs. A laser technology printer might work better if you would using it for some high-volume printing, as they have lower costs per page and it has better black intensity compared to ink jet printers. Also, laser printers are more like to have faster speed. However, ink jet printers do have the advantage of delivering affordable color printing.

If you would be buying printers online, you would be coming across several printer configurations that are application-specific. There are direct disc CD printers, specialized photo printers, multi-function printers, high-speed lasers and desktop ink jet printers.

How to buy Printers online? While it is important to buy from popular online retailers, you can save lot of money if you look for some good deals, bargains and discount coupons at the CheapStingyBargains.com deals site. You can buy dell notebooks, apple ipods and HP printers and save money in the process as well

Prices of bar code label printers start at $300 for a basic printer and may go beyond $3000 for one with all the works. Most of them come with all the required software and tools. Document Comparison and Document Conversion Tools by Softinterface We provide tools to convert and compare DOC, PDF, XLS, WPD, HTML, Text and more!

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Id Card Printers

How to Choose an ID Card Printer

Choosing an identity card printer can be easy or difficult depending on your needs and requirements. Id card printers are one of the most important components in an ID card system and deciding which one to use is an important process that shouldn’t be taken lightly. A myriad of different printers are available, some more complex and others that are as simple as loading the paper and pushing a preset button.

An ID card printer should come with software; if it doesn’t, take it back, as you can’t install your printer without the software. The software is normally fairly intuitive and user-friendly, and if you need help, many times the place where you purchase your photo ID system will have support readily available. The printer essentially takes data and encodes it onto the magnetic strip on the back of your ID card. It also prints the high resolution photo (and holographic overlamination, UV overlay, text, and other security features) you take with your digital camera.

Speaking of extra security features, this is one of the four most important things you should take into consideration when you’re looking for an ID card printer. If you are looking for top of the line, high security printers, you should probably purchase a printer that has UV overlay and holographic overlamination. Keep in mind that these are necessarily more expensive, but worth the extra dollars for added security.

The second thing you need to decide is whether you want monochromatic or color images. This can make a difference in price and the type of printer you buy; there are printers that offer both color and monochromatic options, and there are those that offer only one color, such as black. In this case your image and card would be black and white.

The third thing to think about is whether you want a single or double-sided card. A double-sided card is more secure and might fit a large company or industry that requires greater security in their work environment. In other words, there is a reason your driver’s license is double-sided. Small businesses, colleges, schools, and other educational institutions often use single-sided ID cards as they are more cost efficient and the extra side generally isn’t needed.

Fourth and last, you should consider whether you want encoding on your cards, such as smart card or proximity card capabilities, or magnetic stripes. Institutions like banks, hospitals, and schools are excellent candidates for proximity cards, contactless smart cards, and magnetic stripe cards. .

How Does Your Printer Work?

Impact printers, as the very name implies means that the printing mechanism touches the paper for creating an image. Impact printers were used in early 70s and 80s. In Dot Matrix printers a series of small pins is used to strike on a ribbon coated with ink to transfer the image on the paper.

Other Impact Printers like Character printers are basically computerized typewriters. They have a series of bars or a ball with actual characters on them, which strike on the ink ribbon to transfer the characters on the paper. At a time only one character can be printed. Daisy Wheel printers use a plastic or metal wheel. These types of printers have limited usage though because they are limited to printing only characters or one type of font and not the graphics.

There are Line printers where a chain of characters or pins, print an entire line, which makes them pretty fast, but the print quality is not so good. Thermal printers are nothing but printers used in calculators and fax machines. They are inexpensive to use. Thermal printers work by pushing heated pins against special heat sensitive paper.

More efficient and advanced printers have come out now which use new Non-impact Technology.

Non-impact printers are those where the printing mechanism does not come into the contact of paper at all. This makes them quieter in operation in comparison to the impact printers.

In mid 1980s Inkjet printers were introduced. These have been the most widely used and popular printers so far. Colour printing got revolutionized after inkjet printers were invented. An Inkjet printer’s head has tiny nozzles, which place extremely tiny droplets of ink on the paper to create an image. These dots are so small that even the diameter of human hair is bigger. These dots are placed precisely and can be up to the resolution of 1440 x 720 per inch. Different combinations of ink cartridges can be used for these printers.

How an Inkjet printer works

The print head in this printer scans the page horizontally back and forth and another motor assembly rolls the paper vertically in strips and thus a strip is printed at a time. Only half a second is taken to print a strip. Inkjet printers were very popular because of their ability to colour print. Most inkjets use Thermal Technology. Plain copier paper can be used in these printers unlike thermal paper used for fax machines. Heat is used to fire ink onto the paper through the print head. Some print heads can have up to 300 nozzles. Heat resistant and water based ink is used for these printers.

The latest and fastest printers are Laser Printers. They use the principal of static electricity for printing it as in photocopiers. The principle of static electricity is that it can be built on an insulated object. Oppositely charged atoms of objects (positive and negative) are attracted to each other and cling together. For example, pieces of nylon material clinging to your body, or the static you get after brushing hair. A laser printer uses this same principle to glue ink on the paper.

How Laser Printer works:

Unlike the printers before, Laser printers use toner, static electricity and heat to create an image on the paper. Toner is dry ink. It contains colour and plastic particles. The toner passes through the fuser in the computer and the resulting heat binds it to any type of paper. Printing with laser printers is fast and non-smudge and the quality is excellent because of the high resolution that it can achieve with 300 dots per inch to almost 1200 dpi at the higher end.

Basic components of a laser printer are fuser, photoreceptor drum assembly, developer roller, laser scanning unit, toner hopper, corona wire and a discharge lamp. The laser beam creates an image on the drum and wherever it hits, it changes the electrical charge like positive or negative. The drum then is rolled on the toner. Toner is picked up by charged portion of the drum and gets transferred to the paper after passing through the fuser. Fuser heats up the paper to amalgamate ink and plastic in toner to create an image. Laser printers are called “page printers” because entire page is transferred to the drum before printing. Any type of paper can be used in these printers. Laser printers popularized DTP or Desk Top Publishing for it can print any number of fonts and any graphics..

This is how the computer and printer operate to print

When we want to print something we simply press the command “Print”. This information is sent to either RAM of the printer or the RAM of the computer depending upon the type of printer we have. The process of printing then starts. While the printing is going on, our computer can still perform a variety of operations. Jobs are put in a buffer or a special area in RAM or Random Access Memory and the printer pulls them off at its own pace. We can also line up our printing jobs this way. This way of simultaneously performing functions is called spooling. Our computer and the printer are thus in constant communication.

Bar Code Label Printers

Bar code label printers are special, small sized printers that are capable of printing bar code labels. They are used in businesses wherever inventories are required to be recorded such as in retail and departmental stores, ID card offices, warehouses, etc. General purpose printers can be used to print bar code printers. There are also thermal bar code printers specially for printing bar code labels.

General purpose printers are in fact normal printers. They are capable of printing bar codes on white sticker papers. Laser printers are much better than inkjet printers, as they give more clarity and a faster printing rate. General purpose printers are very slow at printing – they may print as much as 3 to 7 inches per second. They are suitable if the number of bar code labels to be printed is less per day, or if it is a temporary business.

Thermal printers and thermal transfer printers are much more efficient and faster at printing bar code labels. These printers have a thermal head that selectively apply heat on a specially coated paper that darkens the area. The thermal head may be heated directly or indirectly. Such printers can produce better quality images. They are ideal for fast printing, such as in departmental stores, where several goods are sold over the counter every minute. However, one problem with thermal printers is that their thermal heads wear out from time to time and need replacement.

Bar code label printers require regular cleaning of the ribbon and the print head. Specks of dust may cause distortion of the bar codes. The outputs of these printers using ANSI software need to be continuously checked in order to check for system malfunctions.

Most printers are compatible with Windows drivers. They can be connected to computers to check the type of printout they would produce. Software is available to design labels that are exactly printed by the printers. However, many printers are standalone and do not hookup to another computer. Simply feeding the numerical code can generate the requisite bar code label.

The Relationship Between RFID Technology and ID Cards

The relationship between RFID technology and ID cards is close and personal. While both types of identification work extremely well individually, their efficacy together is amazing. For example, while it is conceivable that even the best ID cards can be forged, or lost and used by unscrupulous individuals, a card using RFID technology offers numerous protections.

If a card is lost, but has an RID tag, it can easily be tracked. While this may not lead to the apprehension of the individual who originally took it, it could lead to the card itself, and any damages could then be reversed.

Another, simpler way that RFID technology helps in the use of ID cards is via readers, the strongest of which can scan information up to thirty meters or more away. This displaces the tedium of a physical reader and allows people in the area to use the system more effectively.

This is especially important in work environments and places like schools with a high volume of people. If people simply have to flash their card at a reader, this speeds up traffic a great deal. Besides work and school environments, RFID technology and ID cards work in many other ways as well.

A scenario that this combination would prove extremely capable at aiding would be traffic crossing tolls on bridges. An ID card could have an RFID tag that would allow for a prepaid toll card. The driver would then flash the card at the reader as they drove by; they would only have to slow down, not stop, and wouldn’t have to fumble for change or money.

In fact, RFID tags are used in this way already, although without the ID card, in the Bay Area as an optional payment method for traffic crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Called the ‘FasTrak’ the tag is mounted in the window and operates on a prepaid system so all the car has to do is slow down to be read and then continue on its way.

The areas in which ID cards and RFID technology can be combined and used are many, and their increasing use together portends greater levels of security for those in work, school and other environments.

Online Business Card Printing

There are a number of services that are available on the Internet for your various business needs. Some of these services include financial advice, software suggestions, and advertising. The companies that provide these services do their best to address your needs. Some companies even go a step further by allowing you to customize the services that you wish to receive. One example of a “customizable” service is the online business card service that some printers offer clients. These companies give you the option of making your own design or of having their people make it for you. If you decide to make the design yourself, you should consider a number of factors before you begin, since designing a business card is not as easy as it seems. The following sections offer a few tips and reminders about making your own design for your business card.

Advantages

One of the most obvious advantages of designing your own business card is that you can save time and money. You save money because you aren’t hiring a professional to do it, and you save time because you don’t have to go through a number of proposals of other people’s designs. Another advantage is that, as the owner of the business, you know what you want to communicate, and you can easily put that into the design that you make for your card.

Drawbacks

You might encounter problems if you’re unfamiliar with the basics of graphic design. Mastering design software could prove difficult, especially if you feel that what you can make yourself doesn’t reflect the vision in your head. To avoid such pitfalls, you may have to hire a professional graphic artist, though this will entail more money on your part.

Many companies offer ready-made designs that you can tweak to make your own. However, you should also be aware of what you need to learn before you make your design, which includes knowing about new software that can help you find the right design for you.

RFID Readers

RFID is an acronym that stands for “radio frequency identification.” It is a continuously evolving technology that fundamentally is an automatic identification system that facilitates detection of objects. Purchases will be made easier when bar codes are replaced by RFID tags, also called smart labels. RFID tags are intelligent bar codes that can interact with a networked system for tracking every product that has been put in a shopping cart. They come in two types, namely, inductively coupled RFID tags and capacitively coupled RFID tags.

The basic function of an RFID reader is to communicate with an RFID tag by emanating radio waves through its antenna. RFID readers are categorized on the basis of their range, like UHF (ultra high frequency) and HF (high frequency), which are 13.56 MHz and 2.45 GHz. Their prices are also dependent on their ranges, therefore, UHF readers are the costliest, but prices range from $2500 to $3000.

There are three reasons for these readers being so expensive. First, there is no IC (integrated circuit) integration; second, there is a low quantity in production; and third, customized components are not available. However, according to a new calculation by a research company, the cost of UHF readers may go down by the end of 2006 or in 2007 since more and more dealers will invest into this technology. Also, as requirement levels increase, component costs will decrease.

A new analog front-end IC was launched by Colorado-based company, EM Microelectronic, which works for 13.56 MHz RFID readers. RFID Demonstration Reader, called EMDB408, was introduced by this company. It can be utilized as a reference design and development tool kit.

Also, a new antenna from Poynting Antennas was brought for the 860-960 MHz band. This particular range includes both the European Union and the U.S. RFID bands. RFID technology has bright prospects, and it can be beneficial to the mankind.

RFID Technology: A New Revolution

RFID technology brings revolution not only in functionality of tracking systems but in healthcare, libraries and field of manufacturing etc. also. Here I give you a brief description about RFID technology, hope it will be helpful for you.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is a small object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person. RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. Passive tags require no internal power source, whereas active tags require a power source.

RFID is the abbreviated form of Radio Frequency Identification. RFID is akin to the bar codes but in RFID the electro magnetic coupling is used to transmit signals. The main components of an RFID are silicon chips, an antenna and a transceiver that can be used anytime and anywhere. The passive RFID tags require no power source while active ones with power backup.

There are two types of RFID Systems: Near field and far field. Near-field systems are that in which inductive coupling of the tag employ to thereactive energy circulating around the reader antenna, Far-field systems that couple to the real energy contained in propagating electromagnetic plane waves.

RFID is like a tag in which information and instructions are stored. It can be used in a car manufacturing, into a dog collar etc. An RFID system can range up to 90 feet. Unlike barcode technology, RFID does not require line-of-sight reading on which a bar code depends and RFID scanning can be done at greater distances than bar code scanning.

The reader contains a radio frequency module, a signal processing and micro controller unit, a coupling element and the interface to a host system. There are many different kinds of readers on the market, such as desktop, hand-held, tunnel or gate/gantry style readers. The host system controls the data flow between the readers and tags. It can be as simple as a personal computer connected to the reader by an RS-232 serial cable.

RFID has a plethora of uses. While initially the technology was just confined to tracing or identifying dogs, for a means of permanent identification number, the uses of RFID have simply multiplied over the years. Today RFID technology is seen in almost every field. Be it medicine, education (like library work), shipping, electronic devices automobiles, musical instruments, tracking movements of individuals via their passports etc, everywhere the RFID technology is at work.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About RFID

We all have of course seen James Bond attaching a small chip on an enemy’s overcoat to track the bad guy enemy. The spy-chip he used was actually the RFID system. RFID means Radio Frequency Identification method. This system uses transponders to store and remotely retrieve stored data. In the RFID method, these transponders are also known as RFID tags. Currently, RFID is used everywhere. From animal tracking to container tracking, and credit cards to library cards, we see the use of RFID. Some of the RFID applications can even remove human intervention completely.

Generally, an RFID system has tags, tag readers, servers and application software. The tags are mobile devices with digital memory chips and unique identification codes that transmit the data, which is then read by the tag reader. Further processing is done by application software according to the need.

Though relatively expensive, RFID provides the advantage of having multiple independent data sources on one chip. And when one thinks of long-term gains, RFID is the future. RFID technology not only provides greater functionality but also greater clarity. But, as every coin has two sides, RFID technology has some side effects too. The use of RFID creates the problems about the privacy of an individual. These concerns mainly rise from the RFID tags attached to products consumers buy.

Thus, great technologies like RFID must be judiciously used to enjoy the benefits from it. Once the negative issues are removed by standardization and by law then RFID will definitely be useful for mankind.

The Relationship Between RFID Technology and ID Cards

The relationship between RFID technology and ID cards is close and personal. While both types of identification work extremely well individually, their efficacy together is amazing. For example, while it is conceivable that even the best ID cards can be forged, or lost and used by unscrupulous individuals, a card using RFID technology offers numerous protections.

If a card is lost, but has an RID tag, it can easily be tracked. While this may not lead to the apprehension of the individual who originally took it, it could lead to the card itself, and any damages could then be reversed.

Another, simpler way that RFID technology helps in the use of ID cards is via readers, the strongest of which can scan information up to thirty meters or more away. This displaces the tedium of a physical reader and allows people in the area to use the system more effectively.

This is especially important in work environments and places like schools with a high volume of people. If people simply have to flash their card at a reader, this speeds up traffic a great deal. Besides work and school environments, RFID technology and ID cards work in many other ways as well.

A scenario that this combination would prove extremely capable at aiding would be traffic crossing tolls on bridges. An ID card could have an RFID tag that would allow for a prepaid toll card. The driver would then flash the card at the reader as they drove by; they would only have to slow down, not stop, and wouldn’t have to fumble for change or money.

In fact, RFID tags are used in this way already, although without the ID card, in the Bay Area as an optional payment method for traffic crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Called the ‘FasTrak’ the tag is mounted in the window and operates on a prepaid system so all the car has to do is slow down to be read and then continue on its way.

RFID : Is Radio Frequency ID the Wave of the Future?

Here’s something you don’t often hear – how are you dealing with ‘rifid’? OR RFID. If you DO often hear it, then this article isn’t for you, it’s far too simplistic. However, if you have never heard of RFID before, read on. It might just change your life, or at least the way you organize it. Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is the use of radio waves to identify objects; in English, the ability to track items without coming into contact with them. This is accomplished by a microchip attached to an antenna called transponders or ‘tags’. The chip transmits ID information to the receiver which converts it to a digital format which is then read by a computer.

RFID isn’t new, its been with us in its current guise since the early 80s, and around since the 1920s – you know the tag that they stick on jackets in the clothes store to stop you stealing them… However, its just grown up; businesses can track products throughout the manufacturing process from start to finish. These items can be tracked while in trucks, on shelves, wherever.

The Benefits of RFID include:
1. The ability to eliminate time consuming bar-coding or other tracking processes. Instead, all data can be collected along the production line. This also helps to lower production costs.
2. Prevention of the distribution of counterfeit products.
3. Elimination or reduction of theft and loss.
4. Reduction of supply chain cost.
5. Elimination of data entry and other tedious manual business process transactions.
6. Increase in order fulfillment time
7. Less time spent in check out lines, as consumers will only have to push their shopping carts in front of the readers.

The predominant downside is the high cost of the RFID hardware. Where tags alone can cost twenty five cents each or more, many retailers won’t get much of a return, if any, on their investment.

It’s hoped that Wal-Mart, the Defense Department and others will start using RFID, which could cause the prices of the tags to drop to five cents each, making it a more affordable solution for many.

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