All thermal label printers have 3 basic consumables: labels, ribbon (if thermal transfer printer), and printheads. Even though it is part of the printer itself as opposed to a media item the printhead is still considered a consumable due to the fact that it does wear down over time and will need to be replaced. When you take into account the fact that replacing your printhead will cost you up to almost half of what you paid for your printer it is something we will want to get the most out of. Printheads don’t just stop working one day either so along the way you will see a drop in your print quality which can cause a host of problems beyond just the cost of a replacement. We’ll take a look at what your printhead is and how it works along with 5 things you can do to ensure a long use-cycle to avoid problems and extra costs to your print application.
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Everywhere You Look

At this point most everyone knows what a barcode is, right? When I tell people I work for a company that deals with barcodes they pause for maybe a second but then immediately go “Oh yeah, the black and white lines on pretty much everything!” No longer the subjects of suspicion or conspiracies, barcodes have become an indispensible tool for tracking pretty much anything. Look on any retail product and you will find a UPC code. On the back of your driver’s license you’ll find a PDF417. Open up your favorite magazine and you will find QR codes in advertisements taking you to websites and special offers. They literally are everywhere!

Given the wide range of applications to use a barcode more than one type has been developed throughout its history and several dozen are currently in use. Most of us see the bars or gridded boxes and just think ‘barcode’ but depending on what you are tracking and how much information you need it may not be clear what is the best code to go with. We’ll take a look at the 3 types of codes and some of their common uses to help get a better idea of how to get the most out of barcodes.

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Wasp Barcode announced the launch of the WWS450 2D barcode scanner with base and the DT10 mobile computer. Designed specifically for small business owners, both products offer ease of use with fast and accurate data collecting features.

Wasp’s WWS450 2D barcode scanner series with base accurately reads 1D and 2D barcodes with its digital imager scan engine. By plugging the USB adapter into a PC, the scanner can read barcodes up to 160 feet away from the base by using wireless connectivity. Outside of the 160-foot wireless range, the scanner can hold up to 160 barcode scans in the buffer memory. Barcode data is instantly added to a spreadsheet, document or database, without time-consuming manual data entries or inaccuracies. The WWS450 is ideal for retailers, post offices, banks and utility companies. Pricing for the WWS450 2D barcode scanner with base starts at $695.

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Intermec announced it will offer two new enhancements to the industry leading 70 Series mobile computer product family – a new 1 GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3715 processor and a Wide Area Flexible Network radio based on Qualcomm Incorporated’s Gobi™ 3G connectivity technology.

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Hamleys has been in the toy business since 1760, and remains the world’s most famous toy store. The flagship store on Regent Street in London has 7 floors packed full of toys and games.

Hamleys has recently taken the decision to upgrade to the DigiPoS Retail Blade PoS system and Star TSP100 futurePRNT thermal printer from international printer manufacturer Star Micronics.

The TSP100 futurePRNT offers high speed printing, exceptional print quality and a range of unique features including a number of software tools. These enable the overall appearance of receipts to be easily modified and customers to be effectively targeted through the addition of relevant vouchers. Having selected the TSP100 Powered USB model Hamleys further benefits from improved cable management and uninterrupted power supply on both the PC and the printer thus protecting all transactions.

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Honeywell announced the introduction of several innovative offerings that bring new levels of productivity to retailers: the Stratos 2700 hybrid bioptic barcode scanner and the Optimus 5900 RFID mobile computer The company’s holistic portfolio meets the evolving needs of retailers from the front end to the back end of their operations, including warehouse and distribution center solutions from the recently acquired LXE.

“In an effort to address the key pain points our customers tell us they have, our enhanced product and software portfolio delivers new ways to streamline automated data capture and management in retail,” said Taylor Smith, director of product management, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (HSM). “Today’s introductions—from revolutionizing the check-out experience with our enhanced hybrid bioptic scanning solution to our entrance into the RFID space—demonstrate our ongoing commitment to meeting the growing needs of our retail customers.”

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Epson, introduced its compact TM-H2000 multifunction POS printer, designed for retailers who require high-speed printing, check processing and endorsement, without slip printing capability. With a 203 dpi resolution and two-year limited warranty, Epson’s ENERGY STAR® qualified TM-H2000 is ideally suited for high-volume retailers looking to increase transaction speed and lower the total cost of ownership of current POS printing solutions. The TM-H2000 offers significant advantages over other hybrid printers, including significantly faster receipt printing, paper saving features to reduce paper usage up to 30%, industry-leading MICR accuracy and the lowest energy usage in its class. Based on Epson’s popular TM-H6000-series multifunction printer, the TM-H2000 delivers the same proven reliability and performance at a competitive price point, eliminating slip functionality no longer required by many retailers.

By replacing POS printers with the Epson TM-H2000, retailers will print at speeds up to 94 lines per second as opposed to approximately 50 to 80 lines per second with other hybrid printers. In addition to faster printing, the TM-H2000 delivers substantial cost savings with its built-in paper reduction features. When set at the full 75% paper reduction mode, Epson’s TM-H2000 can cut paper costs by over $300 per printer per year and conserve over 200 lbs. of paper within the first five years. For users with 1,000 printers, this translates to a cost savings of over $300K over a five-year period.

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Ideal for Receipts and Payment Processing in Customer Service Environments

Epson, a leading supplier of value-added point of sale (POS) solutions, introduced the TM-S9000, a multifunction payments device that combines fast receipt printing, check and ID scanning, magnetic stripe reading and more into a single, compact footprint. Epson’s TM-S9000 is an effective solution for all businesses that accept a high volume of checks and customer payments including customer service counters, walk-up bill payment facilities, check cashing services, in-store clinics or environments requiring proof of identification to complete payment transactions. With industry-leading MICR accuracy, check scanning speed and image quality, all packed into one small footprint, Epson’s TM-S9000 allows retailers the option to replace standalone peripherals with one compact device to reduce hardware costs, increase counter space and speed customer transactions.

“The TM-S9000 is a new class of device that can replace multiple peripherals,” commented Mike Helm, Director of Sales for Epson’s Business Systems Division. “With built-in color check and ID scanning, endorsement printing, cashier check printing and mag strip reading, you’re getting more horsepower in one footprint than any conventional check scanning product. Businesses like check cashing and walk-up bill payment services can improve workflow and shorten customer transaction times.”

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Pay-O-Matic is a leading money transmitting company who needed to supply all of their check cashing locations with the necessary hardware to make their business run – and run smoothly. Barcodes Inc was chosen to help out and was able to offer them great pricing and exceptional customer service. We supplied Pay-O-Matic with a full ID card printing solution to equip their employees with credentials, which included Zebra ZXP Series 3, Zebra P110i and Fargo DTC550 card printers as well as the blank ID cards and transfer film to run them. On top of that, we hooked them up with Topaz signature capture pads to help them complete their customer transactions. In the near future, BarcodesInc is moving forward with Pay-O-Matic to provide them with inkjet check readers and receipt printers to fulfill their needs and fully complete their solution.

Account Manager: Russell Coppola

Boston Scientific, a pioneer in less-invasive medical devices, services and therapies, was developing an application for the Apple iPad and needed a barcode scanner that was compatible with the latest Operating System, IOS 5.0 in order to complete it. Barcodes Inc recommended and provided a demo unit of the Socket 7Xi series handheld scanner for testing. The scanner proved compatible and was quickly accepted for their solution. Now their app is complete and can be found in the iTunes Store, helping healthcare providers educate their patients on the spot, everywhere.

Account Manager: Kevin Hayman