Following the FX 9500, Zebra Technologies has announced the New FX9600 Fixed RFID Reader. The new FX9600 has a rugged design for any industrial space. High read performance easily tracks the highest volume of densely tagged case, pallets, and items that goes in and out of your warehouse and docks daily.

What makes FX9600 the Best Fixed Reader?

Top of the Line Performance
High RF sensitivity for faster pick, pack, and ship. The more efficient the more profitable your operation can be.

Deployment Simplicity
FX9600 can parse data directly on the reader, so less data transmitted to backend servers, increasing bandwidth, and improving network performance.

Connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices
Can support Bluetooth dongle, so no need for excessive hard-wired connections to the access point.

More Read Points Per Reader
Four- port and Eight Port Model, enabling you to cover more dock doors and portals with fewer readers- lowering your initial investment, as well as deployment time and costs.

Rugged Design for Tough Environments
IP53 rating to ensure uptime even in damp, dusty work areas, extreme heat or subzero temperatures.

Get the most out of your investment, contact our dedicated account managers for more information.

Whether you are looking into automating your system or looking of ways to improve your daily operation, come join us at MODEX 2018.

We are excited to tell you that we will be in one of the largest supply chain expo in North and South America. Come visit our booth #C1338 to see how you can cut operation costs, maximize efficiencies, and reduce risk in your supply chain. We will also have demos of mobile computer, printers, and scanners for you to check out and our sales engineers who will be able to share their expertise on what kind of equipment is right for you.

Learn how to get a free assessment when you stop by our booth.

MODEX 2018
April 9-12, 10AM-5PM
Georgia World Congress Center
#C1338

Register below for a complimentary pass to MODEX 2018, see you there!

Many merchants use Amazon as a platform to reach out to their customers. Each unit that you send to Amazon for fulfillment needs a scannable barcode to enable storage at their facility.

So what do you need to do to label your inventory for Amazon?

Amazon advised that you should,

• Use a direct thermal printer with a print resolution of 300DPI or greater. (Each label must be readable and scannable for 24 months)
  Amazon fulfillment centers currently use the Zebra GX430t models with direct thermal setting. (More affordable and comparable option, Airtrack DP-1)
  • Labels to include
    1. Barcode
    Format: Code 128A
    Height: Greater than 0.25″ or 15% of barcode length
    Narrow Barcode element: For 300 dpi printers-3.33mils For 200 dpi printers-20mils
    Wide to Narrow Ratio: 3:1
    Quiet Zone (sides): Greater than 0.25″
    Quiet Zone (top and bottom): Greater than 0.125″
    2. FNSKU: Used by Amazon fulfillment centers to identify each unique product. To get the FNSKU, set the product as Fulfilled by Amazon, and then launch it to Amazon. Once the item is in your catalog in SellerCentral, Amazon will assign an FNSKU to the product.
    3. Title and Description
    4. Condition of the Unit
    5. Any Optional information to specify the product
    

Label Specifications require it to be printed on a white label and recommended to print on a dimension between 1×2″ and 2×3″ with a removable adhesive if directly on product. If you do not wish to label your own inventory, you can sign up for the FBA Label Service and have Amazon apply barcodes to your eligible items. (Per-item fee applies)

What about Shipment Labels?

Each box or pallet that you send to Amazon must be properly identified with a shipment label.

• Labels supports the measures of 4×6″.
• Don’t place labels on the seems of the box. (Might get cut by a box cutter which results into an unreadable barcode)
• FBA shipment label should be placed next to the carrier label. Both needs to be uncovered for easy scanning.
• Each box you include in the shipment must have its own label from the shipping Queue.
• Each pallet needs four labels, one on top and the center of each visible sides.

For more in depth packaging and shipping instructions, please review this reference guide from Amazon.

Feel free to click on a few of our products that can help you create the labels you need for your business. If you have any needs or uncertainty, contact our dedicated account manager and they can help you pick the right equipment you need.

GX430t                                      DP-1                                   3×1″                                  4×6″

Why Should You Buy The ZD420 Series?

1. Simple
   Installation, setup, and management is easy as 1,2,3.
   Drop the ribbon in place, plug it in, customize your printer configuration, and remote access to all the settings on the printers with Zebra’s printer profile manager.
2. Same Format
   Whether you are upgrading to Zebra or a different printer, the ZD420 can use the exact label formats you use to print with no modifications needed.
3. Efficiency
   The design of the printer is so simple anyone can use it. No need to spend time for training during work time, color coding and instruction labels makes ribbon changes fool proof. The result is less downtime, less technical support, and increased worker productivity.
4. Saves Money
   With the new 300m ribbon for the ZD420 means four times fewer ribbon changes. This high capacity ribbon means you will be paying less per inch, reducing the cost of your supplies and cost for ribbon changing downtime.
5. Built for Your Preference 
   Buy the ZD420 printer with the features you need today, and just like legos, you can add features on site anytime to meet changing needs. Whether you need a cutter, peeler, movable media sensor to Ethernet Connectivity, there’s an accessory for you.

Applications:
Retail- Prices markdowns, shelf, asset, and return labels
Healthcare- Prescriptions, lab labels, patient ID wristbands
Manufacturing- Shipping, receiving, asset, inventory labels, and packing slips

How do you know what type of labels you will need?

There are a few things you want to check before you purchase labels.

1. What type of printer are you using? Direct or Thermal Transfer? (Direct Thermal- heat transfer and Thermal Transfer is will require ribbons to transfer ink onto labels)
   Or if you have not chosen your printer yet, figure out how long do you need your labels to last and choose between direct or thermal transfer.
2. Look at the maximum print width that your printer will print, have a plan on what size you want your labels to be. (For example: 3×1 will be 3inches across and 1 inch tall) Normally, sizes for shipping labels will be 4×6 and shelf labels will be 2×1 or 3×1.
3. Print Material– The main type of print material revolves around three and it’s mostly paper, polypropylene, or polyester.
   Paper- $, used mostly indoor and max lifetime is 5-7 months
   Polypropylene(paper and plastic texture)- $$, can be used indoor and outdoor and max life time is 2 years
   Polyester(plastic texture)- $$$, used indoor or outdoor, gloss on label, scratch/smear, and water resistant and max life time is 3 years
4. Below are the sizes of the label cores that you have to confirm before purchase, just to make sure it will fit inside your printer. (Often times this is the step that most people overlook and realize that the roll won’t fit when it arrives. So keeping note now will prevent any mis-order in the future)
   Desktop Printers: (core in diameter)
   Inner Core: 1 inch              Outer Core: 5 inches
   Industrial Printers:
   Inner Core: 3 inches          Outer Core: 8 inches
   Mobile Printers:
   Varies

Take a look at some of the labels that we have available for desktop, industrial, and mobile printers. If you are still unsure about the type of labels you need, feel free to contact one of our dedicated account managers and they can help you find the type of labels you need.

Come join us in a free webinar with Zebra Technologies, where you will learn how the new MC3300 Mobile Computer can help your daily operation become more efficient and profitable. This is a MUST-SEE webinar to learn about the product and how it can stream line your daily tasks to free up time and labor.

Thursday, March 15 at 11-11:30AM CST
Presented by Dan Gonzales
Senior Sales Engineer, Zebra Technologies

You will also have the opportunity to ask our product experts any questions that you might have.

Register Now to reserve a space and feel free to reach out to our dedicated account managers if you have any questions.

Join the Zebra Printhead Protection Printhead Program to eliminate replacement costs in your operation!
If you agree to use genuine Zebra supplies exclusively with Zebra printers, all your failed printheads will be replaced at no charge!

Benefits of this Program:

• Eliminate downtime to increase productivity
• No unpredictable printhead replacement costs
• Convenience of a one-source supplier for all your media needs
• Lower cost of operation and ownership

High- Quality Zebra Supplies Provide Consistency and Reliable Performance.

With more than 1,000 combinations of high quality and reliable labels, tags, wristbands, receipts, and ribbons, Zebra can meet the durability requirements of most printers. The Printhead Protection Program will reward you for using genuine Zebra labels with free printhead replacements.

How to Enroll? Enrollment is Easy!

Contact our dedicated account managers and we will show you how to get started!

*Excludes mobile, card, and kiosk printers.

Industrial printers are expensive, why let your old one go to waste when it’s time for an upgrade? SATO America is offering an exclusive trade- in rebate program for your old printer to one of the SATO‘s bestselling CLNX Series. Built to last years and year, the CLNX thermal printers are built strong to withstand the demands of industrial printing applications and environments.

How does it work?

Beginning now end users can receive up to $300 on a new SATO’s CLNX, 4 or 6 inch print width printer models when replacing it with a competitive model such as Zebra, Intermec, Datamax, TEC, or Eltron thermal printer.

Eligible End Users can receive up to $200 per selected legacy SATO printers.

Read more about the CLNX series here on our website and learn more about how it can improve your workforce.

This program is only applicable for the new SATO CLNX printer models purchased from now to March 30, 2018. A rebate form must be completed and submitted within 45 days from qualified purchase date. The trade-in printer’s main controller board is required from each of the retired printer models to be eligible for rebate. Upon validation of your return, SATO America will process the rebate amount and mail the appropriate and earned value. Promotion will end on March 30, 2018.

Contact one of our dedicated account managers for further instructions and see how you can take advantage of the SATO’s Trade- in program.

A new method for producing medicine has been developed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Abo Akademi University in Finland. They can produce a white edible material, on which they can then print a QR code consisting of a medical drug. This could be a solution and a possible replacement to the current method of mass production of medicine. Currently someone with a given illness will get the same product with the equal amount of an active compound as another patient with a less severe illness.

“This technology is promising, because the medical drug can be dosed exactly the way you want it. This gives [us] an opportunity to tailor the medication according to the patient getting it,” said Natalja Genina, an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen.

The shape of a QR code will also enable the storage of data on the medicine itself. According to Genina all that’s required is a quick scan and the information of the given medicine would come up, this could reduce the cases of wrong or fake medication.

“If we are successful with applying this production method to relatively simple printers, then it can enable the innovative production of personalized medicine and the rethinking of the whole supply chain,” said professor Jukka Rantanen from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Pharmacy.

Currently, researchers are working to refine the methods for this medical production.

Barcode and RFID labels are choices that enterprises must choose to improve efficiency. Which are the most cost- effective and reliable in the long run for your operation?

Here are a few things you should consider

Barcodes Vs. RFID

RFID labels have electronically generated unique codes and barcodes use standard protocols. In an inventory collection setting, a barcode label can tally up items in the stock according to product type, manufacturer, and stock level. Employees will have to manually check for item specifics such as color, price, and purchase date of individual items. On the other hand, RFID labels are capable of loading up 2,000 proprietary byte of information and be able to tally up individual items in inventory too.

For example: A barcode label would be able to tell a grocer how many gallons Milk A and Milk B was in the cooler but an RFID label will be able to disclose where each gallon of milk came from the farm and distributor.

Ultimately, if printer properly both barcode and RFID tags can eliminate human error and contribute to enterprise efficiency compare to when items are accounted for by hand. Purchasing either barcode or RFID solutions depends on the depth of data required by an enterprise and how the system will be used in the field. Label consumers have to make a decision based on the needs and financial constraints.

If you need guidance on which solution to choose, feel free to contact one of our dedicated account managers and we will be happy to help.

Metalcraft RFID Assest Tags Printed on SATO CL4NX