Cleanliness and sanitation are very critical dynamics in healthcare, retail, restaurant, and hospitality; Citizen recognizes that and strives to provide the best-in-class customer service and safety.

With disinfecting products and solutions more readily available, it is important to promote a cleaner environment for customers and employees who must come in contact with products.

Citizen’s line of disinfectant-ready printers has been designed to allow for use of various readily available cleaning agents. Observing and implementing the below Cleaning & Care Instructions will play an important role in achieving best practices and results.

The following agents* are compatible with and can be used for cleaning Citizen disinfectant-ready barcode label printers:

• Ethanol 70%
• IPA (Isopropyl alcohol) 70%
• Oxydol 3%
• Sodium Hypochlorite Solution 0.05%

*No other cleaning agents, including the above agents used in concentrations other than those shown, have been tested by Citizen or approved by it for use in cleaning Citizen disinfectant-ready (or other Citizen) printers. Use of other agents or in different concentrations may impair printer performance and/or result in ineffective cleaning and disinfection and pose potential health and safety risks.

Citizen Disinfectant-Ready Barcode Label Printers

• CL-E300
• CL-E321
• CL-E303
• CL-E331
• CT-E301 (Newest)

Citizen Disinfectant-Ready Printer Cleaning & Care Instructions

_{Important WARNINGS and Notes}

• Unplug or turn off the printer prior to cleaning.
• Never spray or pour the cleaning agent directly onto the printer. The cleaning agent should be applied to a soft cloth, which can then be applied to the printer.
• The cleaning agent should be applied evenly and care should be taken to cover the entire surface to be cleaned.
• Strictly follow the cleaning agent manufacturer’s instructions (and CDC Guidelines*) for use of its product, including allowing sufficient time after application for the cleaning agent to achieve maximum cleaning and disinfection. Once achieved, cleaning agent residue can be removed by wiping with a damp cloth, ensuring no droplets remain on the printer.
• Do not mix cleaning agents.
• Cleaning agents, especially ethanol, which is extremely flammable, should never be used in proximity to high heat or open flame.
• Wear appropriate protective gear during the entire cleaning process to avoid potential adverse effects from contact with the cleaning agent or from its fumes. Citizen strongly recommends use of gloves, protective eyewear and masks that cover both the nose and the mouth.
• Ensure that others in the immediate vicinity of the cleaning are also properly protected or are moved a safe distance away from the printer for the entirety of the cleaning process.

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for cleaning and disinfection, including cleaning agent use and information, can be found at CDC’s website:  www.cdc.gov

For more information on the cleaning products, take a look a Citizen’s webpage here: https://www.citizen-systems.com/us/support/189/

If you have any questions regarding your Barcode Label Printing needs, please contact us here.

Printing and encoding RFID “smart labels” with an RFID-enabled printer has traditionally been difficult; a classic case of “the Devil is in the details.”  One difficulty users have wrestled with has been “inlay placement.”  Inlay placement refers to the location of the RFID inlay under the label’s face stock.  Although inlays are generally oriented horizontally under the face stock, the inlays can be located towards the bottom of the label, towards the top, or anywhere in between.  In the picture to the right, for example, the inlay is relatively close to the bottom of the label, the “leading edge” as it is often called, because this edge comes out of the printer first. 

Almost every printer brand – and even model – has traditionally had detailed, complex specifications regarding inlay placement, with different specifications for each and every inlay on the market.  The location of the inlay has to be a particular distance from the leading edge of the label in order to maximize the printer’s throughput (speed).  Just a millimeter or two either way, and the performance of the printer can suffer dramatically.  What a mess.  Given that printing and encoding RFID labels is already slower than printing traditional barcode labels, any further loss in performance has often been catastrophic for the end-user.  Waiting for your RFID labels to print and encode can hold up an entire production line.  This all meant that for your printer brand and model, you needed to make sure to order labels with an optimal inlay placement. 

Precise inlay placement also causes some additional problems: 

• It makes selecting labels more difficult. Users need to order their labels very carefully to ensure correct inlay placement.  Does your purchasing department understand inlay placement?  
• It can cause delays in sourcing labels.  Often, a convertor (label manufacturer) will have exactly the label size you need – but with incorrect inlay placement for your printer.  To get labels with optimal inlay placement, the convertor needs to configure their entire production line and run a new batch of labels for you.  This can take several days to several weeks. 
• Finally, requiring a specific inlay placement can mean that users may pay more for their labels.  A quick Google search of classic paper thermal transfer 4×6 RFID shipping labels will show some surprising results.  The very same labels from the very same vendor can have dramatically different prices depending solely on inlay placement.  It all boils down to supply and demand, but if you are on the wrong side of the equation, you may have to pay significantly more for your labels. 

With Printronix Auto ID’s current line-up of RFID printers, these headaches associated with inlay placement are now a thing of the past.  Printronix RFID printers have a unique firmware (the software brains in the printer), which does what they call “Encode During Print.”  In clearer language, this means that the printer will first print some of the label, then switch over to encoding, then switch back to printing and finish up the label.  The printer will automatically either print or encode at any given moment depending on where the label is relative to the printer’s printhead and RFID encoder.  The traditional approaches for RFID printers were to either first print the entire label, then encode the RFID portion (“Print then Encode”) – or to first encode the RFID, then print the label (“Encode then Print”).  But with these traditional approaches, if the inlay is not optimally placed, then the printer needs to back- or forward-feed the label to align it for an operation (printing or encoding) at any given moment.  With Printronix’s Encode During Print functionality, back- and forward-feed are eliminated (other than to overstrike bad labels, which is another blog topic for another day), regardless of inlay placement. 

So far, we have been talking about labels like 4×6 shipping labels that allow different inlay placements.  But what about all of the RFID labels, “tags,” on the market that have predetermined inlay placement?  For example, on-metal tags, plant stakes, small pharmaceutical labels for cold-chain applications, “RTI” tags (Returnable Transport Items), etc., etc.  There are many such tags on the market, and more are being developed and released all the time.  These tags generally have a fixed inlay placement based on their physical design and on simple commercial considerations – they are meant to be “Off-the-Shelf” (OTS) products.  This is another area Printronix’s Encode During Print functionality shines even more.  Because the Printronix printers do not care where the inlay is located, you can use any of these tags and still achieve maximum throughput. 

And these unusual tags often pose physical feed challenges for RFID printers.  For example, on-metal and RTI tags are often thicker than normal smart labels, and they can have abrupt edges between labels, large gaps, etc.  Both Printronix’s T6000e and T4000 series printers were designed from the ground up to work with these more difficult constructions.  The printers are spec’ed for labels up to 1.2mm thick and are available in 4” and 6” print-widths, allowing you to print and encode a wide variety of tags from a single printer – all without sacrificing performance.  

Finding the right RFID solution is always a challenge and having the right resources and help are critical. If RFID sounds like a suitable solution for your business or you have additional questions, feel free to contact us at Barcodes, Inc. We’re always happy to help you find the right solution for your needs. 

Offering a vast array of standard features that are unequaled by its competition, SATO’s CL4NX Plus sets a new and groundbreaking industry standard for ease of use, intelligence, on-board emulations, connectivity, speed of processing data streams, user activity interface, and much more.

Built with integrity, designed with the user and productivity in mind, the CL4NX Plus supports up to 10-inch outside diameter of media and 1968-foot (600-meter) ribbon and incorporates Smart Printhead technology to keep track of usage specific to the mounted printhead. The platen roller with the Pure Line indicator provides a visual wear indicator so users can be proactive when it is necessary to change this vital component. The Micro Label Print Mode provides higher print accuracy for small pitch labels and can dispense labels as small as 10 mm. 

Using SATO Application Enabled Printing (AEP), you can build custom standalone applications that can be run directly on the printer and connect peripheral devices directly to the printer for data input, such as a barcode scanner, keyboard, or weigh scale.

The CL4NX Plus Industrial Printer is fast, precise, and intelligent. It will exceed your expectations of the printing technology of today.

Shop the SATO CL4NX Plus Printer online or Contact your Barcodes, Inc. Account Manager for more information.

Setting the bar for desktop barcode label printing, SATO’s CT4-LX is a 4-inch thermal printer offering features and functionality typically only found in industrial printer models but in a compact size. Designed with a full-color touchscreen display, the latest wireless connectivity options and patented label waste prevention feature, the CT4LX Label Printer is easy to operate and maintain with user-replaceable printheads and platen rollers to quickly keep your business up and running.

Key Features
– 4.3″ Full Color Touchscreen Display
– 203 or 305 dpi print resolution
– Thermal Transfer and Direct Thermal
– Label Waste Prevention – eliminates first label loss
– Apple iOS Connectivity
– Quick pairing with NFC-enabled devices
– Auto Switching competitive emulation languages (SBPL, SEPL, SZPL, SDPL, SIPL, or STCL)
– Auto RFID positioning with SATO RF Analyze (SRA)
– Remote management with SATO Online Services (SOS)

Connectivity Options: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RS-232C
Optional Features: UHF RFID encoder (pre-installed), Auto-Cutter, Linerless Cutter, Dispenser, Real-Time Clock

Shop the Sato CT4-LX online or Contact your Barcodes, Inc. Account Manager for more information.

Error-prone, mis-printed and unreadable barcode labels continue to cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars annually due to chargebacks, fines and rejected shipments. For example, retailers like Walmart have detailed requirements for on barcode label design/placement. Non-compliance can cost the shipper $5,000 for the second infraction which can double with each infraction. In order to reduce fines and delayed shipments, you need a label printer that can change the landscape of the supply chain. Barcodes, Inc. and Honeywell can help you deliver an industrial barcode printing solution with integrated label verification. Watch how the Honeywell PX940 with Verifier is ideal for regulatory shipment printing:

Contact us today for a free assessment and see if you have the right industrial printing solution in place. Ask us about TrueSupport and our other Design, Deploy and Support services.

Keep up with busy manufacturing and warehouses with the Citizen CL-S700 industrial printer, ideal for use in applications including supply chain, inventory control, asset tracking, packaging, and ticketing.

Why Choose the CL-S700 for Large-Volume Printing?

The Citizen CL-S700 industrial printer is designed for ease of use and durability so you can rely on it to keep working even with high print volumes.

A large LCD screen on the front is programmable for your organization’s needs. Unique to printers in this category, the front-loading rewinder option makes it easier to access along with a Hi-Lift metal mechanism that opens the printer so you can access the ribbon and media.

The CL-S700 can print a number of 1D and 2D barcode types and has seven kinds of fonts and works with a wide range of media types for flexibility:

• Roll or fanfold
• Continuous or perforated
• Die-cut labels
• Tags
• Tickets

The CL-S700 works with wax, wax-resin, or resin ribbons and can print up to 10” per second.

Shop the Citizen CL-S700 printer or CL-S700DT direct thermal model on Barcodes, Inc.

If you need to reliably print labels, passes, or tickets, consider the Citizen CL-S400DT barcode label printer! The CL-S400DT printer can be used in healthcare, retail, for logistics, in transportation, at events, by couriers, and more.

Quickly & Easily Print with the Citizen Barcode Label Printer

How can this label printer help your organization? Its compact size and durable metal construction fits into any environment, and it can quickly print a wide range of labels and tickets including event tickets and passes, barcode labels, tags, and more.

The CL-S400DT can use standard or fanfold media for more flexibility, and the Large LCD panel makes it easy to use. And the printer has an ENERGY STAR power supply.

Citizen CL-S400DT Key Features

• Supports fanfold, continuous, perforated, labels, and tag media
• Print widths between 0.5” and 4”
• Prints up to 6” per second
• 203 dpi print resolution
• USB 2.0 and serial connections, option for Ethernet
• Option for auto-cutter
• Hi-Lift metal mechanism with wide opening head
• 2-year manufacturer warranty

Learn more about the Citizen CL-S400DT barcode label printer, or contact Barcodes, Inc. today for help finding the best label printers for your organization.

Saving time and improving warehouse efficiency is a top priority for businesses. The typical receiving process can take 20.75 minutes – but with Newcastle Systems mobile workstations you can cut that by 52% and save 520 hours per user per year!

How to Streamline Warehouse Receiving

How much wasted time and tasks could your warehouse cut out with a mobile workstation that moves with your workers?

• Walking from the receiving area to the computer to look up order details
• Waiting to print orders
• Walking back to the products
• Walking back to the computer to print labels
• And more

Instead, a Newcastle workstation with its own container computer, printer, barcode scanner, and power source can move to your receiving station and allow your workers to scan, inspect, print, and apply labels right on the spot.

Shop Newcastle Workstations

Mobilize your workstation to anywhere in the warehouse with Newcastle Systems. Durable and customizable, these stations have everything you need. Compact stations fit into narrow isles and smaller warehouses, and battery options can power your devices for an eight-hour shift.

Barcodes, Inc. carries a wide range of Newcastle Systems mobile workstations including the NB series, the PC Picking series, the RC Utility series, NB Slim series, and EcoCart series along with accessories, parts, and power packs.

Enhance daily business transactions with efficient receipt printing anywhere inside the store. By incorporating portable printers with mobile sales in a retail store, businesses can effectively shorten the checkout line, increase efficiency and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. With more and more people beginning using mobile POS, it’s clear that the right type of mobile receipt printer is crucial. Experience the power of mobility in retail with Citizen’s CMP-30II portable receipt printer. This 3 inch mobile printer can handle both labels and receipts, combined with the durable, strong plastic case which is designed to take the occasional bump or drop but can still protect the printer and keep it up and running.

The Citizen CMP-30II portable receipt printer coupled with advanced Bluetooth or Wifi technology that is mobile POS ready to be connected with Apple, Android, and Windows Mobile devices. Engineered with powerful high capacity batteries for a full day’s operation. It gives store associates the mobility to print shelf labels or print transaction receipts on any occasion during their shifts.

Applications:

• Retail
• Warehouse
• Inventory Management
• Shipping/ Receiving
• Event Management
• Mobile Couponing

Features:

• Prints labels and receipts
• High capacity 3- inch diameter media roll
• Long life lithium ion batteries
• Optional magnetic stripe reader and IC-card
• Print speed: 4 inches per second
• Print width: 3 inches
• Print Resolution: 203 dpi
• RS-232 and USB standard interface
• Connectivity: Bluetooth with Apple MFi compatibility, Wireless LAN, or Bluetooth 4.2

The way consumers shop is changing, they are more capricious, less loyal, and have less time. They prefer experience over products. Give the customers what they are looking for by providing the in-store experience and the products that they want. Simplified checkout with Citizen’s CMP-30II portable receipt printer.

Boost workers productivity and gain efficiency at checkout with Epson’s Mobilink P60II 2-Inch Wireless Mobile Printer. The mobile printer is ideal for a wide variety of applications that requires quick receipt printing from anywhere on the sales floor or at a checkout counter. Designed to meet the needs of today’s mobile systems, it is engineered to work directly with any mobile device running an iOS, Android, or Windows operating system via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.

The Mobilink P60II has all the features to print both receipts and labels anytime and anywhere. Ideal in retail, users will be able to print out receipts and slips for pick up in a short amount of time to reduce lines and increase customer satisfaction. Bring it to the aisle, on the sales floor, and in the warehouse to print labels and receipts wherever you need. It is compact and lightweight with operational battery life up to 46 hours. Great for applications to print labels and receipts for products, shelves, return labels, invoices, price tags and more. Enhanced associate efficiency and productivity to quickly generate labels and receipts from handhelds and mobile printer to decrease down time and be able to increase sales.

Retailers are using mobile printers to:

• Print product identification labels
• Routing labels to indicate shelf location
• Markdown labels
• Promotional labels
• Damage goods labels
• Point of sale reciepts
• Packing reciepts
• Invoices

Features:

• Compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices
• mPOS ready
• Industry- leading operational battery life up to 46 hours
• IP54 environmental certified with 4-foot drop rating
• Print speed: receipt mode: 100mm/sec
• Print speed: label mode: 80mm/sec
• Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity

Maximize usability with Mobilink P60II accessories from power, charging, carrying, cables, and more to ensuring each printer is operating optimally and ready for use during each shift. Contact Barcodes to see how the Epson Mobilink P60II can enhanced associate efficiency and productivity in your daily operations.