Choosing the right printing method for labels can always be confusing at first. With options for direct thermal and thermal transfer it really comes down to how long you want the label to last and in what kind of environment. Thermal transfer provides more options for longevity and durability but not without a cost.

Thermal Transfer – Advantages

• Image durability. It’s the label type needed for harsh environments.
• Superb resolution of bar codes, text and graphics.
• Longer printhead life compared to direct thermal printers.
• Can be color depending on color of label – black, blue, red, green, white.

Thermal Transfer – Disadvantages

• Dual media needed – labels and ribbons. More to purchase and store.
• Ribbons can be tricky to load.
• Must match ribbon to facestock.
• Single pass ribbon can be wasteful if little is printed on long labels.

No matter your business size, barcodes are a part of everyday operations from inventory and asset tracking to any retail check-out.  A barcode is a straight-forward and accurate means to track anything through whatever process you may need. Depending on where in the product chain your business may be, some items may have barcodes already but more often than not you’ll need a flexible barcoding software to make the specific types of barcodes you need.

A it’s most basic, a barcode software will allow you to design and print a barcode with the specific data you need. It could be a simple product number, a unique asset ID, or shipping details for a package. Some barcoding software will provide additional features like the ability for 2D or stacked barcodes as well as automation capabilities from a database or Excel. No matter how simple or integrated of a software you may need, there is a barcoding software solution that can be set-up to accomplish any goal.

Key Barcode Software providers

• Seagull Scientific 
• Teklynx
• Wasp
• NiceLabel

For assistance finding the right software for your business labeling needs, contact one of our printing specialists at Barcodes, Inc.

As a leading manufacturer of label printers and media, Honeywell provides a wide range of label materials to meet any need. When it comes to direct thermal printing the Duratherm series provides cost-effective printing with various levels of durability, from uncoated paper to top-coated synthetic labels.

Without the need for ribbon changeover, Duratherm products are easy to use and demand less operator intervention. Duratherm labels have been designed for use with both visible and infrared scanners in indoor applications with high humidity, high surface abrasion, at demanding fast print speeds.

In addition to being a high quality label, when you exclusively use Honeywell media with Honeywell printers, their Free Printhead Replacement Program offers significant cost savings.

• Duratherm Receipt – A direct thermal paper that provides excellent print quality. Well-suited for most general receipt applications, most notably for use in portable thermal printers.
• Duratherm II Label – A general purpose direct thermal paper label that delivers high-quality, cost-effective printing.Duratherm II is recommended for most general use applications where exposure to chemicals and moisture is not anticipated.
• Duratherm III Label – A top-coated direct thermal paper label that delivers high-quality printing and enhanced durability.Duratherm III is recommended for applications where high humidity, moisture contact and surface abrasion are concerns.
• Duratherm NIR – A premium direct thermal paper label engineered to deliver high-contrast images and enhanced durability. Duratherm III NIR is targeted for use in applications with challenging barcode scanning requirements and is well-suited for high-speed sortation applications.
• Duratherm II Tag – A general purpose paper tag providing high-quality, cost-effective printing.Duratherm II Tag is recommended for applications where labeling is not suitable. This product resists curling, even in high humidity environments.

Executive Summary

The Bellevue Manufacturing Company specializes in manufacturing automobile parts, such as bumpers, luggage carriers, gasoline gauges and windshield wipers. Over time they have expanded into manufacturing new and innovative products while opening new facilities across North America. Delivering their products hinges on the company flawlessly executing its manufacturing as well as its shipping, receiving, and inventory control operations.

The Business Challenge

Bellevue Manufacturing was opening new facilities and needed a barcode software that could take advantage of a centralized template storage with revision control, as well as integrate with their existing ERP system. Lastly, because of their multiple locations, they wanted a software that could be licensed per printer and still communicate over IP. Their operations team is heavily dependent on the ability to design and print various label designs and place the barcode labels on the correct items.

Bellevue Manufacturing also required a reliable, compact and light industrial barcode printer that made it easy for the user to replace printheads and platen rollers. Due to the various label sizes, they also needed something that supported broad media compatibility. Having the right barcode printer and software combination was integral in increasing productivity and cutting down on wasted time while streamlining their warehouse management process.

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Honeywell’s new Duratran XL 4×6 labels offer you the opportunity to lower costs while increasing printing. Lower price per label. Less change over time. Less warehouse space. Lower shipping costs. More printing per roll. With 1500 labels/roll, there are 50% more labels/roll than a standard roll.

Always leading the way in label printer innovations, Zebra has made desktop printing even easier with their time-saving ribbon cartridge based ZD420 line of printers.

The ZD420 thermal printers are loaded with features for easy use. They are the only thermal printers to offer a ribbon cartridge for fool-proof and split-second installation. The ZD420 also lets you know when the ribbon needs replacing. And, five intuitive status icons make it easy for your workers to see, at a glance, what is needed to keep your printer up, running and available.

Features & Benefits:

• One-of-a-kind ribbon cartridge – The only printer in its class to offer a ribbon cartridge for fast and easy loading with the smarts to let you know when the ribbon is running low.

• Updated user interface – Makes it easier to use and troubleshoot.

• More media flexibility – Standard movable media sensor accommodates off-center black marks, die-cut notches and more.

• Best-in-class print quality – The 300 dpi option is ideal for small labels such as jewelry in retail, specimen collection containers in healthcare and more.

• Easy to deploy-  With more connectivity options — just about every modern connectivity option you can imagine for easy installation, including 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1.

• Easy to manage – Integrate, manage and maintain your printers from any location with Link-OS, only from Zebra.

Executive Summary

A global automotive parts manufacturer whom specializes in parts and accessories for the productions of cars. With a keen focus on just-in-time inventory, they focus on building customer relationships by setting the right expectations and aiming to over-deliver. Delivering a great customer experience hinges on the companies flawlessly tracking of products from production, finished good delivery and ensuring that their customers inventory levels are optimized. By utilizing Honeywell printers, scanners and mobile computing products, our customer has been able to increase their service level commitments and gain trust from automotive manufacturers around the globe.

The Business Challenge

The Company was expanding and needed a data capture solution that enabled its workforce to optimize their productivity, mobility and product traceability. With operations heavily dependent on product traceability and product movement, they needed hardware that would offer a wide variety of traceability features. With many customers relying on quick turnaround, just-in-time shipping, and accuracy, the Company needed to find a way to operate lean and agile.

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Historically, color label printing has been either too cost prohibitive to do oneself or the quality was lacking to make it worth doing. With the Epson ColorWorks TM-C3500 both of these challenges are resolved.

With the ColorWorks C3500, you can easily customise and print your own colour labels. Whether it’s printing packaging labels with colourful logos and pictures or tickets and ID cards with important barcodes and product information, this printer ensures you can print it all from one machine. It also helps you conform with GHS international chemical labelling guidelines, as labels can be printed on-demand without using pre-printed templates.

Setting the standard in convenience and ease of use, Honeywell’s PC42t brings high quality, affordable label printing to any desktop. Compact enough to fit in any environment while being one of the most user-friendly label printers on the market today makes the PC42t the perfect solution for light-duty labeling in a variety of industries.

Able to print on media up to 4.3″ wide and a host of connectivity options the PC43t can easily be dropped into any environment. Its affordable price and modern features make it a smart solution for the small or medium business looking to improve productivity in label making operations.

Key Features

• An economical solution for light-duty thermal printing applications.
• Supports a wide range of media, including 12.7 mm (1/2 in) or 25.4 mm (1 in) ribbon cores (depending on the model).
• Industry-standard connectivity includes USB host and device, and options for Ethernet, parallel and serial communications.
• Easy to use, with a quick-opening design for media replenishment.
• Supports ESim (EPL), ZSim (ZPL II) and Direct Protocol (DP) print languages for maximum compatibility

Having some of the industries most popular and capable label printers goes hand-in-hand with premium supplies for them. From simple direct thermal shipping labels to rugged polyester labels for outdoor use, Honeywell has supplies to handle the requirements of the most demanding environments.

Honeywell genuine labels, RFID tags, receipts and ribbons support a broad range of barcode printing applications in mild to harsh environments. While a wide variety of these are offered as take-from-stock products for fast delivery, Honeywell will also customize the label material, configuration, size or any other feature to meet even the most challenging environment. Whether an off-the-shelf or custom solution, Honeywell has media solutions to meet any unique requirement.

To learn more about Honeywell’s selection of labels, receipt paper, wristbands, and RFID tags, contact one of our media specialists at Barcodes Inc.