{"id":24809,"date":"2020-12-17T11:24:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T17:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/?p=24809"},"modified":"2021-08-16T10:17:40","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T16:17:40","slug":"where-to-place-an-rfid-inlay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/where-to-place-an-rfid-inlay\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Place an RFID Inlay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/cats\/rfid.htm\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17105956\/printronix-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24810\" width=\"188\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17105956\/printronix-1.jpg 323w, https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17105956\/printronix-1-300x266.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Printing and encoding RFID \u00e2\u20ac\u0153smart labels\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/cats\/rfid-printers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>RFID-enabled printer<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;has traditionally been difficult; a classic case of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the Devil is in the details.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00af One difficulty users have wrestled with has been \u00e2\u20ac\u0153inlay placement.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00af<strong>&nbsp;Inlay placement refers to the location of the RFID inlay under the label\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face stock.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;In the picture to the right, for example, the inlay is relatively close to the bottom of the label, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153leading edge\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as it is often called, because this edge comes out of the printer first.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Almost every printer brand \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and even model \u00e2\u20ac\u201c has traditionally had detailed, complex specifications regarding inlay placement, with different specifications for each and every inlay on the market.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;<\/strong>The location of the inlay has&nbsp;to be a particular distance from the leading edge of the label in order to maximize the printer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throughput (speed).\u00e2\u20ac\u00af <strong>Just a millimeter or two either way, and the performance of the printer can&nbsp;suffer dramatically.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af<\/strong> What a mess.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af Waiting for your RFID labels to print and encode can hold up an entire production line.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af This all meant that for your printer brand and model, you needed to make sure to order labels with an optimal inlay placement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Precise inlay placement also causes some additional problems:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>It makes selecting labels more difficult.<\/strong> Users need to order their labels very carefully to ensure correct inlay placement.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af Does your purchasing department understand inlay placement?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>It can cause delays in sourcing labels.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;Often, a convertor&nbsp;(label manufacturer)&nbsp;will have exactly the label size you need \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but with incorrect inlay placement for your printer.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af This can take several days to several weeks.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Finally,&nbsp;<strong>requiring a specific inlay placement can mean that users&nbsp;may&nbsp;pay more for their labels.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u00af A quick Google search of classic paper thermal transfer 4&#215;6 RFID shipping labels will show some surprising results.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af The very same labels from the very same vendor can have dramatically different prices depending solely on inlay placement.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>With<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/printronix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Printronix Auto ID\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;current line-up of RFID printers, these headaches associated with inlay placement are now a thing of the past.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af Printronix RFID printers have a unique firmware (the software brains in the printer), which does what they call \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Encode During Print.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af The printer will automatically either print or encode at any given moment depending on where the label is relative to the printer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s printhead and RFID encoder.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;<strong>The traditional approaches for RFID printers were to either first print the entire label, then encode the RFID portion (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Print then Encode\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or to first encode the RFID, then print the label (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Encode then Print\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).\u00e2\u20ac\u00af 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.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u00af With Printronix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, we have been talking about labels like 4&#215;6 shipping labels that allow different inlay placements.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af <strong>But what about all of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/cats\/rfid.htm\">RFID labels, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tags,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/a> on the market that have predetermined inlay placement?<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u00af For example, on-metal tags, plant stakes, small pharmaceutical labels for cold-chain applications, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153RTI\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tags (Returnable Transport Items), etc., etc.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af There are many such tags on the market, and more are being developed and released all the time.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af These tags generally have a fixed inlay placement based on their physical design and on simple commercial considerations \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they are meant to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Off-the-Shelf\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (OTS) products.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af This is another area Printronix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Encode During Print functionality shines even more.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;<strong>Because the Printronix printers do not care where the inlay is located, you can use any of these&nbsp;tags and still achieve maximum throughput.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/printronix\/t6000e.htm\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17110035\/t6000e.jpg.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24811\" width=\"170\" height=\"139\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17110035\/t6000e.jpg.png 1024w, https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17110035\/t6000e.jpg-300x246.png 300w, https:\/\/newscdn.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/17110035\/t6000e.jpg-768x629.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And these unusual tags often pose physical feed challenges for RFID printers.&nbsp;&nbsp;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>Both Printronix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s&nbsp;<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/printronix\/t6000e.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>T6000e<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;and <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/printronix\/t4000.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>T4000<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;series printers were designed from the ground up to work with these more difficult constructions<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af The printers are&nbsp;spec\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ed&nbsp;for labels up to 1.2mm thick and are available in 4\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and 6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d print-widths, allowing you to print and encode a wide variety of tags from a single printer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all without sacrificing performance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding the right&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/barcodesedge\/guides\/choosing-the-right-rfid-technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>RFID solution<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;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&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/support\/contactinfo.htm?nav=ftr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>contact us<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;at Barcodes, Inc. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re always happy to help you find the right solution for your needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Printing and encoding RFID \u00e2\u20ac\u0153smart labels\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with an&nbsp;RFID-enabled printer&nbsp;has traditionally been difficult; a classic case of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the Devil is in the details.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00af One difficulty users have wrestled with has been \u00e2\u20ac\u0153inlay placement.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00af&nbsp;Inlay placement refers to the location of the RFID inlay under the label\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face stock.\u00e2\u20ac\u00af Although inlays are generally oriented horizontally under the face [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,18],"tags":[196,8,308,893,218,1422,190,2268,213,2690,3219,3218,672],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Where to Place an RFID Inlay<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Finding the right RFID solution is always a challenge and having the right resources and help are critical. 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