There are many bar code printers to choose from, but how do you know which one will suit your needs the best? Determining the best printer for your needs can be daunting, and you may not know where to start. There are some basic questions you can ask yourself before shopping around. Once you have answered these questions, you will be better prepared to purchase a printer that gives you the best return on your investment.
- What type of environment will the printer be in? Will it be knocked down by forklifts; is it an abusive, rugged environment, or an office environment? What is the air like? Is there a lot of dirt or debris? Will the printer be operating in high humidity or extreme temperatures?
- What are your printing needs? Will you be printing standard stock labels or do you need to print in wide widths or use specialty media? Is barcode printer quality important to you?
- What is your duty cycle? How many labels will you be printing in a business day? Do you need mission critical 24/7 printing or will the printer be operating in a standard 8 hour shift?
- What is your Budget? How much money do you have to spend? What is the cost of the labels and print heads you will be using? What is the total cost of the printer over its lifetime and how much money do you have to spend upfront?
- Who will be using the thermal label printer? Will there be multiple people using the printer and is simplicity a major concern? Is it important to you to have a screen display? How easy is it to changing labels and ribbons? Does it have a media and ribbon window to know when media is about to run out?
- Does connectivity matter? Do you just need a USB, serial port, parallel, or Ethernet connection or are you looking for wireless capabilities?
Being prepared with these answers before you look to purchase a bar code printer will give you more time and flexibility to choose the one that’s right for you. There’s quite a bit of information on choosing thermal label printers at http://www.ryzex.com/light-industrial-printing-knowledge-center.aspx.
Filed under: Industrial Printing | Tagged: Barcode Printer, Direct Thermal, Label Printers, Thermal Printers
Budget isn’t one of the issues when buying a barcode printer, many manufacturers appreciate that they will need to spend some serious money for a robust printer.
Alot of our customers just wnat to know the printer will work in their application – paying us to take the risk.
This is an excellent guide. Many people are confused about how to choose the right barcode printer for their application and what kind of labels to get for the printer. You’ve listed good points to consider when making this decision. Hopefully this will help people make a better decision.