How to choose the right media for your barcode printing

A tiny barcode can contain a wealth of information, from product pricing to patient identification. With the efficiency and accuracy of bar codes, the uses continue to grow, as do the media choices. In addition to labels—which come in an array of paper and synthetic materials, with different adhesives for different uses—bar code printers can output to tag and ticket stock, wristbands, polyester, polypropylene, and other synthetic materials. You can use white or colored media, giving you the option to color-code your bar coded items (allowing for enough contrast between the bar code’s bars and the background color so there is sufficient contrast to make the code readable.

You can also buy brand protection media with over and covert security features for authentication, counterfeit deterrence, and secure data code encoding. Media can be coated to resist extreme temperatures, moisture, harsh chemicals, UV exposure, and other hazards.

Environmental conditions and needs will vary from one warehouse to the next, so it’s important to understand what your media will and won’t do so you avoid any mishaps that can lead to costly problems.

Ryzex specializes in bar code printing solutions, from the hardware to the supplies and accessories. We understand the intricacies of choosing the right media, which is why we rely on Genuine Zebra supplies. Because you can’t afford to compromise on quality, we don’t either. Talk to us about conducting a free needs assessment so we can provide you with cost-saving options.

What do you need your bar code label media to do? Are you satisfied with the results? What challenges have you had to face with media in the past? Please post your thoughts, ideas, and solutions here so we can share them with others.

Can I print bar code labels on my laser printer?

When you have a laser printer sitting right there in your warehouse, it seems the logical choice to use it to print bar code labels as well. Why invest in a bar code printer when you have a perfectly good laser printer? The answer is in the technology. A laser printer does not have the native support for bar code symbologies in order to output clear, readable bar codes. You would have to upgrade your laser printer with additional fonts and/or programming that supports bar coding. Laser printers also lack many of the key features that a dedicated bar code printer provides:

• Laser printers cannot produce single or small labels. A minimum of half a page of media is typically required for the printer to maintain control of the sheet. Unless the label is at least that size or multiple labels are needed at once, the remainder is wasted.
• Laser printer label adhesives must be carefully selected to ensure stability under the heat and pressure of the fuser. Otherwise, the adhesive may seep onto the printer mechanism, where it will capture stray toner, or the adhesive may cause the labels to curl at the edges.
• Because of the pressures used in the image transfer process, many laminated label materials are not compatible with laser printing. Those materials that are compatible may not always be available in the sheet form necessary for laser printing.
• A laser-printed paper label has limited durability. For example, laser printers cannot produce chemical- or water-resistant labels and images.
• Toner, drum, and supply costs can skyrocket when printing bar codes instead of typical text. While text printing requires only about five percent black toner, bar code needs can exceed 30 percent to ensure proper contrast between dark and light elements. Toner costs alone could be six times higher when printing bar codes rather than text.

You can squeeze 8 people into a compact car but that doesn’t make it a minivan. And a laser printer can print bar codes but it’s not the right vehicle for the job. Talk to us at Ryzex to learn more about the benefits of a dedicated bar code printer, like the wide variety designed and engineered by Zebra, the global leader in bar code printing solutions.

Have you ever used your laser printer to output bar codes? What was the result? Please share your experiences so others can benefit from your knowledge.

3 things to know when choosing bar code label media

Before you load media into your bar code printer, be sure you’re using the right material for the job. Here are 3 things to keep in mind when choosing your bar code label media:

1. Paper or synthetic. When producing bin, shipping, and product labels, paper thermal transfer labels are your best bet. But if your label is going to endure tough conditions—like exposure to heat, cold, abrasion, and chemicals—or must comply with UL or CSA standards, you need to use a synthetic material. Paper just won’t hold up. Synthetic media is specially designed to withstand challenging conditions. But there are still variations within synthetics so tell your supplier what your label needs to do.
2. Adhesive. You have a variety of choices in adhesives for your bar code labels. Depending on the label, you could opt for temporary, no-residue, or semi-permanent. Using the wrong adhesive will not only compromise the quality of the label—shipping labels that fall off, for example—but also harm your printer. Some adhesives can ooze during the thermal (heat) transfer and damage the printhead, which is the most expensive part of your bar code printer!
3. Size. Labels come in many sizes, and you can also get customized labels to fit your needs. Be sure to optimize your printer’s potential by using the maximum width possible. You will produce your labels faster and have less waste.

At Ryzex, we recommend Zebra labels. They produce premium print quality and are available in a wide range of media, sizes, and adhesives. When you invest in a quality printer, don’t compromise the output by using inferior labels. Talk to us about your labeling needs and we’ll make sure you get the best value.

Are your labels well matched to your needs? Are you experiencing smudging? What types of challenges have you had to deal with in order to find the right media? Please share your experiences here so others can benefit.

How to choose the right bar code printer for your warehouse

Are you trying to decide on a bar code printer for your warehouse operation? Before you invest in new technology, consider your needs:

• How many labels do you print per duty cycle? Be sure to choose a printer with the speed and output potential to match your needs. If you require a high volume of labels, faster output should be a consideration.
• Do you operate 24/7? When a printer is running around the clock, it needs to be durable. Be sure your printer can keep up with the workload.
• Do you need to print labels on demand? Having a mobile printer is valuable in many warehouse operations because it increases productivity when workers don’t have to return to a print station for batches.
• How large of a footprint do you have for your printer? Space can be an issue. Bar code printers can be compact enough to fit on a desktop.
• In what type of environment will your printer be running? Some bar code printers are more rugged than others. Before you buy your printer, be sure that it can stand up to the challenges in your warehouse.

These are the basic questions you should ask yourself when considering a bar code printer. At Ryzex, we specialize in the technology solutions for the warehousing industry, and we’ve teamed up with Zebra, the most innovative provider of bar code printers and supplies. Does your printer keep up with your needs? Let us know your challenges and we will help you find the printer that best fits your operation.

Intermec 2435 Wireless Barcode Scanner – Product Review

Having been in data collection for the past umpteen years, I have seen a lot of terminals come and go. From the earliest Symbol batch units, up to the current crop of WM 6 terminals – a lot has changed.

One thing that remains constant though, is the need for “good old workhorse terminals” for the Warehousing and Distribution market. There are literally thousands of Intermec, Symbol and Teklogix units who are old enough to vote and in some cases even drink, that are still the mainstay of high volume Warehouse/Order pick/Ship operations. Why? Because they are simple, and they simply work.

I cut my teeth on a lot of these very terminals: the Symbol LRT 3805’s, Norand 1700’s and the Intermec Antares lines. They weren’t fancy, they ran a version of DOS, and usually all relied on VT/IBM Terminal Emulation to make them useful. Recently, an Intermec 2435 came across my desk, and I was reminded of the simple utility and reliability of these devices.

The Intermec 2435 was kind of a plateau device for it’s type. Yes, it feels like you can hammer nails with it, but you also have the sense that it can last for years of dropping and getting bumped around in a warehouse and not go on the fritz if it has a rough day. This terminal features a clear 31 line character display (21 wide) that is easy to read and refreshes quickly. Most TE programs are concise and not verbose, with a quick Scan-Prompt cadence to them, and the 2435 is perfectly suited for that.

Since it is a relatively modest terminal, the battery life is excellent, often lasting a shift and one half of moderate scanning, and even longer if docked in a desktop or vehicle mount charging cradle. Many units shipped with a built in long range scanner (over 6′) and all 2435’s came with built in 802.11b WiFi radios. Although there was a freezer option, the standard terminal is rated for use from -4 to 122F, which covers 80% of use situations, in my experience. Most implementations I was involved with used the 39 key version (using scanning mostly, with some numeric entry), though a smaller keyed 59 key version with full alpha was available.

I have seen these configured with serial printers attached to their MiniDIN connector; the 2435 also features a decoded/undecoded 9 pin connector for other scanning options (like a Lorax long range scanner). External scanners do make it more difficult to use with a dock though, and can affect battery life if used frequently.

The TE options are the standard text based VT/ANSI or IBM 5250/3270, and these terminals came with overlays that represented the different key maps. In fact, many WMS systems still use this as a primary interface for portable terminals: SAP, JD Edwards, MAN-MAN, Catalyst, etc. Other systems can easily be reformatted to display everything up in the upper left corner of a standard screen, and only be 21 x 31, and make supporting the application very, very easy.

Yes they are simple, but then, they simply work. Easy to support and deploy, they are still among my favorite kinds of terminals for just “gettin’ er done”. Like the Energizer Bunny of data collection, the 2435 just keeps going, and going, and going. Here is a great place to buy new and refurbished 2435’s.

– David Wiegand

David Wiegand heads up the North American Pro Services team for Ryzex. He is proud to lead a team of professionals that is backed up by a nationwide network of resources to provide everything from Consulting, to Installation and Engineering. When not coordinating all things industrial/technical, you might run into him (not literally, hopefully!) on his road bike, or sailing.

Intermec CK3 Wireless Barcode Scanner – Product Review

Good afternoon all,

I recently had the opportunity to test out the “soon to be” released, Intermec CK3 unit. From what I heard around the horn, this unit would be replacing the CK30 and possibly even the CK31 series units. I, like many of you, have had one major concern with the CK series over the past two years and that is the battery life of the CK’s.

As many of you have heard from your customers, the CK31 just wouldn’t get a “full shift” out of its battery pack even when the unit was fully optimized. To many customers this was a major setback as they saw this as a waste of having to change out battery packs during an eight hour shift.

This being my primary concern, the first thing I wanted to know about the CK3 was will the battery pack make it through a full 8 hour shift. So I put the demo through a series of tests to find out.

The first test I performed was where I pretty much turned on every thing I possibly could on the CK3 demo and left all items running throughout the day while also performing over 500 scans. I had the backlight on, the radio constantly connected, programs going, etc. With everything “booming”, I was able to get 7 hours out of a fully charged battery pack…which in all honesty, is pretty dang good seeing that the unit was being used to its capacity.

The next day I performed a similar test but this time I optimized the unit a bit. I did keep the radio connected throughout the day and still performed over 500 scans. I only had the backlight on when the unit was being utilized and cut down on the number of programs being utilized. This being done, I was able to get 8.5 hours out of the battery pack before I left for the day. When I turned the unit off, it still had about 1/4 of battery life left as well.

To sum it all up, the CK3 will get a full shift (8 hours +) out of its battery pack which I think will relieve many of you. On a side note, I was also informed that Intermec will be offering an extended capacity battery pack as well and just to clarify, my testing was done with a standard battery pack.

You be the judge:

To request a CK3 demo model click here. Fill out your contact information and tell us what you think. You can also buy new and used barcode equipment here.

Adam Chitwood
Technical Support & Customer Service Supervisor – The Ryzex Group

Barcode Goes Green: Doing the Right Thing for You and Our Environment

It all begins with a passion to cut waste

Call them the dirty little secrets of automated data collection. The first is abandoning product lines and leaving customers stranded with unsupported technology. That means wasted money, performance and technological investment.

The second source of waste? The mountains of toxic hardware – un-refurbished and un-repaired – that stuff our landfills and poison our environment.

If you’ve ever been stung by the financial, operational or environmental consequences of waste, you may have gotten angry. That’s how Rud Browne felt. And in 1989, it made him take action.

Can $30,000 and a spare bedroom change the world?

Rud decided to find out. With a passion for our environment and years of experience in the barcode and data collection industry, Rud, our Chairman founded Ryzex on a mandate to cut financial and material waste. He started with $30,000, a room in his apartment and a vision to help companies get the full use of the bar code, data collection and POS equipment they invested in.

The goal: keep electronic equipment in the market and out of the landfill

Within just fifteen years, Ryzex has grown from a bedroom used-equipment brokerage to one of the world’s largest data collection resellers and integrators, with more than 6,000 customers and 350 team members located in North America, the United Kingdom and France.

The more you learn about Ryzex, the more confident you’ll be in our products and services.

Get the complete use of your bar code and automated data systems.

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Ryzex is headquartered in Bellingham, Washington with additional offices in Vancouver B.C.; Toronto, Ontario; Everett, WA; Phoenix, AZ; Nashville, TN, the United Kingdom and France.