The transition to a mobile experience in retail and consumer-focused applications has ushered in a range of new hardware to support these new demands. Even though the focus has been towards retail environments, manufacturing and warehouse facilities have been finding ways to improve efficiency with these new mobile technologies.

Shipping/receiving and inventory are two applications that have taken advantage of the wide range of mobile printers currently available to improve performance and accuracy. In a warehouse environment, employees are constantly on-the-go and being able to print labels when an order is picked or stock is put away saves time from being tied to a fixed print station. With on-demand label printing, employees will have an increase in efficiency and better control of production.

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Many food packaging and repackaging businesses have a need to find a packaging label that has an adhesive suitable for indirect food contact.  Most importantly these business need a labeling solution that meets Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for indirect food contact.   Indirect food contact is defined as a substance that may come into interaction with food as part of packaging or processing equipment, but are not intentionally added directly to the food. Using a label that doesn’t meet food contact requirements can potentially lead to contaminated food, product returns and fines for having unapproved adhesives used in a food application.

Zebra manufactures several sizes and types of labels that have an adhesive formulation developed to meet FDA regulation 175.105, indirect food contact (see this list for FDA approved labels).  These labels are approved to be used for indirect contact food applications such as, label food in a retail location to large scale packaging of food from a manufacturing facility.

Avoid the hassle and expense of using non-food approved labels by introducing Zebra labels, which meet FDA regulation 175.105 for indirect food contact, into your food application today.

Contact your dedicated BarcodesInc representative today, for more information.

Barcode labels come in a variety of types and materials to meet the needs of a range of applications. From a temporary shipping label to a rugged asset tag that needs to endure the challenges of outdoor use, there are labels that can meet these needs.

Knowing what type of label you are using is almost impossible to tell from just looking at it but there are a few key tests you can conduct to figure out what type and material your label is. Following these steps you can be assured you order the same label your application needs.

1. Try to tear the label in half

If you can tear the label in half we know right away that it’s a paper stock as opposed to a synthetic material like polypropylene or polyester.  Synthetic materials may stretch and deform a bit but will not be tear-able by hand.
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For today’s highly connected retail shopper, having access to the same range of information they experience online is more and more expected even during the brick and mortar shopping experience. Smartphones may provide simple product lookups and pricing but more store functions can be easily expanded on with the right in-store technology. Just as they find in an online experience, being able to search product data and previous purchase history is another way to further empower customer satisfaction.

Whether it’s pulling up more detailed product information, stock levels and locations, or being able to access a gift registry and coupons/promotional items, customers desire to have access to your retail store both physically and electronically.

Expanding the customer experience really comes down to providing the right tools to your customers. Zebra’s line of Interactive Kiosks and robust Wireless LAN are the perfect additions  to any retail environment to provide customers the ability get product information or find an associate at the exact moment they want one.
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When choosing a mobile computer or barcode scanner, one of the last things on anybody’s mind is what kind of battery I should buy with my device. Even worse, sellers fail to explain how the battery alone can save a company on time, money and productivity.

Research shows that companies lose at least 20 minutes of productivity every time a battery is changed mid-shift. Here’s an example of what device downtime can cost:

• 500 devices in operation
• 500 devices x 1 battery failure each = 500 mid-shift failures per day
• 500 mid-shift failures x 20 minutes each = 167 hours lost each day
• 167 hours/day x $9.00/hour = $1,503.00 per day
• $1,503.00 x 360 days = $541,080 PER YEAR in lost productivity

Don’t take chances with your batteries – IPT Productivity+ Series batteries run 15% – 20% longer and guarantee 100% compatibility with OEM devices including Symbol, Zebra, Motorola, Honeywell, Intermec, LXE, Datamax-O’Neil and Vocollect.

The ability to remotely manage a fleet of printers and their operations is a must have for many businesses. Printronix offers the PrintNet Enterprise solution to its customers free of charge with the purchase of a Printronix thermal printer.

PrintNet allows an entire fleet of printers to be configured to the exact specification for the most effective and efficient printing in the following ways:

• Organize, regulate and manage Printronix printers from a central location via LAN/WAN connectivity
• React to printer issues quickly with alerts sent to a specified email address or mobile device
• Apply remote front-panel lockout to specified printers which will eliminate unapproved users from making changes to the printers configuration
• Remotely set printer configurations, install firmware updates, and resource files to multiple printers all at one time

The capability to access any single printer or multiple printers remotely is a value added feature provided free of charge with Printronix thermal printers. Contact your knowledgeable Barcodes, Inc. sales representative for more information on how PrintNet can help manage your network of Printronix Printers.

Most ID card printer manufacturers have their own software. Datacard’s TruCredential, Zebra’s ZMotif CardStudio, and Fargo’s Asure ID have various versions and levels of sophistication. All have general design capabilities, and then advance to allow for additional benefits including but not limited to centralized databases, visitor management, and network capabilities.  But are the various software choices only compatible with the same brand of printers? The answer is no.  The software mentioned above are compatible across brands. Your choice should depend on ease of use and features set.  Datacard’s new TruCredential has an extremely easy user-interface and allows you to design process flows for your typical ID needs.  The software, recently released, offers the best of multiple Datacard software (ID Works and TruPhoto).

Always feel free to consult an ID professional with any questions on what is the best software for you.

When deciding on an ID card printer purchase, a typical question is whether you intend to print on one side or both sides. Many sellers fail to dig deeper into the problem and ask if you intend to print color on one or both sides of the card.

If you intend to print color on one side and black on the back, all dual sided printers can offer a ribbon to accomplish that.  For example, the Datacard SD360 allows for printing on both sides and the standard ribbon is the YMCKT-KT. However, this choice of printer and ribbon doesn’t solve the need for full color on both sides of the card. If you know that dual sided color printing is the only way you intend to print, a single sided printer (Datacard SD260) with a full color ribbon (YMCKT), where you put the card through the printing process twice is your best bet. The process uses twice as much ribbon as a standard print, but does save you the cost of a dual sided printer.

Until a dual sided color printer becomes available, your best bet is to use a full color ribbon and run the card through the printing process twice.  Always feel free to contact one of our ID professionals with any questions on what is the best printer and ribbon combination for you.

1. Solutions for Every Scenario

You can’t afford not to implement solutions for your warehouse challenges. Whatever the particular challenge is at your nationwide fulfillment centers, your 1 million square foot warehouse, your 24/7 distribution center, or your manufacturing plant, mobile power solutions are available to:

• Streamline your processes
• Help your employees accomplish the most each shift
• Ensure exceptional, on-time customer service

No matter what your facility’s particular needs may be, there are viable solutions available via the implementation of customized power workstations. Whether your particular situation is similar to those Newcastle Systems customers experienced, or it’s a one-of-a-kind challenge, there is an affordable, doable, and easy solution.

The following scenarios depict companies which are ‘stuck’ or are growing, and the solutions they’ve implemented:
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In today’s market place 69% of restaurant operators are say mobility is the biggest reason for their point of sale upgrades. Don’t be left behind. Elo solutions offers the Elo Tablet  for all your mobility needs. Decreasing customer wait time and increasing speed of service are just a couple of advantages with going mobile. There are many accessories from extra batteries and stands and wall mount capabilities. The Elo tablet is a windows based tablet that can operate almost any POS Software.

The Elo Tablet is designed to help retailers enhance their customer experience and drive sales efficiency through a point-of-service (POS) and point-of-information (POI) platform that is portable, intuitive, reliable and secure. Millions of real-life retail installations all over the world have helped Elo develop unique insight for this next generation of our touch computing innovation.

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