Barcoding News
Data tracking news, product updates, tips, and more
Socket Mobile Announces Barcode Scanner Compatibility with Apple iOS 7
Socket has announced that their Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7 and Series 8 barcode scanners are both compatible with Apple iOS 7. The products’ seamless compatibility with the latest Apple devices underlies Socket’s commitment to supporting the latest smartphones and tablets used by businesses for retail point of sale, field sales and service, and other mobile applications.
As a member of the Apple Developer Program, Socket obtained a beta version of iOS 7 to successfully confirm compatibility with both the CHS barcode scanners and the SocketScan 10 Software Development Kit (SDK), which enables developers to embed support for both the CHS Series 7 and Series 8 into their applications. All current models of both the Series 7 and Series 8 are Apple MFi certified to support two-way communications with Apple iOS devices.
Applications compiled with the SocketScan 10 SDK will work with iOS 7. The SDK is available to members of the Socket Mobile Developer Program.
Datalogic’s Memor Enhances Productivity at Stadt-Parfümerie Pieper
Overview
One is met with attractive scents upon entering the shop. The colorful shelves full of bright and beautiful packages invite the customer to take a look around. The wonderful fragrances, creams and cosmetics found throughout the shop add that extra touch to make any occasion special. Stadt-Parfümerie Pieper (Pieper Perfume Shops) emanates everything that exemplifies beauty and well-being. It is the largest family-owned retail perfume and cosmetics company in Germany with one hundred and twenty shops spread out across the country. It offers all the top international brands of cosmetics, fragrances, skin care and make-up products.
The Challenge
The extensive range of products pleases the customer’s eye, but when it’s time for inventory, the many small packages found in the perfume shops can pose a daunting challenge. Stadt-Parfümerie Pieper wanted to automate its time-consuming and error-prone manual inventory procedure to assure accuracy. A variety of factors were taken into consideration: which hardware is right for us? To what point can the software be personalized? What kind of solution do we need regarding existing workflows?
Understanding Epson Endorsement, Slip, and Validation Printing
As a long standing POS printer manufacturer, Epson has provided some of the most capable and flexible printers in the market. The most common need at the POS for printing is usually a basic customer receipt, but handling things like checks, deposit slips, prescriptions, and returns will require a multi-functional printer like the TM-H600iv. These types of printers have multiple means to print on externally feed documents making them the perfect all-in-one solution for financial institutions, pharmacies, and general retail applications.
Understanding the differences between the 3 types of printing (Endorsement, Slip, and Validation) can be confusing at first but we’ve broken it down in these simple definitions and included diagram.
Motorola LI2208 : The Next Generation 1D Scanner
Building on the long standing popular design of the LS2208 series, the new LI2208 brings more features and greater reliability to your daily operations. With a new linear imager vs the previous laser scan engine, the LI2208 reads any 1D barcode be it on paper, a mobile phone screen, or even high density codes.
The LI2208 is a cost effective solution to increase productivity and effectiveness in any scanning application while expanding the possible implementations of barcodes in your business.
Intermec Introduces Their New 2″ Industrial Printer – PM23c
Intermec has announced the PM23c, a new 2″ mid-range industrial printing solution and an extension of Intermec’s PM43 and PM43c printer platform. The PM23c is an all-metal barcode label printer primed for mission critical markets and applications such as airline passenger services, manufacturing, and retail, including product labeling and food traceability, where maximizing productivity drives results.
The PM23c offers all of the same advanced capability of the PM43 and PM43c, and is one of the industry’s best communicating printers with a full color touch-screen featuring 10 languages or an easy-to-use universal icon User Interface. This family of printers also offers a multi-lingual intuitive web-based device management interface, and WiFi- and CCX-Certifications. Also, with optional Bluetooth connectivity, the printer offers a leading range of industry standard and supported wireless connectivity choices.
Epson Introduces The ColorWorks C831 On-Demand Color Label Printing Solution
From the chemical market to the food and beverage sector, manufacturers rely on labeling solutions to enhance brand image, support product safety, comply with regulations and manage supply chain logistics. To help manufacturers that produce a high number of SKU’s manage the chaos associated with different label varieties and meet new regulatory labeling standards, Epson has developed its ColorWorks Label Printer technology including the Colorworks C831 label printer.
Epson’s latest innovation offers improved image quality and production speeds. The new technology helps reduce total labeling costs by up to 50 percent for a wide range of packaging and manufacturing applications.
The  ColorWorks C831 Wide Label Printer was designed especially to help chemical manufacturers and transporters comply with Globally Harmonized System (GHS) labeling standards. GHS provides a universal system for communicating physical, environmental and health hazard information. The first critical deadline is December 1, 2013, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all employees be trained on new GHS labeling elements and Safety Data Sheet formats.
Printronix RFID: Prevent Compliance Fines with Online Data Validation
Printronix has built a reputation for building top-of-the-line line matrix and thermal barcode printers and is doing the same with their superb line of RFID printers which are becoming some of the top devices in the RFID industry.
What makes the Printronix RFID printers, the SL5000r and SL4M, Â unique is their ability to incorporate Online Data Validation (ODV) to their RFID printing solution. ODV technology ensures that all barcodes being printed are meeting the most stringent standards set by vendors such as Walmart and the Department of Defense. Maintaining compliance prevents hefty fines that can range up to $20 per box plus the cost to rework, pack and ship the corrected boxes. Thus, a return on investment for a Printronix RFID printer can be achieved on as a little as one poorly labeled shipment.
To learn more about the Printronix RFID printer or how ODV works, please contact one of our Barcodes Inc RFID experts.
TSC Expands Portable Printer Line with the New Alpha-4L
TSC has expanded its new Alpha series of portable printers with the recent introduction of the Alpha-4L, a new portable four-inch-wide-format label printer designed for the manufacturing, transportation/logistics, and retail industries.
Higher performance at its class
The Alpha-4L’s performance-enhancing features include a 5800 mAh large-capacity battery for extended operation, expanded memory to accommodate advanced applications and future firmware enhancements, reliable Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n wireless communications and a large paper capacity
67.3 mm (2.65â€) OD to reduce the frequency of changing paper rolls.
Durability
When used with its optional IP54-rated environmental case, the Alpha-4L offers protection against dust, dirt, moisture, temperature extremes and other harsh field conditions. The printer’s rubber over-mold case is designed to keep the unit working normally even after a 1.5 m (5 ft) drop. When using its environmental case, it can withstand a 1.8 m (6 ft) drop test. And with a high-capacity battery and paper roll, the Alpha-4L maximizes productivity, providing efficient service over a full day’s duty cycle.
Making Barcode Design Fun
Most of the time when we use the term ‘barcode design’ there really isn’t much design work involved outside of making sure the right data gets encoded in the right symbology. Creativity and barcode design software don’t often make it into the same sentence but it’s one area where you can really improve and have some fun with your product packaging.
Artist Steve Simpson has been making the most of UPC barcodes with some very interesting and creative takes on how a product code can be better integrated into packaging design. He even provides some tips and rules to follow to make sure the code is still readable.
RFID Printing: Now More Reliable and Affordable
It has been over 40 years since the first RFID device was patented. In its early stages, it was seen as unreliable and far too expensive to adopt over barcode technology. However, more recently companies are starting to adopt RFID technology due to its improvements in readability and cost effectiveness. With these enhancements, companies are seeing the benefits of RFID over barcodes. For example, organizations conducting inventory counts or accounting for high value assets using barcode technology must scan each barcode individually, which requires a considerable amount of time and resources. Whereas RFID readers allow for mass data capture. Additionally, RFID provides real-time, accurate data, which offers tremendous advantages in several industries.
One facet of RFID that has helped simplify the technology and lower the costs is RFID printing. Instead of investing in more costly RFID tags that are typically overkill, companies have found that RFID labels (“Smart Labels”), which are adhesive labels embedded with RFID inlays, are suitable for their requirements. Thus, organizations have the freedom to print their own RFID labels by investing in a RFID printer and RFID label software, both of which have the ability to print barcodes too.
