| Bar codes improve data management significantly, and | | | | smaller labels. The adhesive on the labels has to be |
| almost every business is using very advanced | | | | good enough to take the heat and pressure from the |
| versions of this technology today. Bar codes speed up | | | | printer as most label adhesive tend to melt. Thermal |
| data collection considerably by storing significant | | | | printers for bar coding are of two types: direct printing |
| amounts of data digitally in small black lines that can be | | | | and thermal transfer. |
| easily machine-read. Better printing technology, label | | | | Bar code printers have to be analyzed on the basis of: |
| materials, scanning systems and wireless | | | | quality of the print, readability, initial installation cost, |
| communication systems have made bar codes even | | | | speed, long-term maintenance cost, materials waste. |
| more indispensable. | | | | Each of these printers has different results. Thermal |
| Bar code label printers are generally the most | | | | label printers score well on all aspects except for |
| common dot matrix, laser, and ink jet and thermal | | | | material waste. They are most suitable for applications |
| printers. Dot matrix printers are one of the oldest | | | | that have variable data fields, point-of application |
| printers used for printing bar codes. In these printers, | | | | systems, varying label sizes, graphical and scalable |
| the lines are built dot-by-dot as a solenoid-driven | | | | text fonts, and high-definition bar codes. They are also |
| needle strikes an ink ribbon, transferring the ink to the | | | | compact, quiet, and have lower operating costs. |
| paper. These printers are inexpensive, can print any | | | | Today, there are special bar code label printers |
| form and are easily accessible. However, the quality | | | | available with various options like different print modes, |
| dot matrix printer is unacceptable today. Ink jet printers | | | | label cutter, liner take-up, peel, rewind, tear, real-time |
| are one of the most commonly used printers, | | | | clock (for printing time and expiration dates); alerts for |
| especially for high-speed applications. They can also | | | | maintenance; portability, compatibility with parallel; serial, |
| be used to print directly onto a carton where a label | | | | USB, wired or wireless Ethernet, twinax or coax |
| has already been affixed. | | | | cables; memory for storing frequently used data; font |
| However, they are suitable for only high-speed printing | | | | options like styles and colors; multi-lingual options; |
| and may not be very cost-effective for small-scale | | | | sensors and many more. These printers are also |
| bar code printing operations. Ink jet clogging, limited | | | | compatible with different sizes and materials of labels, |
| barcode resolution, "bleeding" ink, and poor contrasts | | | | including water-resistant, fabric or acrylic. |
| are some of the disadvantages. Laser printers are | | | | Prices of bar code label printers start at $300 for a |
| quite good as far as the quality of the print is | | | | basic printer and may go beyond $3000 for one with |
| concerned. They have very good resolutions and can | | | | all the works. Most of them come with all the required |
| scan quite well. However, they cannot effectively print | | | | software and tools. |