Barcode Equipment and Labeling Solutions

Tips and Reviews Covering Barcode Scanners, Printers, Labels and Equipment

Zebra Labels Price Increase

August 3, 2010 – 9:24 am

As many already know, the pressures on price in this industry have been very strong. From time to time we receive letters from our suppliers outlining exactly what those pressures are. Below is an overview of a letter Zebra Technologies sent out that is very informative and can answer a lot of questions about why pricing may be increasing in certain categories. Here is that letter:

Our industry continues to face raw material price inflation. While the US economy has improved, new capacity to match the increased demand has not kept pace, creating shortages of key ingredients that go into adhesives and film resins. There have also been global events which have created additional shortages of the components that go into paper liner and facestocks. Here is a more detailed look at what is driving the raw material increases:zebra

Paper and Pulp Cost Increases

  • Paper and Pulp has increased by 57% in the past year to a record high of over $1000/ton for NBSK due to increased demand and declining supply

                -Chilean earthquake in February 2010 took 8% of the world’s pulp capacity offline for several months
                -Labor strikes in Europe taking additional capacity offline
                -Increased global demand for China
                -Decline in North American paper capacity (2008-2009)

  • Platinum costs up 17% YTD, Silicon metal up 30% YTD – these are key ingredients in making silicone release liners
  • Continuing impact of elimination of “black liquor” tax credits

Films and Adhesives Cost Increases

  • Propylene monomer (a key component in adhesives) up 33% YTD
  • Strong global demand putting adhesive components on allocation from key chemical suppliers BASF, Dow, etc.
  • Polyester film shortage expected with the shutdown of DuPont’s Florence facility

Due to these cost increases, Zebra will increase pricing on most Zip Ship catalog items 4-6% on August 2, 2010. New costs on custom media quotes will be phased in as they take effect in June and July.

With adhesive and film shortages on the horizon, Zebra has aligned with suppliers who can support our customer’s requirements for the long term. We have also made investments in turrets and magnetic die cylinders to increase operational efficiency, to offset some of the raw material price increases.

This letter provides a great overview of the influences on price in the industry. I hope it sheds some light on the some of the issues facing our industry today.

By John Barth | Posted in Barcode Label Information | Comments (0)

Thermal Transfer Barcode Labels?

May 10, 2010 – 2:08 pm

We do a lot of employee training to develop our employees with the right skills to answer any customer call. Below is a caption of a new employee experience with our training and roll play customer preparing them for the job. The following is the employees experience:

One word or phrase can turn a days worth of work into a very valuable learning experience.  In the label industry, as I am sure in any other industry the use of numbers or alpha letters in part numbers can lead to a very crucial mistake.

This is my experience from today.  It started with my roll play customer calling saying that the product inside the case was wrong, but the part number on the outside of the case was correct.  Well something like this can end badly with losing a customer that has been with us since 2005.  Although in today’s world losing one customer can mean the difference to everyone’s bottom line. 

This customer called saying that he received the wrong product in the case, The customer claimed they could not print on the labels at all. This led me to asking a list of questions. One of the questions; “What did the label do when it was exposed to an open flame that touched its surface?” Direct Thermal will turn black where the flame touches the label. Unlike “Thermal Transfer labels” which will not react to heat.  This is because direct thermal is a heat sensitive label and the printer head will burn the image onto the label.  Whereas thermal transfer uses ribbons and the ribbons can come in a variety of colors.  So back to the story, I had asked the gentleman what he needed and he said thermal transfer which has the part number 4060DD1T10. What does the product do when a flame is touched to the label?  He told me that it turns black. This indicates it is a direct thermal label clarifying the customer did receive the wrong item, and that part number is 4060DD1D10.  So naturally I call my warehouse and make a big stink and tell them that they mis-marked a case of labels and that I want all of our inventory checked.  So now there are a bunch of questions the warehouse is asking me.  You see if you have a thermal transfer printer you can use a direct thermal label.  Well I didn’t know that.  The warehouse person recommended the customer keep the case and the labels should work fine with or without a ribbon.  So finally we had to call the virtual customer back.  After further research and a couple more questions this customer ordered the thermal transfer, but, needed to get the direct thermal.  After another important questions “Like does your printer use ribbon or not?” and how about researching their past orders.  Which, at that point after reviewing the past numbers I would have noticed that one little letter can change everything. 

There were a number of lessons learned in this customer roll play experience. Do you research on the customers past orders, always ask for the exact model of the printer, ask if ribbon is used in the printer, and at last resort, if the label type is not know, use the lighter test. After this experience, our roll play customer had a great educational experience, and our new employee learned a lot about troubleshooting label issues.

By John Barth | Posted in Barcode Label Information | Comments (1)

Inventory Control Software

April 28, 2010 – 3:37 pm

Have you ever wanted an easy way to barcode and keep track of inventory without a huge cost? There are many ways to get and inventory system and integrate it with your ERP system allowing for real time inventory tracking and picking. These robust systems allow for reports that provide “reorder points”, “cycle counts”, and “empty location” reports. But what if you don’t need all of this?

Well, we have a very basic solution for anyone that just wants to barcode their items and scan them into a basic spreadsheet. The formula is simple. One of the most user friendly solutions is found with Code Corps CR3500 scanner. This scanner is a very compact unit that can fit in your shirt pocket. It also has a powerful data management capability that can use JavaScript. This allows the unit to be programmed very easily directly for your specific need without paying a lot for custom software.Low-cost-inventory-control-software

So, if we look at how to pull off a simple solution to scan and record inventory on a spreadsheet, the steps with this scanner are as follows. Just download the free Code Reader file updater, than run it on your PC. With this software, you can program different prefix and suffix codes allowing you to automatically add a quantity in front of behind the item you scan. You can also program the scanner to add the enter key so once you scan a barcode, it will automatically go to the next row of the spreadsheet so it is ready for the next scan.

Once the user has scanned all the items to be entered into inventory, the scanner can be set to open your spreadsheet program and download all the data into a new worksheet. Now, how is that for fast and easy inventory tracking?

This may not be enough for a lot of users. In that case, there are some very robust inventory control packages that range from hundreds of dollars, to many thousands of dollars. So, if working with just a spreadsheet is not enough for you, then let’s look at the next step up.

There is a very reasonably priced off the shelf inventory management software package by Redbeam which stands can run on Windows XP, Server 2003 and Vista. This software runs on a robust SQL Database, easy to use, provides reporting with scope and sort capabilies, allows the printing of barcode labels, and allows you to import data from tab delimited sheets.

The really cool part about this software is that you can run reorder review reports, purchase history reports and other data that is critical in managing inventory and the cost is really reasonable. Here are some benefits of using this Redbeam package:

Benefits
RedBeam Inventory Tracking software is designed to:
• Speed Up Inventory Movements
• Improve Accuracy
• Locate Inventory Easily
• Track Item Movements
• Optimize Purchasing
• Reduce Inventory Levels
• Minimize Out of Stock Situations
• Increase Accountability
• Reduce Shrinkage
• Minimize Paper Work
• Create One Central Inventory Database

This is a great solution and can be put together in your organization for under a thousand dollars. If you require a system that in totally integrated with your ERP system, there are programs and we can scope out the requirement upon request.

So, if it is inventory management you are after and on a budget, there are some great options to meet your needs. Just determine what exactly is required and either chose a standard data collection devise that will download to a spreadsheet, an off the shelf inventory control software package, or a custom integration. These are the three labels of complexity and performance that can be used to meet your requirements.

By John Barth | Posted in Barcode Software Ideas | Comments (0)

Just in – 29 of the 25-58921-01 Symbol Cable Assemblies

April 6, 2010 – 4:38 pm

We have a overstock situation on the Symbol now Motorola 25-58921-01 cable assembly with a 9-pin female to synapse adapter connection, and a 6′ straight cable. We must move these and thought we would give our loyal blog readers the first opportunity for this increadable deal. Normally these sell for $25.00 and we are now listing them at $15.79 for a limited time. So if you are an IT Director, Communications Manager, Operations Manager or any other type of user of Symbol/Motorola equipment, then this is the deal for you. Buy one or all.25-58921-01 cable

These comunication cables are not ROHS compliant. They are the older version. They are brand new and in the original bag. This was a find in our warehouse as we performed inventory. The box was tucked away until now.

Perfect for the MiniScan series MS 3207.

By John Barth | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Latest Barcode Scanners, New Barcode Equipment | Comments (0)

Fast and On Demand LX900 Color Label Printer

March 3, 2010 – 5:35 pm

Better and faster then ever. The new LX900 printer by Primera is the fastest and most economical to operate in the industry today. By utilizing the latest in high resolution inkjet technology this printer produces brilliant, colorful labels for your products, and any other packaging needs. Now with individual cartridges for each color of ink, you are not throwing away good ink when a color runs out.Primera-color-label-printer

Customers had issues with the older model because it was slow and used one cartridge for black and one cartridge for color. If cyan ran out but there was plenty of yellow, the entire cartridge had to be changed wasting any other colors left.

With this change, evidence is there that Primera really listens to the customer. The all new printing technology called Imaging Perfection™  delivers razor sharp text, graphics and the most photo realistic printing possible. The color droplet size is just 4 pl and black is 5.5 pl which is the smallest available on any industial grade color label printer. Resolutions are up to 4800 dpi where the other brands are 1200.

So, what is the real speed of this printer? Well, in draft mode for a full color label, it is 4.5 inches per second. Okay, we do know that draft mode is much different then actually printing normal quality in normal mode. To get that great quality in normal mode for your full color labels, this printer prints up to almost a full 2 inches per second. Not bad.

Primera ink cartridgeWith 4 separate ink cartridges, you have the ability to print at least 16.7 million colors, and that should cover the color range for most.

So what are most people using this printer for? Well, short run specialty products are a real niche. Proofing before going to press on longer runs, full color box end labels with all of the required bar codes, test marketing labels, contract manufacturing, private label goods, and promotional labels are just to name a few.

There are also many different inkjet qualified label and tag materials to use in this printer. White and clear polyester and white BOPP are highly water, tear, smudge and scratch resistant. There are also economical water resistant paper labels available in a high gloss, matte, or semi gloss finish. Custom sizes are also available. So get busy thinking about all the applications you can put this printer into service for. Here are a few ideas:

Baked Goods
Candles
Candy and Confectionary
Cleaning Supplies
Chemicals
Coffee and Tea
Cosmetics
Desserts, Pies and Cakes
Gifts and Gift BasketsPrimera color labels
Gourmet and Specialty Foods
Honey
Jams, Jellies and Preserves
Juices and Ciders
Nuts
Oils (essential and olive)
Organic and Natural Foods
Personal Care Products
Pet Foods
Produce
Sauces and Salsas
School Stickers
Soaps and Shampoos
Spices and Herbs
Syrups
Vitamins, Supplements and Nutriceuticals
Water Bottles
Wine, Beer and Spirits

Be sure to add your ideas in the comments below.

By John Barth | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Bath & Body Labels, Custom Labels, Food Labels, Fun Labels, New Barcode Equipment | Comments (1)

The Future of RFID

January 12, 2010 – 12:05 pm

The future of RFID

In recent years, RFID technology has boomed around the world, and even during harsh recession times, the RFID industry has remained strong. In fact, the RFID industry has been so resilient during the recession that it has in fact grown stronger while most industries have fallen prey to harsh economic times.

In 2009 alone, the RFID market grew to $5.5 billion, having almost tripled in the last five years. Largely based on government, military, identity card, financial card, passport and other projects/contracts, and legally mandated requirements such as animal tagging, this market is recession proof, and continuing to grow rapidly.

RFID technology is fairly simple, as well as cost efficient. With relatively inexpensive components, RFID based solutions are affordable and efficient, and can offer innovative solutions to common workplace problems.

The reason the RFID market has remained so strong during these trying times is fairly simple; RFID technology allows companies in many industries to cut costs and save money. So when the world began to sink into a recession, many companies began to look for RFID based solutions to cut down costs, and boost efficiency.

Currently the United States has more active RFID projects than any other country in the world, with the UK and China making up the top 3 countries that currently employ RFID projects or technologies, or have planned to do so.

RFID tags have been used in many industries, from construction, shipping, airlines, manufacturing and many more. I believe it is safe to say the RFID tag use will only continue to grow and prosper in coming years, as newer RFID technologies have continued to open the doors to new possibilities.

If your company is currently using manual inventory, or could benefit from an automated inventory management, an RFID system could be a great addition to your current methods.

Whether you currently use RFID technology or not, in coming years there will only be more. RFID tags have already become a commonplace in some industries, and will continue to prosper as companies look to cut costs. Be sure to stay updated on the newest upcoming RFID technologies here at Adazon!

By Tommy Schweller | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Barcode Industry, Barcode Label Information, Barcode Software Ideas, New Barcode Equipment | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Click-n-Ship Labels

January 5, 2010 – 2:55 pm

Click-n-Ship Labels

There are tons of reasons why you should print your own shipping labels from home, whether you use Ebay to sell old household items, or even if you’re just mailing holiday packages across the country, making your own shipping labels in house saves time and money.

You know those long lines at the Post Office, especially around holiday season? Well if you print your own shipping labels, you can skip that line for now and forever. With the help of simple click-n-ship labels, you can now weigh, label and ship all of your goods  right from your house. You can even schedule a USPS mailman to pick up your packages in advance!

Printing your own shipping labels is easy, and with the right tools its can be a lifesaver. Many customers have commented on how cheap Adazon’s shipping labels are. Adazon has the highest quality and lowest price on all shipping labels, whether its by the pack (250 sheets) or by the case (1,000 sheets) Adazon has it all.

Do you already print your own shipping labels? Well this article still can save you time and money! Most companies that allow you to print your own shipping labels charge monthly fees, or expensive software fees. Many other label producers often charge ridiculous amounts for their shipping labels too.

If you would like to begin printing your own shipping labels, or if you would like to start saving money on the shipping labels you already print, make Adazon your next choice. Adazon has the best pricing, quality and customer service that can’t be beat.

By Tommy Schweller | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Barcode Industry, Barcode Label Information, Barcode Software Ideas, How to Information | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

RFID Enabled Cabinets Can Save Time and Money

January 4, 2010 – 1:09 pm

RFID Enabled Cabinets Can Save Time and Money

As part on an ongoing project to cut down on supply costs, Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Ga has begun to implement their new WaveMark RFID Asset tracking system. This tracking system, consists of 18 RFID-enabled cabinets, as well as an interrogator in each room with a cabinet.

The idea behind the system is simple; by using real time inventory alerts and updates from RFID Chips, the hospital hopes to begin purchasing its supplies in bulk quantity, in attempt to cut down on costs. Currently using the manual inventory system that was previously in place, most supplies had to be purchased in small quantities, driving individual supply costs up.

The RFID real time tracking solution has helped ease many of the hospitals everyday tasks that would otherwise have to be done by busy staff members. By eliminating the need for a staff member to manually take inventory, the hospital can now save time and money by easily checking inventory on a real-time computer.

With many important supplies needed for surgeries and operations, it was imperative that the inventory tracking system be reliable and accurate. Another great benefit of the real-time inventory is the ease of ordering supplies before they run out. With up-to-date inventory, predicting when items should be needed will also be easier.

WaveMark has currently installed RFID-enabled cabinets in the hospital which includes five in the catheterization lab and eight in individual procedure rooms. Each cabinet contains a 13.56 MHz reader compliant with the industry standards, as well as an antenna on each shelf. Every room in which the cabinets are installed also has a separate RFID interrogator (allowing employees to sign out a product, and record the procedure and patient for which it will be used) connected to a computer and touch screen. The hospital also has an RFID-enabled tagging station, to link RFID numbers with individual products when they are received or used.

When an employee needs an item from a cabinet, s/he walks to the separate reader stationed in the room, inputs data identifying the employee, along with the patient who will use that product, and then reads the item label’s ID number. The worker can then view a dashboard indicating which items are currently in storage on each shelf. If an object is removed, the cabinet’s interrogator is no longer able to longer read its unique ID number, and the system updates that item’s status as having been used by a specific patient. If a staff member fails to enter data identifying herself or the patient, and if the item is simply removed from the room, an alert is sent by the WaveMark reader to the back-end server, so that the appropriate employees can be notified by text or e-mail. The dashboard then displays the item as missing. On the other hand, if the product that has been checked out for use with a patient is returned to the shelf, the system updates that information, indicating it has not been used and is again available for use with another patient.

This is another great example of how RFID chip technology can help your company save time and money via asset tracking. RFID technology use has been increasing steadily in recent years, and has proven to be one of the most effective asset tracking methods. If you’re looking to cut costs, keep a real-time inventory, save valuable employee working time, then it is time to look into an RFID solution for your inventory tracking needs.

By Tommy Schweller | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Barcode Industry, Barcode Label Information, Barcode Scanners, Barcode Software Ideas, How to Information | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Holiday Shipping Labels

December 24, 2009 – 9:25 am

Holiday Shipping Labels

It’s that time of the year again, with Christmas and other holidays around the corner you might find yourself going crazy running to the post office to mail all of your holiday gifts and cards. Looking for a better way to send all of those cards, gifts and holiday cheer? Adazon click-n-ship labels offer a time and money saving solution for all of your holiday shipping needs.

With Adazons click-n-ship labels, you can print your own shipping labels and stamps from your own printer, ending those trips to the post office. All you need to print your own shipping labels are, an Inkjet/Laser printer, and your choice of sizes of Adazon’s shipping labels.

At Adazon we are able to offer the lowest prices available on your shipping labels, stop overpaying from Stamps.com or other competitors that charge up to 75% more! Holidays are already a time of generous spending and giving, why pay more than you already have to?

By printing your own shipping labels, you can prepare all of your packages to be picked up by your mail carrier of choice, as well as time. Printing your own shipping labels isn’t a difficult task either. Simply add the shipping labels to your printer’s paper tray, enter the shipping information on your shipping program, click, print, ship and you’re done!

Add some extra cheer to your holiday gifts and packages with Adazons holiday labels as well! Adazon is offering discounted holiday labels for a short time to help you save even more! Our personalized custom holiday labels go great on any gift or package that you send this season.

So before you get in the car and make that trip to the post office again, consider all the time and money you could save from printing your own shipping labels from home. Adazon always offers direct manufacturer pricing as well as same day shipping. Call the experts at Adazon for all of your label needs today!

By Tommy Schweller | Posted in Barcode Industry, Barcode Label Information, Custom Labels, Fun Labels, How to Information, Laser Printer Labels | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

RFID Tags Help Dress You

December 22, 2009 – 10:22 am

RFID Tags Help Dress You

For those who view shopping as a daunting task, picking out your clothes might just get a little easier, thanks to RFID Tags. Students at Carnegie Mellon University have invented the Smart.Mirror, a device designed to help give you fashion ideas or tips while in the dressing room.

The Smart.Mirror uses the RFID Tags already located in most clothing stores by scanning the tags as you enter the dressing room. Once the tags have been scanned, the Smart.Mirror knows what clothes you are wearing or trying on, and attempts to offer advice to the best of it’s ability on what other clothing might look well in addition, or what else is fashionable currently.

How does the Smart.Mirror work? Once all of the RFID tags in the clothes you brought have been scanned into the Smart.Mirror system, a touch screen display allows you to view your fashion options, which will be generated by a program.

With fashion constantly changing, the Smart.Mirror could be a great tool for sales in the future too, with the ability to suggest fashionable clothing items to customers. The Smart.Mirror has the ability to stay up to date and in tune with “what’s cool and what’s not” when it comes to fashion.

The Smart.Mirror will not replace in anyway the average store clerk. Instead, the Smart.Mirror will complement the clerk. Costing roughly $1,000 per year, the technology in the Smart.Mirror is affordable. This is in part due to the low cost and affordability of RFID tags and other RFID equipment.

Although currently there is only one prototype Smart.Mirror, already the results are positive and feedback has been positive and strong. If the pilot program continues with similar results, don’t be surprised if next time your in a dressing room, the room offers you ideas on what to wear.

By Tommy Schweller | Posted in Barcode Equipment Ideas, Barcode Industry, Barcode Software Ideas, Custom Labels, How to Information, New Barcode Equipment | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)