Zebra barcode printer right to identify your specific need
In today’s business environment, barcode technology is incredibly important. Just about every type of business implements barcode technology successfully. With the growth in barcode use comes the growth in demand for the barcode printer. Before I dive any deeper into the world of Zebra barcode printer, let’s first describe what a barcode is.
A barcode is a symbol which carries information about the object or person to which it is attached. A barcode can be one dimensional or two dimensional. It can be read by special optical scanners, or barcode readers, desktop printers, and smart phones. Barcode printing uses different combinations of bars and spaces to encode data into barcodes that are printed on labels or cards.
A barcode’s overall scan-ability depends on its print quality. There are four different types of barcode printers: DotMatrix, Inkjet, Laser, and Thermal. The thermal barcode printer is by far the most efficient, and as such, is the most widely used type of barcode printer on the market today.
Direct Thermal Printer
A direct thermal printer creates images directly on treated labels or tags. Ink, toner, and ribbon are not necessary when using a direct thermal printer. Instead, it uses a chemically-treated, heat sensitive barcode label that blackens when it passes under the thermal print head of the printer. Since the direct thermal printer does not need ink, toner, or ribbon, it is an inexpensive option.
Thermal Transfer Printer
A thermal transfer printer uses a ribbon and a print head to produce accurate, high-quality barcode images. It uses heat to transfer ink from the ribbon to the label or tag to form images. A thermal transfer printer can print on a wide variety of media, from paper to polyester.
If you are in search of a barcode printer, you should consider a refurbished Zebra barcode printer. Refurbished printers are an excellent choice for several reasons: they perform just like new but at a much more budget-friendly price, they are environmentally friendly as they give life back to old printers and keep them out of landfills, and they have been recently tested and have received any and all necessary maintenance.
Refurbished printers will also come with a warranty of some kind, so you don’t have to worry about what to do if something happens to go wrong with them. Like most products, you should do your research and make sure you are purchasing your refurbished server from a reputable company, and an easy way to tell if a company is reputable or not is if it offers warranties for its refurbished products. A reputable company will always offer some kind of warranty for a refurbished product. Keep that in mind during your search.
This printer comes with either a 203 or 300 dpi print head and has various memory options. The nice thing about this printer is the price and its ability to get the job done in a semi industrial environment. Remember, this is an S series printer and is mainly used in manufacturing, logistics, transportation, ticketing, healthcare, postal offices, and government work environments. It matches up pretty close with the old Stripe.
There are now many other brands in the market including the Sato CL408 series that give this printer a run for the money. This is an affordable solution for many labeling requirements using thermal transfer barcode capabilities. This is a very reliable and durable barcode printer but it is limited in the number of options available in distribution.
The next category of Zebra barcode printer is there light industrial, commercial printer. That is where the S4M printer fits. The next generation in the legacy Stripe Series, the S4M is an easy to use metal printer that offers an outstanding value for many applications. Other printers in this category are known for its metal enclosure and support for multi-language printing that makes this the choice for versatile, high-speed printing in any type of business.
The combines ease of use with enhanced productivity and a rich set of options, in a 6-inch wide format. Last is the 105SL with a durable and reliable metal construction, for experienced users that need a rugged printer for common industrial applications. These barcode printers are made for light to medium use in industrial and commercial environments.