What it means for you is more features and functionality that lead to greater productivity, streamlined processes, and maybe even more cost savings. These new thermal barcode label printers could also help respond to other industry challenges with addressing environmental concerns as well as changing requirements and needs.

Just announced in the States at the start of April was Toshiba’s new B-EX4T2, a four-inch thermal label printer line that is built with industrial applications in mind, such as those for the retail, logistics, transport and manufacturing industries considered to be vertical markets and those that are currently seeking an expanded offering of industrial-grade thermal barcode label  printing solutions.

As part of the Toshiba Corporation family, considered to be the eighth largest electronics/electrical devices company in the world, the new series of thermal barcode label printers includes 200dpi, 300dpi, 600dpi versions which allow you to select the right print head for the job minimising your costs.

What else can it do?

Considered to be in line with all of Toshiba’s portfolio of innovative and solutions-oriented printing and document management products, there is an extensive list of significant benefits that the new thermal barcode label printer models can offer to garner a company such things as low total cost of ownership, low energy consumption, high reliability, low maintenance, flexibility and ease of use:

• 12 inches per second print speed;
• 32-bit processer with large DRMA at 32MB and 16MB of flash memory;
• A dual-ribbon motor system that eliminates ribbon wrinkling;
• A long-lasting print head that for reduced user intervention and print head replacement cost;
• Minimal user maintenance thanks to a large 600-metre ribbon;
• A U.S. ENERGY STAR qualification that guarantees that it consumes less energy in both idle and print mode as part of Toshiba’s commitment to producing more energy-efficient and environmentally-sound printing solutions;
• Flexible installation with snap-in print heads;
• Support for competition emulation in terms of graphic languages, including ZPLII® standard and seamless integration into existing environments;
• Scalable functionality that offers upgrades to RFID as it evolves as a key technology in the industrial label industry;
• Single step media and ribbon loading for ease of use; and
• A Network Printer Management Tool to monitor and control printers from a desktop.

The Toshiba B-EX4T2 Series is available now through authorized Toshiba Business Solutions locations, authorized dealers, and selected resellers in the States. We will be sure to announce when this incredible new thermal barcode label printer equipment can be offered to you through our online store. We know you are just as excited as we are to hear about this new technology offering from Toshiba and know that it will be a top seller when we can add it to our line-up of top branded barcode printers and equipment.

Steps to Follow:

To maintain safety and ensure that there are no unnecessary accidents, always start your thermal printer maintenance plan  by turning the printer off and perhaps even cutting the power to the machine as an extra precaution.

The areas you need to focus on when undertaking maintenance on a thermal printer are the following components:

• Print head
• Ribbon
• Paper spool
• Other internal components, depending upon the make and model of your thermal printer

You will most likely want to consult your user guide that came with your thermal printer or check online for a copy of it. As an alternative, you can also check with the thermal printer company that made it and get assistance from their tech support team.

The Print Head is the Priority:

The most crucial component of any thermal printer is the print head itself. The ribbon should be removed in order to get to the print head. To avoid scratching the head a pre-packed moistened isopropyl alcohol wipe will ensure no contaminants are introduced.

Do not apply too much pressure with the wipe but gently wipe it across the thermal print head in order to remove carbon build-up and dust that has collected there. A word of caution: Do not touch the ceramic substrate or thermal print head as this can put grease and other contaminates back onto the print head and reduce the life of the print head. It might be a good idea to wear latex gloves when handling this part of the maintenance of your thermal printer. Then, allow the print head to dry before replacing the ribbon.

There are varying ideas about how often the print head should be cleaned – we recommend every eight working hours for the printer but be sure to again check your manual or directly with the manufacturer to make sure you get the most life out of your print head.

Platen roller:

Remember the Printhead is completely reliant on the platen roller being in excellent condition as any cuts or gouges will dramatically affect the quality of the print even making a barcode unscannable.

Run a Test:

As you finish up your maintenance, be sure to run a test to ensure that the print quality has improved and that everything is in good working order on the thermal printer. (remember to let the head and roller dry thoroughly before trying to print or the moisture can short out the head reducing it’s life.

Not Sure? Get Professional Help!

With such a sizable investment, you do not want to run the risk of ruining the print head or doing any damage during the maintenance process on your thermal printer, so if you are unsure, it does not hurt to get professional assistance.

Why Barcode Labelling Works for the Pharmaceutical Industry

There are a number of reasons why barcode labelling and barcode printed labels work so well for the pharmaceutical industry:

• It can contain many lines of critical information that consists of both alphabetic and numeric data.
• The barcode technology provides a way to more accurately and dependably provide information and medication to the right patient with clear instructions.
• There is a higher level of security and safety attached to what a barcode system can deliver within the pharmaceutical setting.
• The ability to code supplies and medications with barcodes means that inventory management can be enhanced, lowering overall costs.

The Importance of High-Quality Barcode Systems

While it is well and fine to be able to store a lot of information on a barcode label, it is another thing entirely if the information cannot be read or if it is misread due to poor barcode print quality. You could even have the best barcode scanner on the market, but if the barcode printer you have is not high quality, it won’t matter.  And, in the world of pharmaceuticals and chemists, it is an absolute must to be able to read information correctly from a barcode label. Here is what defines a high-quality barcode label:

• Material: The paper used for the barcode labels must be thicker in grade as well as have a smooth finish so that the barcode contrast is not compromised and leads to poor readability.
• Colour: The background colour and bars must have enough of a contrast between each other so they are clearly differentiated. This means sticking primarily to black barcodes on crisp white backgrounds. Other colours can be used but it can be all the more challenging to get the right contrast on the barcode labels.
• Left and Right Light Margins: Also known as the “quiet zones,” these are the areas found before and after the barcode and must be left clear in order for the barcode scanner or barcode verifier to read it correctly.

A pharmaceutical company or chemist cannot take the risk of having a barcode that fails to scan. This could lead to the need to manually input the data, which can take time, slow service time, or, even worse, lead to costly human errors.  The impact could also damage reputations and trust as well as lead to fines—all bad results that no pharmaceutical company or chemist would ever want to experience.  That means looking for a barcode systems partner that can provide reliable, high-quality barcode software, barcode printers, and barcode technology that scans the first time, every time to achieve consistent barcode results.

You may have started to see these strange-looking barcodes on more products and in magazines of late?   They are made for smartphones so that a consumer can take a picture of the QR barcode with their phone’s camera and then be taken to the website that goes with that QR barcode to get even more information about that particular product and company.

Now, apply the idea of the QR barcode to the horticultural industry.  Nurseries often only have small tags or labels attached to their merchandise, leaving some who may not have the greenest of thumbs a bit lost on which plants they should buy or even how to care for them.  However, when nursery staff cannot be available to help these wayward gardening enthusiasts, the QR barcode can step in and offer a convenient solution for nurseries to provide valuable information. It is this barcode technology that is actually believed to be closing more sales for all types of consumer goods companies and retailers, including nurseries.

Forget how smart the smartphone is – these barcodes up the IQ quotient quite a bit. These little barcodes actually contain more than the website, which helps the smartphone figure out where to go, but they also have other information that guides the phone’s browser to the specific information that the QR barcode owner wants the visitor to access. It is an easy way to capture and engage horticultural customers and help them make smart purchases at nurseries and garden centres.  And, thanks to the ability to create two-dimensional barcodes, literally thousands of alphanumeric characters can be squeezed in.

Some of the information a horticultural company can include besides the website of their company is:

• Information on the plant, shrub, flower or tree in terms of traits and garden placement;
• Instructions on care and feeding in multiple languages;
• URL encoding;
• Whatever else you feel the customer needs to know or that will appreciate.

QR barcodes work well in the nursery and garden centres for products that are put on the merchandise displays as well as on invoices and receipts where the customer can check into more information they are seeking later on as well as consider visiting the nursery’s website to find out about what else they offer.

While QR barcodes definitely offer a cost advantage over RFID tags and can condense a lot of valuable information into a small space, customers are still trying to get accustomed to them and acceptance has varied across industries. That’s not to say that those in the horticultural industry should just stick with regular barcode labels. If they want to set themselves apart by providing all types of helpful information and show customers they want to help them, they are more likely to develop a loyal following.

Helping to increase the accuracy and timeliness of actions by healthcare staff is a range of barcode systems that offer mobility, functionality, and ease of use. From handheld barcode scanners and wireless models to barcode verifiers and barcode badge readers, the barcode industry is revolutionizing the speed and accuracy of the healthcare industry to significantly enhance patient care. Here is a rundown on all hand-held and mobile barcode devices that are now available to help healthcare providers.

Handheld Barcode Scanner:

These barcode devices provide a number of important performance features, including ergonomics, connectivity options (USB, PS/2, RS-232-Serial and Keyboard Wedge), and durability, alongside other benefits like a significant depth of field when it comes to scanning, high motion tolerance, and fast barcode reading. This means that healthcare workers spend less time trying to capture the data they need to make decisions and take action for greater productivity and accuracy and an overall reduced cost of operations.

Handheld Wireless Barcode Scanner

These devices give you the freedom to move around an area maximising your efficiency and still scan barcodes ensuring you treat the right patient.

Portable printers:

Using your portable printer (honestly it clips on your belt and prints over 500 labels on a single charge) you can link your wireless barcode scanner to print out a permanent record of the barcodes you have scanned ensuring total traceability of a workflow. The printer can also be wirelessly linked to other handheld devices such as terminals operating either Android or Windows Mobile technology. This allows the production of drug instructions on a real time basis, once again minimising are possible mistakes.

If you work in healthcare and you’d like to discuss any barcode-related solutions with one of our expert engineers, please call us now on 0845 271 0250.

Below are some of the challenges manufacturers face, followed by the range of available barcode scanning and printing solutions now available to help.

Time-Intensive Inventory Management Activities

Those within the industrial manufacturing environment understand just how time-consuming inventory management can be if it is not fully automated. Depending on the size of the operation, this task can take numerous man hours just hand-keying data, accounting for backorders or inaccurate inventory, controlling write-offs from shrinkage or loss, and dealing with operational disruptions due to having to be distracted by these manual tasks.

Benefits of Barcode Systems for Effective Inventory Management

Barcode systems offer a combination of powerful barcode software and durable, highly productive barcode hardware to cover everything related to inventory management – from backroom audits to information transfer that helps keep productivity high between the shop floor and the warehouse where supplies are stored for production. There are specific benefits that every industrial manufacturer is sure to appreciate when it comes to what a barcode system can do for their inventory tracking efforts:

• Printing on the fly: The mobile capability of many barcode systems means that barcode printing can be done on the fly to replace damaged or illegible labels within the warehouse and stock on hand. This saves time and ensures inventory is not being done incorrectly.
• Better tracking: Higher tracking capability thanks to barcode scanners and barcode labels helps to document any potential shrinkage or loss issues so that these issues can be handled immediately rather than go unnoticed for weeks or months.
• Automation: The automated ability of barcode scanners means that there are less man hours needed to conduct inventory and human errors are eliminated from the inventory process.

This type of system provides:

• Wireless networks for real-time asset tracking
• Barcode label printers for accurate information on all items,
• Mobile barcode systems and printers to quickly scan and account for all inventory
• Barcode software that integrates with inventory software to create a robust environment where information is shared, and
• Barcode labels that are built to withstand all types of harsh environments typically found in industrial manufacturing environments.

Accounting for All Types of Barcode Systems and Kits for Inventory Management

To fit different sized operations and budgets, the barcode industry has developed a wide range of solutions, including these barcode systems for inventory counting and tracking:

• There are basic barcode systems that take care of batch inventory counting and can be connected directly to a computer system to export data into files.
• Other barcode systems add reporting and tracking features.
• More advanced barcode systems for inventory control offer a robust solution to meet more complex needs, including reports that offer scope and sort capabilities, vendor purchase records, and other tracking features.

Finally, these barcode systems for inventory management are relatively low-cost, especially when considering the type of return that is gained from completely automating a system and being able to make more cost-effective decisions about supplies purchases and reorders as well as eliminate the expense of not noticing shrinkage from employee theft.

Nurse Treating Patient

The need for improved patient care, including the provision of a safe and secure environment with accurate patient and employee identification, and desire to ensure that costs are contained in the process have become the focus of the healthcare industry.

There are a number of ways that barcode applications, including barcode readers, barcode printers, and barcode software, is providing an ideal solution. Here are some of the recent advances in barcode applications that are valuable additions for today’s healthcare setting.

Quick ID, Fewer Labels, and Reduced Errors:

Barcode applications are now available that help to eliminate human error while increasing accuracy and readability with patient identification barcodes that can be applied to wristbands, medical forms, and medication labels. With the advent of barcode scanners and mobile barcode devices, healthcare professionals can quickly and positively identify patients. In addition, this system also eliminates the need to transfer patient identification labels from one form or person to another wherein the label loses its ability to adhere correctly so that mistakes are made and costs increase due to having to print more labels than is really necessary.

Beyond patient verification, this type of barcode application also assists with other healthcare activities that involve supply management, treatment management, glucometers, phlebotomy, medications and transfusions. For example, before administering medication to a patient, nurses can simply scan a patient’s barcode wristband and compare the information with that on the medication label to ensure that everything is correct, which significantly reduces the risk for human error. Another application involves barcode labels that help facilitate the growing trends toward automated document scanning and migration to electronic medical records from paper medical records.

The technology that now goes into these barcode printers offers many ways to customise the process to suit different departments or codes used within a particular hospital or medical practice, including a range of fonts, colours, graphics and even photographs as well as various sizes to accommodate different patients, including babies, children, and adults. To further facilitate the use of these barcode applications, the patient wristbands and labels can be done on demand from various workstations around a hospital or medical facility, such as a nurse’s station.

Money-Saving Opportunities:

Then, there is the fact that barcode systems, as used in creating these “smart” patient identification cards, can actually save the private healthcare organisation considerable money when it comes to billing and collections. Leveraging this barcode application creates a standardised approach that reduces paperwork and forms as well as decreases the human error often associated with this type of work. These barcode cards can be scanned and compared to information already stored in a database in the form of an electronic medical record, reducing many steps in the process that took up a lot of time not to mention wasted a lot of paper, photocopying supplies, and human labour.

Across every aspect of the healthcare organisation, it seems as though barcode readers, barcode printers, barcode software and barcode labels are providing enormous benefits for healthcare providers.

From the type of plant, flower, or greenery it is to the net contents to information on how it should be cared for, those within the green thumb industry must use a certain standard when it comes to plant pot labelling. In addition, these plant pot labels – whether they are a hang label, stake label, sticky label that is adhered to a plant pot or a label that is posted near nursery products – must also remain legible despite being placed in what are considered fairly challenging environments where cold, wind, and rain as well as other elements work against them.

Plant Pot Labelling Options:

Taking on this challenge are plant pot labelling manufacturers that have delivered a wide range of high-quality, durable, and performance-driven plant pot label solutions, using some of today’s most advanced label technology.

Here are some of the latest thermal transfer  plant pot labelling options that are helping plant growers and the nursing industry provide the information consumers need to make purchases and care for their plants and flowers:

Thermal Transfer Plant Pot Labels:

These are available in a wide variety of colours and are simply pushed into the plant pot soil for easy plant or flower identification. The thermal transfer printing process also provides a way to ensure that the information printed on the plant pot label stays in place despite inclement weather or the watering process at the nursery.

• Thermal transfer printed Signs: Nurseries also need other types of plant pot labelling, so these signs are a great way to attract attention to specific green merchandise whilst ensuring that the information stays put during all weather conditions.
• Slip-on Labels: These labels actually wrap-a-round plant pots or around a plant stem and have a secure locking system that holds them in place until they are cut off when no longer. They are ready to go straight from the printing press because these are produced with a dry printing process.

The benefits of using thermal transfer print technology is apparent in this list of measurable advantages:

• Versatile: They can be used on all types of plant pot sizes and shapes. They can also be pre-printed with a wide range of variable data.
• Durable and UV-Resistant: They will not fade if placed in the sunlight for long periods of time.
• Weatherproof: The plant pot labels can withstand all types of weather and are not affected by heat, cold, humidity, or water.
• Pressure Sensitive: These plant pot labelling systems provide convenience by sticking to or adhering onto all types of surfaces.

There are also other types of available plant pot labelling systems that include rigid, plastic labels and tags, which are ideal for writing on with a pencil or marker pen and can be used for seed trays or plant pot labelling as well as for identifying rows or blocks of vegetables and batches of plants or flowers. The advantages here is that many types of sizes and shapes – some even with angled-heads – of labels are available to suit every type of nursery offering.

We’re going to take a quick look at industry demands and trends, and then look at how barcoding can help to alleviate these pressures.

Current Trends in Industry Today: 

Here are some of the key trends and challenges facing industrial manufacturers:

• They need to stay on top of demand.
• There is a need to streamline operations to manage costs and maintain margins.
• Data inaccuracies and efficiency issues are hampering the potential of some industrial manufacturers.
• Stringent controls and regulations are leading more industrial manufacturers to rethink their processes.

How Barcode Systems Help Respond to the Trends:

At every point in the industrial manufacturing system, barcode systems have proved to be a smart answer. Here’s why:

• Barcode systems assist industrial manufacturers by helping to reduce errors and costs while providing new tracking mechanisms, greater accuracy, improved efficiency and overall enhanced productivity levels.
• Barcode labels and readers help industrial manufacturers provide ways to enhance security, reducing duplicity and counterfeiting opportunities.
• The amount of information that barcodes can hold helps an industrial manufacturer fulfil the growing amount of regulations that require specific information for each product.
• Thermal barcode systems provide the perfect solution for on-demand applications so common in the industrial manufacturing environment. These barcode label printing solutions offer durable, crisp, and flexible labelling in what can often be very harsh environments.

Within industrial manufacturing, there are niche areas where barcode systems, including barcode software, barcode label printing, and barcode reading is making a difference. Here’s how:

• Just in Time (JIT) Operations: With a greater need to reduce inventory levels so as to trim expenses and maintain margins, barcode systems are providing to be useful because it provides a mechanism for tracking products and inventory so that there is enough lead time to produce more products or alert an industrial manufacturer to the need for more supplies. Barcoding applications make sure that this is possible in real time.
• E-commerce: In providing a tracking system for purchasing, logistics, and transport of business-to-business products, the efficiency of barcode systems has provided a way to reduce the number of agents involved in the process, cutting overhead costs and ensuring accurate identification of products and of delivery locations. This is due in large part to barcodes and RFID tags.
• Global Supply Chains: As more companies expand their supply chains by shipping products to different countries around the world, there is a need to produce and print labels and information in various languages, creating more complex labelling needs than ever before. However, using multilingual printers for barcode labels provides companies with an opportunity to solve this problem without spending extra time and money on customized output labelling solutions.
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): Barcode software becomes a very valuable tool here to coordinate with the Just in Time processes to maintain an efficient workflow and reduce costs so that barcode labels are able to be printed on demand to manage warehouse supplies and effectively track and maintain all resources that the company has to maintain.

And, as trends in the industrial manufacturing environment continue to evolve, barcode systems and barcode printers will also be able to adapt and enhance their technology and solutions to meet its needs.

When it comes to manual labelling, it may seem like a no-brainer that an automatic or electric label dispenser is the best choice for your business, whatever industry you are in (from food and beverage to fast food; electronics and manufacturing to healthcare, and beyond!) However, many people do not realise just how much better it can be!  So, let’s take a closer look at the top reasons why automation in label dispensing is the way to go!

Time is Now on Your Side…Right Next to Greater Profitability

Of course, the first advantage that comes to mind is time. When you weigh how much time it takes for a production line worker to detach a label from a sheet and adhere it onto a package, bottle, or other target against an automatic label dispenser, you can see where seconds are shaved off each label application. When multiplied over the need to label hundreds – if not, thousands, of items, that time really starts to add up. This means that you can increase your output without having to pay for additional labour. The fact that more can get done in less time is the objective of every business.

They Can Go the Distance

Clearly, there is an advantage when it comes to using a machine over a person for label dispensing and that is the ability of the machine to work around the clock in harsh environments and not give out when it comes to accuracy, consistency, and functionality. When people get tired, mistakes happen; in contrast, an automatic label dispenser is built to do one thing – dispense labels around the clock and completely correctly. Their level of trustworthiness, productivity, and accuracy means that they can go the distance no matter what type of paces you put them through. Automatic label dispensers are also known for their ease of use and low maintenance offering, which means there will be less downtime or costs associated with maintenance and repair.

Redirected Productivity

When production line workers do not have to tire themselves out with the exhausting process of handling hundreds of rolls of labels and completing rote processes, they can redirect themselves and their talents toward other meaningful tasks that are necessary within the production or service environment. Not only does this save on labour costs, but you also benefit from a more productive workforce that is channelling its energies on other vital processes that demand their attention and that help raise the overall productivity of the company.

A Side Benefit

You may also find that certain worker injuries or conditions are no longer an issue. When it comes to manual labelling, which utilise the wrist, workers can find themselves getting conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, but they can be alleviated of such painful effects when automatic label dispensers are used. In the long run, that saves a company on lost productivity as well as on health and safety expenses.

Cost and Variety

And, despite having all these perks associated with it and offering an extremely high value proposition, a label dispenser is a relatively low cost investment. Beyond that is the fact that these automatic label dispensers come in a number of different models, including handheld for labelling that needs to be done in a more mobile environment to semi-automatic label dispensers and wall/bench mounted label dispensers. That means that an automated version of a label dispenser is available for nearly every kind of operating/production environment.

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