Tracking Solutions, Inc. Servicing Labs Around the World
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What's New
| Can I use an existing Laser Printer to print bar code labels? Yes, Laser Printers can be used to print your bar coded labels, but here are some things you should know. First you will need a bar code font built into your application, or a print and design package like BarTender to facilitate bar code printing. Also, you will need to print an entire sheet to eliminate label waste. This is not a problem if you are printing serialized labels, but if you are putting sample specific info on labels matching them up to the correct sample can be a challenge. Also these printers are more susceptible to label skewing and/or an occasional label jam. Finally, the label materials available are more limited for this type of printing due to the feed path and heat associated with these printers. Direct Thermal versus Thermal Transfer Printing: Direct Thermal Printing involves using a specialized label or tag that has chemicals within the face-sheet. These chemicals are activated when they pass by the heat of the printhead, turning black, and forming the print that is desired. There are variations in this product including Standard Direct Thermal, High Sensitivity (for hi-speed print applications), and Near IR (for shipping and blood labels). Though this product is mostly found in a paper form, film variations do exist.. This type of label is generally used for applications with a short label life, where there is little chance for the label to come in contact with chemicals or solvents or other sources of heat. All of which could also activate the chemicals in the face-sheet, thus discoloring or marring the original image. Thermal Transfer Printing on the other hand requires the use of a ribbon. Because of this, there are many more label material types to choose from, some of which, with the right label and ribbon combination can withstand exposure to extreme chemicals like (Acetone & Xylene) and temperatures as high as 260°C or 500°F. Though their cost with the ribbon is generally more, they have better durability and the right label and ribbon combination can last 7 years or more in an outdoor environment. Other DT/TT Facts: All Thermal Transfer Printers can print Direct Thermal labels, but not all Direct Thermal Printers can print Thermal Transfer labels. 99% of the labels we sell into the laboratory market are Thermal Transfer. How can DPI (dots per inch) affect your application? A printers DPI plays a critical role when trying to fit a lot of information onto a small label. Not only does it improve the quality of the small print, but it also plays a key role in the size of your bar code. At Tracking Solutions, we recommend a minimum of 2 dots of the printhead be used for forming the narrowest bar or white space in your bar code. This is often referred to as the mil size. See the picture below to get a feel for how dpi can affect your bar code and the space required. This is based on using 2 dots of the printhead to print a 6 character Alpha/Numeric Code128 bar code.
Most scanners can read a 5mil bar code or larger. For bar codes smaller than 5mil a High Density Scanner will be required. How will the printer interface with the PC or Network? Most Printers now come with Parallel, Serial, and USB interfaces standard. If you want to connect them to the network you can do so by using an external or in some cases an internal Ethernet. An external connection comes in through a box or Adapter that connects to the printers parallel (most common) or serial port. An internal Ethernet connection is as its name implies, internal within the printer. Often this internal interface takes the place of the parallel port on the printer. One other form of connection that is gaining in popularity is the wireless connection over an 802.11 wireless network. If you want more information on these types of connections, or if you want to see what printers will suit your needs, give us a call and we will be glad to help.
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All information contained herein is for informational purposes only.
Tracking Solutions offers no warranties expressed or implied as to the
suitability of these products for specific applications. The customer is
responsible for testing the material to make sure it conforms to his or her
unique requirements. Send mail to
webmaster@trackingsolutionsinc.com with questions or comments about this web site.
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