Zebra industrial barcode and RFID printers are known worldwide for their unrivaled performance and durability, to the point that most businesses rarely replace their Zebra printers until they need new capabilities that legacy hardware can’t provide.

Inevitably, there comes a time when you need to think about replacing your aging and outdated hardware, especially if you have changing printing and business needs. But if you’re in the market for an upgrade, the good news is that you can potentially get even more years out of your next printer by investing in Zebra’s new ZT Series Industrial Printers.

Built on Zebra’s legacy for ultra-rugged durability and outstanding printing performance, the ZT Series offers a way to upgrade your printers while future-proofing yourself against replacements by providing optional, field-installable upgrades so you can add new capabilities when the need arises.

For example, the ZT Series can support both barcode and RFID label and tag printing, with the option to start with RFID capabilities or start off with a barcode-only printer and later add UHF RFID encoding with a field-installable upgrade. You can also add other field-installable options such as a label rewinder, cutter and peeler, so you can easily scale up and adapt your label printing as your business needs change.

In addition to these upgrade capabilities, another big breakthrough with the ZT Series is that it also adds more intelligence to your printer, so you get a combination of industrial brawn and future-forward connectivity, flexible configuration, and more labeling flexibility.

The ZT Series also offers both 4” and 6” print widths and can support 600 dpi printing for labels as small as 3mm. Each label is accurately printed, no matter what the size or resolution, so there’s now greater flexibility to print even the smallest labels for circuit boards, microchips or other miniature components.

There’s also complete flexibility in connectivity, with options including serial, USB, gigabit Ethernet, dual USB hosts and Bluetooth. Two open communication slots also mean you can add other connectivity options such as parallel, 802.11 a/c Wi-Fi, an applicator port, IPV6, and Bluetooth LE.

With Zebra’s Link-OS operating system, it’s also amazingly easy to configure, integrate and manage your printers, even remotely from a centralized and cloud-based browser interface. You can deploy, update and monitor any number of networked Link-OS printers with apps that simplify updates and configuration, plus simple dashboards for system diagnostics, guided instructions, and feedback.

Importantly, ZT Series printers are backwards-compatible with Zebra Xi Series Printers and their existing applications and label formats, plus current printer languages such as Zebra, ZBL and many non-Zebra languages.

Day-to-day operation of these printers is also very simple and intuitive. Simpler side-loading of media includes interior illumination to show you the ribbon and media paths, and the paths change color if an error occurs, so you can quickly locate and resolve issues.

There’s also a color graphic display that’s highly visible from afar, with easy-to-understand icons, menus, and local language support. The display turns red when there’s an error or yellow if the printer is paused, and in the event of a problem, the display also offers QR codes so you can scan them and link via mobile device to help videos to help with troubleshooting.

However, as with all Zebra printers, troubleshooting will likely be a rare occurrence, especially given the unparalleled durability and rugged performance of the ZT series.

Each printer is built with all-metal structural components and has built-in thermal management and the highest quality print mechanisms and internal components, so you can handle the most demanding print jobs in the harshest environments. These printers are proven to operate 24/7 and uninterrupted, at the highest volumes, even in places where dust, dirt, debris, and extreme temperatures typically wreak havoc on other devices.

In all, the ZT Series adds up to a truly future-proof printing solution, with a great combination of brains, brawn and adaptability that can make your next printer upgrade a truly long-term investment that you won’t have to worry about for years to come.

If getting more out of your hardware and extending the life of your devices is a top priority, then we highly recommend Zebra’s new ZT Series Industrial Printers.

To learn more about these devices, including available models, specs, options, and specialized pricing for your business, contact us now to get a quote and request more information.

Scanning barcodes to capture patient, specimen and medication data is one of the best ways to ensure safe and accurate patient care. But using conventional handheld barcode scanners can be a bit cumbersome and inconvenient for nurses and technicians, especially if you have to carry and handle a bulky device or keep one tethered to a cart.

Fortunately, Zebra, a global leader in healthcare data capture and mobile computing, has created a compact and ideal solution in the form of what it calls a companion scanner.

Zebra’s companion barcode scanners are durable and enterprise-grade devices that are designed specifically for healthcare use, and they are small enough to fit in a pocket or to be worn on a lanyard.

One example is Zebra’s CS4070-HC companion scanner, which is a small, lightweight and wireless device that delivers high-performance barcode scanning with push-button simplicity. It’s small enough to be carried at all times, either tucked in a pocket or worn on a lanyard, but it’s made with durable, disinfectant-ready plastics that can withstand multiple 5-foot (1.5-meter) drops to concrete without missing a beat.

The disinfectant-ready design and IP52 sealing help prevent the spread of dangerous germs, allowing safe wipe-downs with a variety of harsh chemicals for regular cleaning.

The scanner itself is powered by Zebra’s advanced scanning engine and algorithms, which allow nurses and lab technicians to instantly capture virtually any 1D or 2D barcode in any condition, even if it’s smudged, dirty, poorly printed, or it’s being shown on an electronic screen.

The CS4070-HC also has day and night “do not disturb” modes where you can choose from a visual green light or red light as well as between haptic vibration or an audible tone for scanning result feedback.

Since the device is designed specifically for healthcare settings, it also includes battery technology that delivers full 12-hour shift scanning, and the battery is field replaceable and can be easily changed on the go. An LED battery indicator lets you know when a battery change is going to be needed, and you can just swap in a freshly charged battery for continuous power.

Zebra has also introduced a new series of healthcare companion scanners with its CS60-HC device. It’s lightweight and ultra-compact scanner that delivers corded, cordless, and hands-free presentation scanning wherever you need it.

Like the CS4070-HC, the CS60-HC pairs easily with other mobile devices with the tap of a button and foolproof Bluetooth and NFC technology. It also has a high-resolution megapixel sensor and Zebra’s exclusive PRZM Intelligent Imaging for incredibly fast and accurate decoding of barcodes on patient wristbands, medical vials, IV bags, specimen trays and more.

You can tuck the CS60-HC in a scrub pocket, wear it on a lanyard, or use it as a hands-free presentation scanner on a mobile cart or an in-room workstation. It delivers total mobile freedom with cordless and tether-free scanning, plus the ability to use a USB converter for corded operation when desired.

The CS60-HC also features an enhanced design for even better safety, with specialized disinfectant-ready plastics, improved IP65 sealing, a monocoque design, and inductive touch buttons to eliminate places where germs can hide. It also enables safe wipe-downs with the widest selection of aggressive healthcare disinfectants.

Also, thanks to a highly visible and green LED aimer for safety, the CS60-HC can be used in clinical areas where laser aimers aren’t advised.

Either one of the Zebra’s companion scanners is a great, convenient and effective tool to help streamline and improve nursing and laboratory workflows. It all depends on the level of scanning or imaging capabilities you need, as well as the safety features and flexibility you might prefer for your use case.

Our healthcare customers who use these devices rave about them and just how compact, reliable and durable they are for their nurses and staff. So, we certainly give Zebra’s companion scanners our highest recommendation.

To learn more about these devices and get full specs, a price quote and more details, contact our team at Tri-State Business Systems now, and we’ll be happy to help.

Warehouses and manufacturing plants are always under pressure to maximize efficiency and minimize costs, but today’s labor shortages, cost issues, and fulfillment demands are making it tougher than ever before.

However, many warehouses and plants can easily make some major efficiency and cost gains by looking in the right places, and that includes processes that are often taken for granted or overlooked.

A good example is any process where you’re doing data capture, whether it’s through barcode scanning or by manually entering data from paper forms or other documents.

Normally, if we’re using barcode labels and scanners to manage inventory, pick and pack orders, and track shipments or work-in-process, we might think we’ve already automated the streamlined the process.

If we’re dealing with printed documents or other paperwork, especially from third parties, it can seem like there’s no other option than to manually re-enter the data we need from those documents so we can get that information into our systems.

But that’s where many warehouses and manufacturing plants are missing out on some easy efficiency and productivity gains. Here are five ways that new advances in barcode scanning and imaging technology are enabling a much faster, less labor-intensive and less costly way to get things done.

Multi-Code Scanning

Let’s start by taking a look at barcode scanning, where we might need to scan a number of different barcode labels on a pallet or even on a single product or shipping box in order to track and manage inventory, inbound items in receiving, or outbound shipments.

Instead of having to scan all of those barcodes individually, one by one, newer barcode scanners such as Zebra’s 3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanners have built-in multi-scan capabilities that allow you to scan up to 20 barcodes with single trigger pull. You can use your scanner like a “wand” and simply move it across the face of a pallet or wave it around different sides of a box, and all the barcodes you need to scan are captured flawlessly.

Each time you use this multi-code functionality, you can shave seconds or minutes off typical scanning processes, and when you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of inventory items, assets or shipments, it adds up quickly to a lot of time and effort saved.

Form Field and Signature Capture

Another big advantage of Zebra’s new scanners and imaging technology is that you can use it to automatically read and capture data from form fields and even scan signatures from shipping documents or other paperwork. Instead of having to manually enter or re-enter that data into your systems, Zebra’s devices can capture and parse it directly from documents and even selectively scan and transmit data based on your preferred targets and configuration.

This way, you can choose what you want to scan and what you want to ignore, and it reliably and instantaneously captures that information and gets it into your warehouse management, ERP or other business systems. Since you can also use the same capabilities to capture images of signatures, it’s also a great way for importing signature verifications into your systems as well.

Long-Range Scanning

Yet another way to boost efficiency and reduce time and labor is with scanning inventory or assets from longer ranges. In many warehouses, for example, palleted goods or inventory may be located high on warehouse shelves, and when it’s time to pick and verify individual items or entire pallets, that can mean having to use a ladder to get up high or use a forklift to bring down the pallet so you can scan the right barcodes.

However, Zebra’s latest industrial barcode scanners can eliminate these steps by allowing you to scan barcodes from as far away as 70 feet, even through shrink wrap. This represents a 30% increase in scanning range compared to previous devices, and it’s helpful for any process that can benefit from not having to get within close range of barcodes in order to capture them. It’s also great for worker safety because it helps minimize some of the ladder use and forklift traffic in the warehouse.

Uninterrupted Scanning

To round out some of the easy wins you can get from newer scanning technology, another big help comes from improvements to battery capacity and performance.

For example, Zebra’s 3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanners have 50% more battery capacity than other devices on the market, so you can get 50% more scans per charge. That means fewer trips to a charging station and fewer interruptions to your scanning processes, which adds up to more efficiency and labor savings over time.

Cost-Saving Device Durability

Finally, while this next advantage isn’t about saving on labor costs, it’s about saving on your warehousing or manufacturing technology generally.

In the barcode scanning world, Zebra is already well-known for its unbeatable product durability, but its 3600 Series industrial scanners have taken ruggedness to an entirely new level, offering 23% greater durability than any other competing device.

These devices are virtually indestructible in the real-world use and abuse that we see every day in warehouses and on plant floors. They’re built to withstand drops to concrete from up to 8 feet and have survived tests involving 5,000 consecutive tumbles.

They also have IP65 and IP67 rated dust-proof and water-proof sealing, and they can handle a full-force hose down as well as submersion in water. They’re also engineered for extreme temperature resistance with corded models that can operate at temperatures of 122°F to -22°F, and cordless models that can withstand temperatures ranging from 122°F to -4°F.

All of this durability adds up to one simple benefit: instead of having to pay for expensive repairs or replacements for your damaged or broken devices, you’ll potentially save thousands of dollars on your IT budget and get extremely long life and the highest level of durability from any scanning device today.

Ultimately, these five ways to improve efficiency and minimize costs aren’t the only ways to improve warehouse and manufacturing operations with scanning technology. To learn about more the ways that you can create leaner and more cost-effective processes, connect with our team at Tri-State Business Systems, and we’ll be happy to set up a call to discuss more recommendations and potential solutions for your needs.