Is Your Warehouse Ready for Industrial Label Printers?

Label printing is a basic function in most warehouse and shipping operations. From carton, pallet and shipping labels, to RFID tags, your label printing workflows are easy to take for granted. Until, of course, they turn into a bottleneck. When that happens, it’s a sure sign that your business is ready for new printers.

Here are some of the most common reasons many warehouses and distribution operations need new label printers:

• More capacity: It could be something as simple as a rise in demand that’s overtaxing the capacity of desktop label printers.
• Too much downtime: The warehouse environment can be a rough place—too rough for many printers.
• Time-consuming device management: As equipment gets old, it requires more and more IT support, and it gets harder and harder to integrate with other systems.

Whether you’re dealing with one of those factors or a combination, it may be time to upgrade to industrial label printers that are purpose-built for warehouse and shipping applications. This one step will give you higher capacity, boost durability to reduce downtime, and make it far simpler for your IT team to manage your printers and integrate them with other systems.

The industrial printer space offers many choices. Direct thermal vs. thermal transfer. Output capacity. Label width. Print speed and resolution. RFID capability. Media handling options. At first, the choices can seem overwhelming, but they’re actually a good thing, because they give you the ability to select a printer that’s tailored to your exact requirements.

Our experience has shown that most warehouse and shipping operations can simplify the task of selecting an industrial label printer by focusing on the lineup from Zebra Technologies. From entry-level models that offer affordable performance and durability, all the way up to high-performance models that deliver maximum print speeds and a range of options, Zebra offers durable, high-capacity industrial printers at a range of price points to meet virtually any requirement.

Zebra’s industrial printer lineup includes both direct-thermal and thermal-transfer industrial printers. That makes it easy to choose the right printing method based on the lifespan, durability, and other characteristics of the labels needed for your applications. And Zebra offers a range of entry-level, midrange, and high-performance printers in both the 4-inch and 6-inch print class. Finally, no matter which Zebra industrial printer you choose, Zebra understands you don’t have time to battle downtime, so every Zebra printer is engineered to perform for years to come.

Here’s a brief overview of two models from Zebra’s top-selling industrial printer lineup.

Zebra ZT510 Industrial Printer

The ZT510 has been engineered to strike the ideal balance between performance and value, delivering the core features you need in an industrial printer at a cost-effective price point. It offers a 4-inch print width for thermal transfer and direct thermal printing applications at speeds up to 12 inches per second, which makes it perfect for medium duty applications. It’s built with a metal frame for added durability and long-lasting reliability in warehouse environments.

Zebra ZT600 Series Industrial Printers

The ZT600 Series includes the 4-inch ZT610 and the 6-inch ZT620 industrial printers. Both models offer direct-thermal and thermal-transfer printing at 203 or 300 DPI. The ZT610 also offers enhanced high-resolution printing at 600 DPI. Maximum prints speed reaches 12 inches per second with the ZT620 and 14 inches per second with the ZT610. Both models feature a metal frame and bi-fold metal media cover with an enlarged clear viewing window that makes it easier than ever to keep track of print media. Built-in thermal management eliminates the need for vents or cooling fans, blocking dust and debris for trouble-free operation even in challenging environments. RFID capability is available as a field-installable option with both the ZT610 and ZT620.

To learn more about the benefits of upgrading to industrial label printers and explore Zebra’s full industrial printer portfolio, please contact your Tri-State Business Systems representative today.