Industrial or desktop barcode printer: Find your best match. There are many makes and models of barcode printers. Barcode Southwest works with companies to help determine which style (industrial or desktop) barcode printer best meets their needs. Call us at 888-764-9965 to learn more!
The TSC Family of Barcode Printers
Industrial or Desktop Barcode Printer: Finding Your Best Match
Your first consideration when looking for the best match for your company and your application is the style of printer.
There are two styles:
- Industrial
- Desktop
Industrial Barcode Printers
These printers are obviously much larger than their desktop counterparts. An industrial barcode printer is perfect for:
- High volume print runs.
- Label widths ranging from 1-6 inches.
- Rugged, iron cast construction for durability.
- Performance Stability in harsh manufacturing environments.
- Extreme ranges of hot and cold
- Humid
- Dusty
Optional Accessories for Industrial Barcode Printers
Once you have determined an industrial barcode printer to be the best match for your company, the next decision would be optional accessories:
- Internal Rewinder.
- The optional internal rewinder is especially useful for those long print jobs.
- Labels are rewound on to a 5″ OD core.
- External Rewinder
- An external rewinder is more cost-efficient than the internal rewinder.
- This rewinder will require extra desktop space than an internal rewinder,
- Cutter Type.
- Full Guillotine OR Heavy-Duty Cutter.
Barcode Southwest has many articles featuring industrial barcode printers. Refer to these articles for more information and printer specs. https://www.barcodesouthwest.com/lucys-blog/
Desktop Barcode Printers
As the name implies, desktop barcode printers (featuring the clam shell design) are perfect for environments with less space. A desktop barcode printer is perfect for:
- Small space for printer use and storage.
- Smaller volume print runs.
- Label widths ranging from 1-4 inches.
- A consistent controlled environment.
Barcode Southwest has many articles featuring desktop barcode printers. Refer to these articles for more information and printer specs. https://www.barcodesouthwest.com/lucys-blog/
Industrial or Desktop Barcode Printer: Find Your Best Match
Once you have determined the style of barcode printer that best fits your company, application and environment, the next step is to choose direct or thermal transfer printing. Direct thermal or thermal transfer printing are compatible with industrial or desktop printers.
Direct Thermal Barcode Printing
A direct thermal barcode printer works by using the printhead to heat chemically treated paper or synthetic labels. The labels react by producing a black image. These types of barcode printers are easy to operate and efficient to use as they require no ribbon, ink or toner refills.
The imaging is crisp and clean, producing a barcode image that is easy to scan. A direct thermal barcode printer is reliable in applications where the barcode images require only a short shelf life. A disadvantage is that the chemically treated label material can be affected by other heat sources.
Thermal Transfer Printing
The second type of barcode printer is the thermal transfer printer. This printer also uses a printhead and heat to “transfer” an image on the label. However, the “transfer” occurs in a fashion that differs from direct thermal barcode printers. Thermal transfer printers use an ink-coated ribbon that transfers the image onto the label (media). This type of imaging will last longer than those from direct thermal printing. It is critical to ensure the ribbon is compatible with the printing surface. Without compatibility, the thermal ink will not adhere.
Barcode Southwest is a premier supplier of barcode printers and labels for a wide range of industry applications. We supply to clients all over the Southwest region of the U.S., including, but not limited to, Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Contact Barcode Southwest at 888-764-9965 or fill out this contact form!
Happy Printing 🙂
Please visit our Barcode Southwest Facebook page.
Posted November 22, 2021 By Lucy
Industrial and Desktop Barcode Printers for Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.
