Twitter has made “trending” fashionable, and in the printing world there is a feeling that the current trend is to replace old and cumbersome legacy industrial printers with small task orientated desktop printers. You can see the advantages – labels are printed at the point of use making processes simpler, presumably cheaper and more effective. But is that really always the case?
Legacy label printers
True, technology continues to make application components smaller and faster, more focussed on unique tasks, easier to maintain and use. So it is likely a smart business manager is always keeping an eye on legacy printer assets and how new innovative machinery can cut costs and streamline in-house practices.
Benefits in both camps
However these two types of machine offer unique benefits dependent on the business environment. For instance a desktop label printer is not going to be able to handle large volumes of work and large diameter rolls of label and ribbons. Also, clearly an industrial printer is built to withstand the more demanding work environment where it may need to withstand knocks, high temperatures etc. Because of these demands, an industrial printer tends to have more resolution settings and a more effective label sensor to effect higher quality printing.
On the downside, maintenance tends to be higher, there needs more training for use, they take more space, they are not portable and individual components cost more to replace.
Match your printer with your work environment
At the end of the day it comes down to horses for courses. Desktop label printers are bound to be less expensive, they can handle smaller jobs effectively with quality printing, and need less training and maintenance. Because they are portable they can be transported to where they are needed and of course fit snugly into an office environment.
Contact us for further support
So trends are ok, but the bottom line is get the printer to suit your business and you are more likely to see a higher return on your investment. For further information or support when buying a barcode label printer telephone 01934 417665 or fill in our contact form
