Do you want to print them yourself or do you want them printed for you? Firstly you need to know how many barcodes you need, both unique numbers and total quantities. If you only have a small need (or you don't have the staff) or they have to be a special material then we can print them for you. [↑]

If you want to print them yourself there are a few things to remember based upon the type of printing you are going to do. [↑]

The inkjet printers do not print barcodes well enough to be reliable unless you make them much bigger than you will probably want to. Only use this as a last resort. [↑]

With a laser printer you need to print on A4 cut sheets. The laser printer will do a good job of printing on these sheets but you must remember a few things. The printer manufacturer may void your warranty if they know you put label sheets through the printer. This is because sometimes the gum etc from the sheet can leave a residue on the internal workings of the printer. You should not put the sheet through twice. the residue left behind after you remove a few labels may get left inside the printer. Don't use cheap label sheets. The cheap label sheets do not have good adhesives and the label will fall off. Even a popular Name brand has this problem. We only sell quality A4 sheets with good adhesives. Don't forget to calculate the cost of toners and drums as a typical printed barcode sheet has a lot more than the standard 5% coverage used as an economy guide by laser printer manufacturers. [↑]

Thermal Label Printer - First of the True Label printers. A thermal label printer does not use a ribbon, ink or toner. The labels are special thermal labels which react to the heat generated by the print head. There are no ribbons toload etc you just put the labels in and away you go. The downside is that these labels are not permanent and the label will discolour over time. How much heat the label is exposed to after it is printed will determine how long this is but you should count on more than a few months. You can also only print paper labels with Black text etc. Label printers cost less per label to run than Laser printers. [↑]

This is where all people printing labels should go to. A thermal transfer label printer uses a transfer ribbon to print the label onto almost any label stock. It could be paper, synthetic, plastic, metal foil etc. You can also get different coloured ribbons so you can print different colours on your labels although you should always print your barcode in black though for best results. A thermal transfer label printer will give you a permanent label that will last for years. The cost per label is about the same the thermal only label printer as the labels are cheaper(because they don't have the thermal coating) and this goes towards the cost of the ribbon. [↑]

Printing software can make or break your printing soloution. If you are printing EAN product barcodes or similar then you should make sure you use special barcode printing software that prints directly to the thermal or thermal transfer printer. If printing to one of these printers you must not use the typical "Windows Driver" in most cases as this will produce a barcode that is out of spec. In order to produce an inspec barcode then it must print using commands sent directly to them. This allows the printer to place the barcode exactly where it will be in spec. Some programs such as Bar Tender have their own Windows drivers. You can use these as long as it is with their software as they do this command sending behind the scenes. Using a windows driver (even one supplied by the manufacturer) can produce out of spec barcodes even though they look OK. You can ring and talk to one of our specialist if you need help with this. Specialist barcode printing programs can be expensive so it is important to get the right one. With the lower cost label printers software is often supplied. The software supplied often has the limitation of not being able to print from a database although it will do everything else very well. Again software like this is a specialised area and you are able to discuss your needs with our staff to help you. [↑]

Laser Printer. A laser printer uses a toner which sticks to charged areas of the paper after it has been exposed to the laser drum. The toner is transferred and fused to the paper by a hot roller (called a fuser).
Advantages	Disadvantages
Laser Printers offer excellent resolution and the printer can be used for other things when it is not required for labels. It can also be an economical way to print large labels, ie either half or full sheet.	Synthetic labels usually do not give good results (the hot fuser can damage the label material). Prints whole sheet of labels at a time; not ideal for small batches of labels. Note: You should not reload a partially used sheet of labels. The gum residue may be left on the rollers/drum etc inside the printer. This may cause very expensive damage to your printer and will void your warranty. Color laser printers are expensive to purchase and run. Printers with a complicated paper path may inadvertently peel off labels inside the printer.
Inkjet Printer. Inkjet's shoot tiny droplets of ink onto the paper. The ink is absorbed into the surface of the paper or, in the case of special high-quality paper, into the special surface coating.
Advantages	Disadvantages
Can be low cost to purchase and offer good resolution. The printer can be used for other things when it is not required for labels. Color can be printed at a reasonable cost.	Not as precise as laser or thermal for barcodes. Because of the uneven nature of the "Bleed" into the paper this means the barcodes may need to be printed at a larger size. Moderately slow to print. Normal Inks will usually run or bleed if exposed to water, Special Inks are expensive. Prints whole sheet of labels at a time, not ideal for small batches of labels. Note: You should not reload a partially used sheet of labels. The gum residue may be left on the rollers etc inside the printer. This may cause very expensive damage to your printer and will void your warranty. Requires some drying time. Ink cartridges can be expensive.
Dot Matrix. Miniature electronic actuators bang the tips of fine wires into an inked fabric ribbon which in turn hits the surface of the paper. this leaves an impression on the paper.
Advantages	Disadvantages
The printer can be used for other things when it is not required for labels. When using 1-across labels you can print one label at a time. Can be economical for very large labels eg Full or Half sheet. Can print carbonised forms.	Low resolution meaning barcodes must be large to ensure they are readable. These printers are usually slow and noisy. The Ink ribbons dry out and fade. Usually substandard barcodes are produced before staff realise they need to be replaced. Printer Drivers for some models can be difficult to keep updated.
Direct Thermal. The surface of the label paper is chemically treated and reacts to heat by turning black. The printer has a row of individually controlled heating elements, one per dot (typically 203 to 300 dots per inc). These elements turn on and off in response to commands as the paper passes by thereby producing the result.
Advantages	Disadvantages
Printers are fast and quiet. It is usually simple to load labels (no ribbons required). Printers are usually small and economical and can print batches of labels quickly and with no waste (unlike A4 sheet printers). Because they are designed for the purpose, the barcodes are precise.	Chemically treated labels darken with age (est 6 months to 1 year). This is accelerated by exposure to sunlight and other heat sources. Some other chemicals can trigger darkening of labels (eg. highlighter or permanent marker pen fumes). The surface of direct thermal label stock can be slightly abrasive. This means the printheads wear a little faster than if using thermal transfer method described below. Printer dedicated to label printing. (In some cases this can be an advantage not a disadvantage). Will only print on Paper labels. To get barcodes which pass a verification test you must print with special label software (often supplied with the printer). Simply using a Windows Driver with a consumer application eg Word will produce substandard labels.
Thermal Transfer. Uses a ribbon (called a Thermal Transfer Ribbon) with a thin coating of wax, resin(or both) impregnated with pigment. The labels (made of plain paper or synthetic material) and the ribbon pass a thermal printhead (same as for direct thermal). The heat transfers the wax/resin from the ribbon to the surface of the label.
Advantages	Disadvantages
Printers are fast and quiet. It is usually simple to load labels. Printers Can be small and economical and can print batches of labels quickly and with no waste (unlike A4 sheet printers). Because they are designed for the purpose, the barcodes are precise. Printers can be small and economical for low-volume applications and larger printers can store large quantities of label/ribbon stock within them. Can print all types of label stock (paper, synthetic and metal). Labels are durable, have good finish and long life expectancy. Color ribbons are also available.	Printers for high-volume applications or large label sizes can be expensive to initially purchase. In addition to labels, printer consumes single-pass ribbons although the running costs for thermal transfer Vs Direct Thermal are fairly similar as the label stock is cheaper. Printer dedicated to label printing. (In some cases this can be an advantage not a disadvantage). To get barcodes which pass a verification test you must print with special label software (often supplied with the printer). Simply using a Windows Driver with a consumer application eg Word will produce substandard labels.

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If you need further help, would like to be advised of future tutorials, or have a tutorial suggestion just email us.

This tutorial is copyright Gripon Mobile Solutions Pty Ltd. You are free to distribute this or publish this to others provided it is distributed without changes and complete. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, no warranty whether implied or stated is given as to the information's accuracy or suitability. As we are not aware of your exact situation the content is used at your own risk entirely. [↑]

Ces Luscombe has worked in the Barcode and POS industry since 1995. Ces is the founder of The Barcode Approach (later to become Gripon Mobile Solutions) and is also the founder of Grabba International Pty Ltd. Grabba International was formed as a result of a spinoff from Gripon Mobile Solutions Pty Ltd after the successful worldwide launch of the Grabba PDA Data Capture attachments in San Jose, California in 2002. [↑]

Gripon Mobile Solutions is one of the leading suppliers of barcode and POS equipment in Australia. As a leading distributor/supplier for the major brands in the industry Gripon Mobile Solutions can help you with any hardware requirements. Gripon Mobile Solutions also has specialists in the Mobile Data Capture and Communications areas. For information on products or advice on suitability contact us on 1800 242548. [↑]