Other vendors produce specialty printers for labels and bar codes
A big job that cries out for the use of portable printers is labeling inventory, collections, evidence or other items that have a procedural use. In many cases, that means bar codes.
A big job that cries out for the use of portable printers is labeling inventory, collections, evidence or other items that have a procedural use. In many cases, that means bar codes.
The Smithsonian Institution has millions of bar coded plant exhibits in its back rooms; labels for this sort of collection can be produced from sheets of preprinted labels or generated as needed.
Bar code and label printers can be linked to notebook PCs or can be part of an integrated unit. These standalone bar code systems may be as basic as a keyboard and code generator or as sophisticated as one running on a RISC processor complete with a communications link, bar code scanner and large memory.
Several bar code printers that attach to standard computers are included in the chart accompanying this buying guide. These printers specify resolution in a different way from typical printers, giving just the horizontal density in dots per inch.
Standalone bar code and specialty printers are also available in standard or custom configurations from vendors not listed in the chart, including:
Axiohm/Cognitive Systems Inc.
Blue Bell, Pa.
215-591-3363
www.axiohm.com
Bar code, label and tag printers
Extech Instruments Inc.
Waltham, Mass.
781-890-7440
www.extech.com
Battery-operated printers
Genicom Corp.
Chantilly, Va.
800-436-4266
www.genicom.com
Printers for extreme environments
ICL Systems Inc.
La Jolla, Calif.
619-657-5611
www.iclhandheld.com
Handheld computers with printers
Star Micronics Inc.
Piscataway, N.J.
732-572-9512
www.starmicronics.com
Thermal receipt and bar code printers
TEC America Inc.
Atlanta
770-449-3040
www.tecamerica.com
Specialty printers
Zebra Technologies Corp.
Vernon Hills, Ill.
800-423-0422
www.zebra.com
Designs and markets a variety of specialty printers
These companies don't sell general-purpose portable printers, so they don't fit in the product chart on Page 18.
These vendors offer specialty printers suitable for warehouse and other applications. Many will custom-configure their products.
'John McCormick
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