printers Archives

Brother Expect Auto-ID Labelling Sales Rise

Posted on 28 June, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Business and technology solutions provider Brother UK is expecting to double sales of its professional label printers over the next 12 months, on the back of significant investment to strengthen its proposition and growing market demand.

Over the last year, Brother UK has partnered with major Auto-ID resellers and vendors in the UK, as well as specialist partners BarcodeGenie and Planglow, to create new routes to market and develop tailored solutions for the retail and food hygiene markets respectively.

The technology provider has also upgraded two of its most popular label printing lines – the TD-2000 and the QL – to improve connectivity and security, introduce an auto-sleep mode as default to reduce operators’ energy use, and boost manufacturing capacity to service higher demand.

The business says that an increasing demand for thermal labelling devices across retail, supply chain and hospitality will also help to drive the growth as more firms look to digitise and unlock new operational efficiencies. Forecasts from market research consultancy VDC reveal that the UK market for thermal labelling devices is set to grow by 44% to $137.9m by 2026, compared to 2021.

Ged Cairns (pictured), head of SPS business category at Brother UK, said: “We have built a strong proposition to take advantage of a buoyant market as more firms, specifically across supply chain, retail and hospitality, digitise their day-to-day operations. Labelling systems form a central part of those functions and we have the right range of devices, from our mobile RJ series to the TJ desktop range for high-volume label printing, to support reseller partners in delivering the products and solutions that their customers need. Combining our updated product range, new routes to market, focus on tech integration and customer support, from industry-leading warranties to on-site visits and next-day replacements, we are positioned well to grow quickly.”

Over 100 years of innovation have gone into making Brother the global business solutions provider that it is today. Founded in Japan in 1908, and now operating in 44 countries around the world, Brother has continually adapted to thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. From managed print services through to printers and scanners, Brother’s products and services are designed to increase efficiency, boost productivity and encourage collaboration in the workplace.

Bixolon Presents Dedicated Labelling Range

Posted on 19 April, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

BIXOLON Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of the global manufacturer of advanced receipt, labelling and mobile printers, welcome visitors on stand 4/F80 at LogiMAT 2023 from the 25-27.04.2023, where it will be showcasing its advanced range of printing solutions for the intralogistics market.

Key exhibition product highlights will include:
• Hands on Shipping Demonstration – BIXOLON will be exhibiting its extremely reliable, eco-friendly and cost-efficient XL5-40 4-inch (114mm) linerless printer. Featuring the hands-on, weighing and scanning shipping application which uses XI software, the optional programming language that enables users to develop an application to fit their unique labelling requirements.
• RFID labelling – Presenting its comprehensive range of mobile, desktop and industrial RFID print and encode printers, BIXOLON will be demonstrating the feature-rich premium mobile RFID label printer XM7-40R 4-inch (112mm), plus the XD5-40tR 4-inch (118mm) RFID enabled thermal transfer desktop label printer. Alongside, the highly powerful, optimum performance XT5-40NR 4-inch (114mm) thermal transfer industrial RFID label printer.
• Best Seller Highlights – Offering high-performance labelling printing solutions of variable widths, the company will be presenting its logistics best seller range, including the cost-effective XT3-404-inch (114mm) industrial labelling line, the unique XQ-840 4-inch (118mm) and the slimline SLP-DX220 barcode label printer. Alongside, the highly reliable XD5-40 4-inch (118mm) and XD3-40 4-inch (118mm) desktop direct thermal and thermal transfer printer series, which offer additional features to suit different budget ranges. Last but not least, the outstanding XM7 series featuring the premium XM7-20 2-inch (58mm), XM7-30 3-inch (72mm) and XM7-40 4-inch (112mm) auto-ID mobile liner and linerless label printers, along with a range of suitable accessories.

“BIXOLON has been building upon its Auto-ID labelling portfolio over the past few years, incorporating the latest technologies to its printing solutions,” explains Jay Kim, Managing Director, BIXOLON Europe GmbH. “LogiMAT allows us to meet and discuss the latest industry trends while constantly looking to the market to find where we can develop our products depending on the evolution of our customer’s needs.”

BIXOLON is a leading global manufacturer of innovative, advanced printing technologies including point-of-sale receipt, label, Auto ID and mobile printers for a wide range of environments. Millions of BIXOLON printers are used today in retail, hospitality, healthcare, banking, ticketing, post/parcel, warehousing and other transaction-intensive industries. In 2022, for the ninth consecutive year BIXOLON was named global mobile receipt printer market leader by Japanese research company Chunichisha.

Printers – and Nothing But

Posted on 3 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

We catch up with a global barcode printers leader, which has experienced strong growth in recent years.

Ecommerce and the drive to mobile have helped global printer leader Bixolon to some great year-on-year turnover numbers, says Frédéric d’Orsay, Channel Sales Director Europe. He adds that there is still much more to come.

Frédéric is an old friend of Logistics Business – he was a lively panellist in our online conferences staged during lockdown – so it was a pleasure to catch up with him once again to hear from the inside about the state of play in the sector.

He says Bixolon’s success is down to its core focus. “We’ve been making printers for 30 years and we keep doing just that. Some of our competitors get components, and make the choice to manufacture other things with those components. We stick to printers, and we’re renowned globally for that.”

Bixolon was founded in South Korea, initially as Samsung Mini Printers. The now independent Bixolon retains a good working relationship with one of the world’s largest chip manufacturers and accordingly now devotes a lot of printing expertise to the mobility sector.

“It’s about labelling on the go now – and mobility is what makes sense,” he explains. “Look at home food delivery, for instance. Accurate, fast labelling is required to ensure – for both customer and supplier – that the order is exactly as requested, including the customer’s own specifications. There is a well-known large casual dining chain in the UK that has improved its order accuracy and makes sure the right order goes to the right customer at speed and without mistakes. Don’t forget that the order might be going to a pick-up area, to the restaurant itself or to the customer’s home, so the need for clarity at all points is vital, because it can be very easy to get something wrong. The printer is a real help in these circumstances.”

Ecommerce also requires labelling innovation, whether via compliance regulation or in the increasing drive to differentiate via individual customer personalisation. “More boxes are being shipped than ever before,” he points out. “A clear label matters more than ever.”

With sustainability a concern for all customers, from consumers waiting in a takeaway restaurant to a large 3PL looking to reduce its waste footprint, Bixolon’s linerless solutions – essentially, the sticker is produced without backing paper – help both the environment and the customer, providing both traceability and tracking options, such as the casual dining example given above. The sticky receipt adheres well to the food packaging, with no extra waste produced for landfill. Bixolon’s SRP-S300 is a big seller in this area, he reports. “We don’t make handheld terminals,” he reminds me. “We make printers, we’re not making a choice between it and a PDA.”

A further advantage of the new linerless technology allied to Bixolon printing technology is that labels are no longer die-cut to a specific size. “Labels can be as long or as short as you wish, so you are not limited in terms of how much or how little information you need to include, while a label roll the same length as the traditional die-cut version gives you up to 40 per cent more labelling availability.”

This labelling freedom offers benefits in other scenarios. “Think of a forklift operator using a print roll – now he or she doesn’t have to go back to base or to a rubbish disposal location as frequently as before. That matters in a busy shift.”

Bixolon is on an exciting path. “Not everyone cares about making a thermal printer like we do,” smiles Frédéric d’Orsay.

Not Just Thermal Printers

Posted on 1 December, 202229 July, 2025 by David Priestman

TSC Printronix Auto ID is already well known in the logistics and packaging industries for its reliable thermal printers. Less highlighted is the importance the company places on its all-round package. It believes that to achieve a reliable Auto ID solution, you need a lot more than ‘just a printer’.

Printers are a lot more than a piece of hardware, with common attributes to all. “There are many different complexities within printers,” says Neil Baker, who runs Consumables for TSC Printronix Auto ID EMEA. “An industrial printer will have a lot more complexity than one that’s, for instance, printing out your next dentist appointment.” Savings, speed and efficiencies are all to be had, with the right combination of tools selected. “Whether you are a one to five person operation, or a multinational 3PL sending out 500 pallets per hour, we have an all-round printing solution for you,” he promises.

Consumables for thermal printers

It follows that the success of any printing operation or process depends in large part on the quality and reliability of the ‘consumables’, otherwise described as the media inside the box hardware, typically the labels and the thermal transfer ribbon. Neil Baker’s objective is to make sure you have the perfect consumables for your printing processes. Consumables matter, he points out.

Picking the right consumables means big wins for customers. In terms of common themes, sustainability is a keyword for Neil and his team.

“Our linerless labels eradicate ‘glassine’ backing labels completely – so there is no waste in the warehouse or operational site that would formerly have gone straight to landfill. That matters to both the daily process as well as the company bottom line. We offer many industry-specific printers optimised for linerless labelling, so they are particularly suited for logistics environments, whether mobile, desktop or heavy industrial printers.”

Advances have also been made in RFID technology by engineers at TSC Printronix Auto ID, greatly boosting the track-and-trace opportunity between, for instance, a source of manufacture in Asia and a warehouse storage location in Western Europe. Such technology can now check in seconds that what was dispatched inside a box or container exactly matches what has arrived. Other performance enhancers in the wide suite of customisable offerings include ODV-2D, a verification application which scans and grades the label as it emerges from the machine to confirm its durability and legibility for the onward journey.

Thermal printer solution

The all-round promise goes further. “By connecting with TSC Printronix Auto ID, you are not only buying hardware and consumables, but best-in-class post-sales support, with focus on the consumables as much as the hardware – it’s a complete solution,” he explains. That means you’re putting a lot of trust in one company to support you exclusively. That’s why we have the confidence to guarantee quality, knowing everything has been vetted, tested and approved by us.” The benefit for the customer is the reassurance that comes from knowing all product lines have been tested and certified with TSC Printronix Auto ID printers to maximize output and efficiencies in high output, time critical applications, such as logistics and warehousing.

The post-sales coverage extends to on-site service, backed by a team of application engineers throughout EMEA able to offer on-the-spot technical advice.

The company’s relationship with the logistics sector is well-established. Some years ago, when a major logistics name which used a mixed fleet of thermal printers from a variety of suppliers found the process of sourcing spares and servicing too complex, engineers from TSC Printronix Auto ID successfully established that a single emulation – or printer ‘language’ – could be implemented throughout this entire mixed network. After a three-month testing period, that same 3PL now has over 650 industrial printers in operation and purchases 60 million labels per year. TSC Printronix Auto ID is now the exclusive provider of printers and genuine supplies. The relationship is flourishing six years later.

TSC Printronix Auto ID Overhauls Printers Product Range

Posted on 23 March, 2021 by Keith McKinley

New models and advances in security, wireless connectivity, remote management and printhead management mark just some of the sweeping changes TSC Printronix Auto ID has made across its popular barcode printers and print engines.

More powerful and adaptable wireless connectivity options in the newly improved printers, including wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth® 4.2 modules, enable faster roaming and greater productivity. The enhanced connectivity works especially well in facilities with Wi-Fi networks boasting multiple access points, ensuring no data is lost between roaming from one access point to another.

The MX Series, MH Series and PEX Series have all been upgraded with new electronics to improve their operational performance. TSC has also added two 6-inch industrial thermal transfer printers to its MH261 Series; the MH261T and MH361T.

The upgraded printers are all supported by SOTI Connect, which gives greater visibility and real-time data on the health and performance of an entire fleet of printers allowing them to be managed remotely.

Vast improvements in printhead management help prevent incorrect or poor quality labels entering the supply chain. The printhead mechanisms checks and reports bad dots on the printhead in real-time. Users get alerted in advance to replace faulty printheads thereby avoiding production downtime. The new printheads incorporate a feature enabling printhead usage to be stored in the printhead mechanism giving users a clear indication of output levels as well as the printhead’s health and replacement status.

“We’re committed to delivering the most advanced thermal print technology to customers across demanding industrial environments like logistics, manufacturing and retail,“ says Sabine Mayer, Senior Marketing Manager of TSC Printronix Auto ID EMEA. “Our radical new line-up of rugged printer models are competitively priced yet bring unprecedented performance and precision to users.“

Industrial Printer Portfolio Strengthened

Posted on 25 January, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

TSC Printronix Auto ID, a global leader in barcode label printing solutions, adds real-time 1D and 2D barcode verification tools to its popular Printronix Auto ID T6000e series mid-range industrial printers. The announcement further reinforces the company’s commitment to invest in the advancement of thermal printing technology including online barcode verification.

Previously only available on the T8000 enterprise-level industrial class printer, the addition of 2D barcode verification to the T6000e series printers enables a new level of value and affordability for compliance and regulatory applications where label barcode quality must meet minimum grade requirements. “Offering high-performance ODV-2D technology to the mid-range thermal printer category removes another barrier to the broader adoption of real-time barcode verification,” stated Neil Baker, TSC Printronix Auto ID Sales Manager UK, Ireland, BeNeLux and South Africa.

The ODV-2D verifier grades barcodes on labels as they are printed. The technology meets industry standards with grading that is based on ISO 15415 and ISO 15416 standards for both 1D and 2D barcodes. Customers can print with confidence due to the enhanced measurement accuracy of this technology. Labels that fail to meet the required quality or standards for their application are marked with a partial pattern so they can be identified as incorrect or unreadable barcodes.

Similar to the T8000, the T6000e ODV-2D system can provide users confidence that every barcode label they send out will be accurate and printed at the required standard. With ODV-2D barcode verification, the printer has the power to generate grading reports for each print job. This is extremely beneficial in the event that the readability or grade of a user’s labels are questioned. They will have documented evidence of every barcode label printed and their grade at the time of printing. Additionally, the Printronix AutoID Data Manager software application can capture grading measurements for every barcode printed on each label. “We have customers using this data capture tool to successfully defend barcode quality chargebacks,” said Baker.

The T6000e barcode label printer with ODV-2D barcode verification technology can also be used in conjunction with the integrated RFID option, enabling customers to not only encode and verify their RFID labels, but also guarantee the grade of the barcodes printed on them. This industry leading capability is ideal for retail supply chain applications where vendors not only struggle with barcode quality but are also required to use RFID labels on their shipments.

Barcode Labeling Manufacturers Combine

Posted on 15 January, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Loftware, Inc., the global leader in Enterprise Labeling & Artwork Management Solutions and NiceLabel, a leading developer of label management systems have announced that they are combining under the Loftware corporate umbrella. This union gives customers and partners an expanded choice of solutions, while providing enhanced labeling capabilities and the benefits of greater investment in cloud-based solutions and technologies. It also brings together 60 years of combined expertise in solving labeling challenges for companies of all sizes throughout a wide range of industries across the globe.

“Our customers, channel and technology partners and the overall market will benefit from our strategic vision to provide broader and deeper labeling solutions in addition to expanded scale, world-class services and global support. It also unites the best talent in the industry to drive new levels of innovation,” commented Loftware President and CEO, Robert O’Connor, Jr. “Loftware and NiceLabel have both seen sustained growth and expansion over the past several years, especially in 2020 when labeling solutions have become so critical to supply chain continuity. This move brings together two thriving organizations, providing momentum for significant expansion over the next decade and beyond,” he added.

NiceLabel’s extensive global partner network includes resellers, ISVs, OEMs and print technology partners that deliver NiceLabel labeling solutions and technology. In a complementary fashion, Loftware brings deep experience in selling, servicing and supporting Enterprise Labeling and Artwork Management solutions to large global organizations. The combined organization will continue to offer both Loftware and NiceLabel products, providing the broadest range of cloud-based labeling solutions for direct and channel partner customers across the globe. Together they will further enable supply chain agility, support evolving regulations and optimize business operations for companies across a wide range of industries including life sciences, manufacturing, food & beverage, retail, automotive, consumer products, apparel and more.

“We are delighted to combine with Loftware and look forward to expanding opportunities for our channel partners and end customers by providing new solutions and innovations to help them grow their business,” stated NiceLabel CEO, Chris Walsh. “The two companies offer truly complementary solutions that are more vital than ever. This combination represents a terrific opportunity to further accelerate growth especially as organizations look to address evolving customer and regulatory requirements and standardize labeling across worldwide operations,” he commented.

Intelligent Label Printing for Enterprise Professionals

Posted on 13 January, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Global company in barcode label printing solutions,TSC Printronix Auto ID, has announced the launch of its new Alpha-30L and Alpha-40L (pictured above) high-performance mobile printers. Both models are in keeping with current trends and complement TSCs printer line-up offering advanced productivity and management features for a premium mobile printing experience. They are powerful, efficient, user-friendly, heavy-duty, and drop-resistant.

The new high-quality models were designed to be rugged for on-the-go printing in the most demanding environments. They are IP54 rated without the aid of a protective case for dust and water resistance, reducing added weight and bulk for operational comfort. Both have been rigorously tested to withstand a 1-meter tumble and 1.8-meter drop. Protective cases are available for even further durability to withstand a 2.5-meter drop. Due to their rugged design, the printers meet military-grade standards for drop and vehicle vibration. Ideal for enterprise professionals on-the-go, the Alpha-30L and Alpha-40L support printing applications for direct store delivery (DSD), manufacturing and retail end-users.

The new models feature a smart battery management system. The batteries within the mobile printer can report the state of battery capacity, charge and history of charge cycles. These details can be reported and managed from any remote access point using SOTI Connect, as well as TSC very own remote management tool TSC Console. Paired together, these two management systems allow users to respond quickly and keep their operations running smoothly and ensure little to no downtime.

With the Apple-certified MFi Bluetooth® 5.0 connection and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi fast roaming features, the two flexible all-rounders not only provide reliable and seamless communication with users’ devices, they also securely print labels wherever they are needed. The models perform very well seamlessly moving from one access point to another. For many printer companies, this is the most difficult function for any mobile printer to accomplish.

A further advantage is that both models are also equipped with NFC tap-to-pair for easy connectivity. So, users can securely print labels wherever they need them by touching the mobile printer to another NFC-tag equipped device. Then, the two will automatically pair.

“These mobile printers are two of the most well-rounded mobile printers we have ever launched. They have more features, more communication abilities, and more integration tools than we’ve offered before”, states Sabine Mayer, Senior Marketing Manager EMEA at TSC Printronix Auto ID. And she added: ”We’re very excited about these printers helping to round out our total mobile printer family. As the sixth and seventh models in our portfolio, we now have more printers to fit more mobile printing solutions than ever before.”

Last year, TSC Printronix announced a new strategic partnership with SOTI, the world’s most trusted mobile and IoT management solutions provider. For the full story click here.

Intelligent Label Printing for Enterprise Professionals

Posted on 13 January, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Last year, TSC Printronix announced a new strategic partnership with SOTI, the world’s most trusted mobile and IoT management solutions provider. For the full story click here.

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