SATO Etikettendrucker Selection Guide

Transcription

1 SATO Etikettendrucker Selection Guide Compliments of $9.95

2 Copyright Weddell Drive Sunnyvale, CA Revision E Second Edition Portions reprinted with permission of MARKET RESOURCES P.O. Box 981 Sandy, UT All rights reserved including those of translation. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of SATO America, Inc. The information contained herein is based on the experience and materials collected from public information sources. is not responsible for the accuracy of its contents or for damages that might occur because of errors or omissions. does not, by publication of data in this book, ensure to anyone the use of such data against liability of any kind, including infringement of any patent. Publication of any data in this book does not constitute a recommendation of any patent or proprietary right that might be involved.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Bar Code Printing Basics Text vs. Bar Code...1 Specifications....2 Quality Considerations....3 Demand vs. Batch Printing...5 Selecting a Print Technology Direct Thermal....7 Thermal Transfer...9 Press Printing...10 Solid Font Impact Impact Dot Matrix...11 Laser...12 InkJet...13 Symbologies Linear Bar Codes D Bar Codes...17 Symbology Specifications...18 Label Considerations Design...20 Design Software Printing SATO Thermal Printers Thermal Printing...25 Direct Thermal vs. Thermal Transfer...28 Print and Apply...30 Specifications Summary...31 Feature Guide Bar Code Symbologies...34 Text Fonts...35 Label Formats...36 Label Edge Sensing...37 Resolution...38 System Options...39

4 Page ii Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Media Selection Direct Thermal Labels...40 Thermal Transfer Labels and Ribbons Adhesives Tag Media...44 For More Information...46

5 Bar Code Printing Basics There are two primary activities associated with bar code systems, printing the symbols and reading them. Both are equally important even though they are separate activities, performed at different times at different locations, and many times by different companies. It is essential that these two activities be coordinated if acceptable results are to be obtained. Something must be used to make sure both activities are operating under the same rules. Of the two activities, printing and reading, the first to be performed is the printing. After all, if something is be read, it must first be available in a readable form. Someone else may be printing the bar code symbol for you, as in the case of the UPC codes printed on items in the grocery store. Or you may be printing the symbol for someone else to read, such as would be the case if you were providing a product to be resold in the grocery store. Text vs. Bar Code In our modern information age, enormous amounts of data are moved from computer to computer every day. But computers have difficulty recognizing mistakes, giving rise to the phrase garbage in, garbage out. If you are depending upon the data to make important business decisions, it must be accurate, dependable and timely. Bar code systems are used to replace human data entry techniques because of two main attributes; The technology is very reliable, with extremely low read rate errors. CL608e 203 dpi 6" Wide CL408e 203 dpi 4" Wide CL412e 305 dpi 4" Wide CL612e 305 dpi 6.5" Wide SATO CLe Series Thermal Transfer Printers

6 Page 2 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide They are easily and inexpensively automated, increasing speed and productivity. To realize the benefits offered by bar codes, their capabilities and limitations must be understood. Bar code systems are not designed to duplicate the human visual capabilities, like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) systems which require complex imaging and recognition schemes, but to replace it with components designed with readily available and low cost technology. The human visual system is capable of deciphering very complex signals. It can decipher a symbol completely illegible to the machine. But the same visual system has great difficulty in taking large quantities of simple information, such as that represented by a bar code symbol, and reducing it to a single character. On the other end of the spectrum, the limited operational range of a machine scanner dictates that it operate under a very rigid and simple set of conditions. It can process huge quantities of simple information but requires very definable elements. For example, it wants to interpret a non-reflective part of a symbol as a bar. It is very poor at deciding if what was seen was a bar or a space with some garbage in it. To compensate for this deficiency, bar code label printers are optimized for printing simple symbols such as the bars in a bar code. Bar code printers are designed to produce the simple character elements that can be easily read by a machine scanner. Human text fonts in contrast are designed to fit the needs of the human that is interpreting them. Humans like to see all of those curlicues and serifs hanging off the end of the characters which makes it easier for the eye to string them together into words. Machine readers are more like the engineers that designed them, they see little use in anything that does not contain information. To them perfection is found in nice straight edges and consistent spacing. A simple matrix font formed from dots is sufficient to convey the necessary information. If larger characters are needed for visibility, simply expand the size by creating larger matrix elements using multiple dots to form each element. This results in the familiar stair-stepped characters that were characteristic of early dot matrix printers. However, humans have become accustomed to seeing smooth and nicely rounded characters that have been printed on their modern laser printers where they have a choice of fonts with which to express their individuality. Since most labels also contain information in a human readable form, it is necessary for us to compromise somewhere. Trying to make the human readable characters pleasing to the eye comes at a price, which is paid in increased memory storage requirements and/or reduced print speed. To store a number of large matrix fonts defining a complete range of character sizes requires a lot of memory. Memory storage can be reduced if the outline font approach is employed, like that used to define TrueType or PostScript fonts. Using this implementation, only the font definition is stored and is expanded by the processor when needed, but the time required to image a label becomes longer. If items are coming down a conveyor belt at a rate of one every five seconds, a slow printer that cannot keep up is not the correct answer. Specifications Application specifications perform the coordination task between the two activities. They are used to delineate the conditions under which a bar code symbol is to be printed and read later. At a minimum, the specifications should contain the following information: The symbology to be used. The density and size of the symbols. The allowable printing tolerances. Any check characters to be used to increase data integrity. The message content of the encoded data. Any data identifier characters to be included in the symbol. The size of the label.

7 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 3 The location of each symbol on the label. Human readable information or graphic images to be included. The environmental conditions to which the label will be exposed. The material used for the label. The initial step in label printing is to carefully read the specification. If no specification exists, then the first order of business is to write one. It may be a simple one page memo or a document containing many pages. No matter how simple or controlled your application, you are asking for disaster without a specification. It establishes the ground rules under which everything must operate. Even though your scanner can read the labels your present printer is producing, there is no guarantee this will be the case if you should ever replace either with different equipment, or even if you change ribbon manufacturers. Quality Considerations The implementation of a successful bar code system starts with the symbol. The code is selected based upon data requirements and the capabilities of the scanning system used. Once selected, the next step in implementing a system is to record the symbol in a manner that will ensure readability at the proper time. This is a direct measure of the QUALITY of the printed symbol. A quality symbol must not only be within specifications at the time of printing, but must remain readable throughout its life. Because the symbol is being read by a scanner, its quality level should be judged against what the scanner expects to see. Here is an example of what you see is not necessarily what you get. The human eye may think the contrast between the bars and spaces is excellent, but if they are printed with red ink on a white background they will appear indistinguishable to a laser scanner operating in the infrared spectrum. If the bars are created by overprinting with a heavily inked ribbon on a dot matrix printer, then edge bleeding of the printed bars can result in wide spaces being interpreted by the scanner as narrow spaces. MEASURING PRINT QUALITY For an accurate determination of quality, the symbol should be measured with equipment that evaluates what the scanner will be looking for. There are many pieces of equipment, called verifiers, on the market that can make these measurements. They range from portable units with quick Go/No-Go readouts to ones that analyze the scanner signal and list the level of compliance for each parameter. Some will even make suggestions as to what can be done to improve the quality level of the symbol. Measurements made to the new ANSI standards will be letter graded, ranging from an A for excellent quality to an F for bar code symbols that do not fall within the specifications. Using these measurements, it is easy to spot symbols that are slowly deteriorating and take steps to rectify the cause before they become a problem in the field. It is common for application specifications to call for a letter grade one or two levels higher that the minimum requirements. This way, allowances are made for the symbol to degrade when exposed to environmental conditions and still be within the minimum specification limits when it is time to read them. Verifiers should be used with a heavy dose of common sense. Most quality printers designed for bar coding applications have few problems printing consistent symbols if they are maintained within the proper operating parameters (a good ribbon on a dot matrix printer for example). Therefore, a good sampling program can be used to maintain an acceptable quality level for most applications. Unless mandated by the customer, it is not usually necessary to verify each label as it is printed, unless your printer cannot give consistent results. If that is the case, it is time to get a better printer. What is important is whether or not the symbol can be read in the days or weeks ahead, after it has been sitting on someone s receiving dock for a couple of weeks.

8 Page 4 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide QUALITY VS. TECHNOLOGY Printing quality bar code labels depends upon several factors. First, the print technology chosen must be able to meet the technical requirements of the symbol. Thermal and laser printers can print almost any code density including the new ultra high density symbols, but dot matrix printers can only be used for low to medium density printing because of the physical size of the print wire. The technology must also meet the needs of the environment. A direct thermal label is of very high quality when it is first printed, but if the label is attached to a part going through a hot air shrink wrap machine, it can easily become useless. However, the same label is perfectly acceptable for a package of hamburger, neither can stand prolonged exposure to heat or sunlight. The next consideration is the base label material, which must be matched to both the print technology and the environment. If a symbol is generated by transferring ink to a label surface, then the ink must not only adhere at the time of printing, but throughout the useful life of the label. It must also provide a method of attachment to the item to be identified. This is commonly done using an adhesive-backed label material, but other methods may be used such as attachment using string or even being stapled to the item. Whatever method is used, it is critical that the label stay attached to the item. A label lying on the warehouse floor is as useless as one that cannot be read but still attached to the item. describe the symbologies used, the information encoded, the layout of the label and any additional text information and graphics that may be required. It will also outline the environmental requirements of the label and placement on the shipping cartons. The specification may follow the general requirements of an industry standard or may be specific to your particular customer. The customer may even level a penalty for labels that do not meet their specifications. Many follow the popular three strikes and you are out arrangement; the first time a label fails, you are fined, the second time one fails, you pay a larger fine, the third time one fails, they remove you from the approved vendor list. Your customer will undoubtedly institute some type of quality check on incoming labels. This can be as simple as scanning them to see if they read correctly or they may take a statistical sampling of the labels and use a bar code verifier to test them. Obviously you would like to COMPLIANCE LABELING Compliance labeling can be most accurately described as a You don t comply, I don t buy ultimatum from one of your customers. Your customer has mandated that you put a bar code label on all products shipped to them and have provided a specification. It should SATO CL408e Demand Label Printer

9 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 5 catch any bad labels before they leave your shipping dock! Now is the time to create your own quality assurance program to make sure you are consistently producing labels to your customer s specifications. The quality assurance program should mirror that of your customer, so that when problems do occur (and they will occur), you are comparing apples to apples and can immediately identify and correct the problem. It may be that the incorrect ribbons or label stock was purchased. Or that preventive maintenance procedures were not followed, allowing the print quality to degrade. An on-line verifier system (one that checks each bar code as it is printed and interrupts the printing if an out of spec symbol is detected) may be needed if strict quality control measures are required. For less stringent requirements, a statistical sampling with a hand-held verifier may be all that is needed. Demand vs. Batch Printing? Many times people confuse when something is needed with how fast it is produced. With bar coded labels, it is not important how fast it was printed, but that it is available when the time comes to be used. The real restraint is the amount of time elapsed between when the information is available for printing and when the label is ready for use. Bar code label applications can be broken down into two time requirement categories, batch and demand, based on when the information is available to print the label relative to the time it is printed. BATCH PRINTING Batch printing implies that the data to be printed on the label is known far enough in advance to have them printed remote to the using location. Sometimes this leads to increased control problems. If the labels are serialized, for example, a voided or lost label can have serious consequences. On the other hand, if the label is produced at the point of usage at the time it is needed, the chances of it getting lost or placed on the wrong article are greatly reduced. Batch printing can be done in two basic ways, depending upon how much time the label data is known in advance. Off-Site Printing - If the information required to print the labels is known weeks or days in advance and the quantities used are sufficiently large, then label production becomes an exercise for the purchasing agent. There is tremendous latitude in label size, materials and supply format (i.e. rolls, sheets, individual, etc.). This is probably the most cost effective method of generating high quality labels, and most likely the only way of getting some specialty labels. However, an inventory level of labels is required to meet the usage requirements. If a large number of different labels are required, each must be inventoried with the accompanying increased likelihood that some will be scrapped as products undergo change. On-Site Printing - This is similar to the off site classification except the exact data for the labels is not known until hours in advance. Typical of this category would be date coded part number labels for a multi-product production line, only a few hours notice may be available when the line is converted to a different product. Depending upon the number of labels needed, the choices could range from an inhouse press to a high speed label printer. The incidence of scrappage is reduced since a smaller number of each label is printed during each production cycle. There is less latitude in material selection because prep and print time is limited. There is a wide selection of printer types, but the print technology is restricted to those that can be easily implemented at a remote location. As an example, press printing is The Trouble with Batch Printing

10 Page 6 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide not a good on-site choice because of the requirement for photographic plates, negatives, and other resource consuming tasks. DEMAND PRINTING Demand label applications require a unique label to be printed and presented at the point of use. This type of label generally contains a predetermined format with variable data sections, e.g. a serialized data field, that makes each label unique. The variable data, while it might be known in advance, is closely identified with a real time activity. The labels are intended to be used in conjunction with this activity as they are printed, or at least within a short time period after printing. Printing labels only when they are required has many advantages. It is also more restrictive on how the labels are produced. Demand printers can operate in the real time production environment. They accept data from the system and produce a label with data unique to that particular article. The variable data can be almost anything; serial numbers, sequence codes, test results, date codes, lot codes, etc. Because the labels are printed on the spot and usually one at a time, the type of printer needed has to meet a number of special requirements that do not apply to batch printing. Speed - The label must be ready when it is needed. This can be very fast, if an automatic applicator is used, or reasonably slow if a human operator takes the label and places it on the article. At the same time, the print process used must be simple and fast. Multi-step printers do not make good demand printers because of the time needed for set up. Presentation - The label must be presented to the applicator ready to be used immediately after it is printed. This could mean stripped with the adhesive back exposed or with the backing liner still attached but separated into individual labels by either tearing or cutting them apart. The last printed label must be easily accessible without wasting label stock. Media - The media must be universally usable for all label requirements supported by that printer. While it is possible to change label supplies to get different label sizes, pre-print information, etc., it is not feasible to change the media except on supply-type basis (i.e. one roll, one sheet, etc.). Because of their limited print field and media supply systems, demand label printers cannot efficiently produce text documents such as Bills of Lading and Shipping Notices. These types of applications are best left to ordinary computer printers that are designed to print human readable text documents with an occasional bar code field. The applications for which demand label printers are used can be categorized by the following: The labels are generated at the point of use. Each label or group of labels is unique. Labels are used in a real time environment.

11 Selecting A Print Technology All of the major print technologies have some advantages and disadvantages when used in a demand label application. It is possible to make a particular technology fit the application, but this generally involves compromises that may not make sense. It is more practical to select a printer based on a set of reasonable tradeoffs. For instance, a label printer is not often used for printing text documents, so this capability should not be included in the primary selection criteria. Before requirements can be matched to a particular type of printer, something must be known about the different characteristics of the technology and what they mean to bar code printing. Most of the familiar print technologies were developed for producing human readable text information. They can be modified to print bar codes, but what makes a good text printer does not necessarily make a good bar code printer. The more successful bar code printers have been optimized for this purpose. An example of optimization for bar code printing is the shape of the print dot used by matrix printers. A square or rectangular dot makes a bar with a very defined edge, something scanners like to see. A round dot produces a bar with a scalloped edge, harder for the bar code scanner to read, but it makes a human readable character that is more pleasing to the eye than the harsh corners of the square dot. Square dots make better bar codes while round dots are better suited for text documents. Another differentiation is the size of the print field. Text printers are designed to print document size pages, while label printers limit themselves to practical label sizes. Direct Thermal Direct thermal printing has more of a public image problem than a performance problem. While it is sensitive to heat and ultraviolet light, the degree is much less than most people suppose. It does offer one unique advantage not available in any other of the technologies presented here. It does not depend upon a secondary substance transfer to generate a mark on the paper. Direct thermal printing chemically alters a coating to produce the desired image. There is no secondary ink substance that must be disassociated from a carrier and made to adhere to the label surface. If the thermally active layer is covered by a protective coating, as all thermal printer manufacturers recommend, the image is shielded from surface abuse and contamination. The only thing that can get to it without first having to break down the protective layer is radiated energy in the form of either heat or ultraviolet light. Foreign contaminates or surface abuse must first destroy the protective coating before affecting the image. Protective Coating Binder Color Former A Base Paper Thermal Element Formed Image Color Former B Thermal Printing

12 Page 8 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide SATO M-5900RV Direct Thermal Printer ADVANTAGES Quality - Because of the square image elements and the non-reliance on a secondary substance transfer, direct thermal labels produce high quality bar codes with excellent bar edge definition. Simplicity - The absence of any ribbon/toner mechanisms makes the direct thermal mechanism inherently simple. This results in a less complex media loading path for more user friendly consumables handling. Resolution - The thermal print elements can produce a consistent dot pattern down to 5.0 mils (200 dpi) when printing in a horizontal mode (parallel to the paper movement). This allows ultra high density bar code printing. When printing in a vertical mode however, the speed must be reduced significantly to allow the elements to cool down before stepping to the next print position. While it is possible to print bars down to 5.0 mils when the print speed, paper sensitivity and power applied to the elements are carefully matched, it is best to avoid printing narrow dimensions of less than 10 mils in the horizontal mode and 15 mils in the vertical mode. Cost - The elimination of any ribbon/toner mechanism results in a lower initial printer cost. It also results in a more favorable consumable cost when compared to either thermal transfer or laser printers. LIMITATIONS Environment - The two most severe environmental limitations are exposure to high temperatures or prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. The development of new thermal papers has pushed the upper temperature range upward to about 212 F and special ultraviolet filter coatings can be applied that will extend the exposure time to sunlight from weeks to months and will retain an acceptable quality image for most purposes. Spectral Response - The bars created by the standard thermal dyes used in the label coatings are relatively transparent to infrared light, limiting the usefulness of standard label media to visible light scanners. Special label coatings are available that work with both visible and infrared light sources, but also increase the cost of the label. If it is to be read by both types of scanners, then the infrared stock should be specified. Media - The thermal paper used must match the characteristics for which the printer was designed. Because of the

13 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 9 various speeds (sensitivity to heat) available in thermal papers, not all printer and paper combinations are compatible. When properly matched however, they will yield excellent quality bar code symbols. Thermal Element Backing Ribbon Thermal Transfer Thermal transfer printing is basically a direct thermal process that has a ribbon interposed between the head and the label. The heat from the print head is used to release the ink from a mylar ribbon and make it adhere to the label surface. Since this type of thermal process now relies upon a secondary substance transfer, some of the advantages of direct thermal are lost, but heat restrictions have been improved and sensitivity to ultraviolet light has been eliminated. ADVANTAGES Quality - The ink transferred to the label surface produces excellent bars with quite high contrast ratios which are very stable and resist deterioration. The use of square print dot elements also gives excellent bar edge quality. Resolution - The thermal print elements can produce a consistent dot pattern down to 1.67 mils (600 dpi) when printing in a horizontal mode (parallel to the paper movement), allowing ultra high density bar code printing. When printing in a vertical mode however, the speed must be reduced significantly to allow the elements to cool down before stepping to the next print position. While it is possible to print bars below 5.0 mils when the print speed, paper, ribbon and power applied to the elements are carefully matched, it is best to avoid printing bar codes with a narrow dimension of less than 10 mils in the horizontal mode and 15 mils in the vertical mode. Label Sheet Thermal Transfer Printing Speed - Because it takes less energy to release the ink from the ribbon than it does to develop a dot using thermally sensitive paper, the print speed of thermal transfer printers is faster than their direct thermal cousins. With the same print head and mechanism, it is typically twice as fast when printing comparable images in the direct thermal mode. Dual Mode Printing - Since the thermal transfer printer is essentially a thermal mechanism with a ribbon positioned between the head and the paper, it can also be used to print in a direct thermal mode if the ribbon is not used. However, the head life will be considerably reduced because it is no longer protected by the ribbon. Media Selection - Bar code symbols can be generated using a wider range of paper and vinyl substrates that are more resistive to heat, water and light than in the direct thermal process. By proper selection of the label material and the ribbon, a very strong bond may be obtained between the ink and the label surface, giving performance comparable to direct thermal labels with protective surface laminations. LIMITATIONS Hot Melt Ink Transferred Ink Ribbons - The ribbons are single pass and the printing of a single dot in a row

14 Page 10 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide wastes the remaining ink on that row. This results in a very high ribbon usage and associated cost. The ribbons are a thin mylar or similar material coated with ink on one side and can be difficult to handle, especially if they are very wide. Label Cost - Because of the high ribbon usage, usually on the order of one ribbon roll for each two rolls of labels, the cost of labels is higher than with most of the other common technologies. Ribbon/Media Compatibility - The adherence of the ink to the surface is the source of most of the durability problems with thermal transfer images. If improper ribbon formulations are used, the transferred ink may flake at the edges when contact scanners are used, or become smudged from oily finger prints. Press Printing This category encompasses all of the press technology available for off-site printing. This includes film masters, flexography, offset lithography, gravure, letterset, hot stamping and many others. It offers the widest range of quality labels available for bar code printing. The most important step for procuring off-site printed labels is the generation of a good specification for the label, detailing the precise dimensions of the symbols and media upon which they are to be printed. Selection of a label vendor should be based primarily upon their experience and reputation. This probably won t be the lowest cost bidder, but will most likely represent the lowest overall cost if headaches and mistakes are taken into consideration. ADVANTAGES Label Material Selection - Because of the many print processes available for use, the range of materials available on which bar codes may be printed is almost limitless. Special materials are available for high temperatures, and even metal plates can be imprinted with bar coded information. Cost - If a large quantity of identical labels are required and they do not have any special requirements to drive up the price, cost per label will be relatively inexpensive. Quality - High quality should be expected for press printed labels. While it is possible to get low quality labels using off-site vendors, the cause can usually be traced to poor workmanship or a lack of understanding of the bar code symbol requirements. Excellent quality labels that survive under harsh conditions can be obtained by the selection of the correct print process and base label material. Label Size - The printable label size is limited only by the dimensions of the press web, which can be very large. LIMITATIONS Variable Data - It is difficult to print labels where each one must contain different data. Even sequential numbering using bar code symbols is a task. It involves not just the changing of a single character, but the rearrangement of a series of bars and spaces. Advance Data - The data for the label(s) to be printed must be known far enough in advance to allow for the preparation of the print masters and scheduling of press time. If special labels are needed, extra time must be allowed to obtain any nonstandard materials. Cost - If only a small number of labels are needed, the cost per label can be high, reflecting set-up charges that are now prorated over fewer labels. Solid Font Impact Solid font impact printers come the closest to typewriters in technology and limitations. They print the bar codes by constructing the

15 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 11 symbols with preformed bars or by printing the complete character with a single hammer blow. The constructed code method must be used if the symbol to be printed represents a large area per hammer blow, or if a continuous code is chosen. ADVANTAGES Simple Interfacing - Send the printer a character code and that is what it prints. No worrying about aspect ratios, different code symbologies, etc. Quality - Since each bar is precisely formed, the edge definition is excellent and good quality bar code symbols are produced. LIMITATIONS Fixed Format - Since each bar or symbol is preformed, the label format, symbology codes or character densities cannot be changed without changing the code wheel. Alpha characters may be printed, but are restricted to a particular location determined by their position on the code wheel. All symbols must be printed in the same orientation, and orthogonally (i.e. at right angles) printed symbols cannot be produced. Speed - Each bar or symbol is located sequentially on the code wheel and the print speed is limited by the rotational speed of the wheel. Mechanical - The operation of the mechanism depends upon numerous moving parts with large masses. The hammer blows and code wheel rotation must be properly synchronized or smearing will result. Symbol Area - If small area symbols are printed, there is a tendency for ticking to occur. This is ink transfer in areas between characters or on edge of adjacent characters. Impact Dot Matrix Dot matrix printers are very popular in the computer industry for document printing. Many have been pressed into bar code service because they are cheap and everyone with a computer probably already has one. However, the ones best suited for bar code applications are the line printer types, the ones that are not cheap and only used in limited computer applications. The most effective dot matrix printers generally have additional intelligence in the form of a graphics controller card to reduce transmission time for complex labels. ADVANTAGES Versatility - Dot matrix printers are one of the most versatile types available. They can print bar code symbols or text documents in any orientation and with various height and width symbols. They are especially adept at printing multicopy forms that include bar code symbols for document tracking and control. When printing bar codes on multi-copy forms however, the top copy will be the only one readable by a scanner. Equipment Cost - Dot matrix printers are used in large quantities by the computer industry and the initial cost of the equipment is low. However, care should be exercised in selecting a dot matrix printer for bar code applications on the basis of price or availability. Also make sure it can print suitable quality symbols. LIMITATIONS Carriage Width - Most of the common dot matrix printers were designed primarily for printing documents. The width of the carriage is determined by the smallest sheet size (usually 8.5" x 11"). Bar code labels tend to be much smaller and have to be printed multiple up to take advantage of the print speed. Also, if the printer uses the standard puller tractor arrangement, the label must clear the tractor assembly before it is easily acces-

16 Page 12 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide sible. Fitting a label stripper or cutter to such a printer presents some mechanical challenges. Quality - When used to print bar code symbols, dot matrix printers have several factors going against them. First, the edge definition of the bar is poor and overlapping dots must be used to meet the specifications. When overprinting to increase the bar density and fill in the ragged edges, new ribbons will bleed excessively at the bar edge causing bars to be too wide and the adjacent spaces too narrow, while worn ribbons not containing enough ink will tend to print the bars will too narrow with adjacent spaces being too wide. Second, irregular paper spacing will cause problems with vertically printed symbols. If the printer uses a serially driven head, then irregular head motion will result in problems with horizontally printed symbols. Spectral Response - The standard ink in a dot matrix printer ribbon is not readable to scanners using infrared light. Carbon must be added to make it infrared scannable, but carbon will cause the print head to wear out prematurely. Special mylar ribbons using carbon have been Toner Bin developed to overcome this problem, but most are single pass and have a very limited lifetime. The dry carbon transferred from the mylar ribbons must adhere to the surface since it is not absorbed by the label material. Resolution - The best resolution offered by dot matrix printers comes from the 24 pin print heads that use 8 mil diameter print wires. When ink bleed is taken into consideration, the dot size will end up between 9 and 10 mils, giving a medium density bar code symbol at best. When printing low density symbols such as those called for by the AIAG B-3 Shipping Label, the 8 mil wire requires several overlapping dot rows to print the proper bar width. Conversely, printers using nine pin heads with 12 mil print wires can create the symbol more easily, but are limited to printing only low density bar codes. Laser The term laser is used here to refer to any printer using a xerographic or similar type of printing process. Liquid Crystal Shutter (LCS) arrays, Light Emitting Diode (LED) arrays or lasers are used to expose the surface of the image Paper Direction Exposure Area Drum Corona Wire Transfer Corona Wire Developer Bin Fusing Rollers OPC Drum Laser Printing

17 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 13 drum, with the laser being the most popular. These printers are invariably page printers and are not well suited for demand label applications. They are most commonly sheet fed printers, but some of the newer laser printers designed for bar code applications employ a tractor feed system whereby continuous forms may be used. ADVANTAGES Aesthetics - Laser printers commonly have a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch, with some of the newer models being capable of printing at 600 or 1200 dpi. This allows them to print almost typeset quality characters and high resolution graphic images. These can be combined with bar code symbols on a label to produce very nice looking labels with complicated designs. Resolution - At 300 dots per inch resolution (a 3.3 mil dot size), laser printers can create ultra high density bar code symbols. However, it is not generally recommended that bars be printed less than 6.6 mils (two dots wide on a 300 dpi printer) unless the symbol is to be scanned in closed loop applications where the scanning equipment used can be controlled. Multi-Application - Lasers are the printers of choice for documents where bar code symbols and quality document printing must be intermixed. Limitations Page Printer - Since laser printers are basically page printers, it takes as much time and media to print a single small label as it does a large label. If it prints at six pages per minute, it takes 10 seconds to print a whole page or a single bar code symbol. Some of the newer laser printers designed for bar code applications have a variable page length feature, but the physical distance between the imaging drum and the fusing roller prevents an image from being placed immediately following the previous image. They are therefore poor choices for typical demand label applications. Heat - Laser printers use heat to fuse the toner to the surface of the paper, a lot of heat. The adhesive coating on the back of a label tends to seep out between the die cut edges when heat is applied. In ion deposition printers, the heat is replaced by pressure, but the result can be the same. Special adhesives must be specified for these printers. Label Imaging Time - Because of the large number of dots per inch, the time required to image a label can be substantial. Compounding the problem is the requirement for a complete page to be imaged even if it consists of a number of identical smaller labels. Ink Jet Ink jet printing has several drawbacks when used for printing bar code symbols, but does find some use in specialized applications. The main problems with bar code printing are involved with the formation and control of the dot. Since the ink is absorbed, the paper porosity, ink viscosity and drying time must be carefully controlled. The most pronounced symbol quality problems are associated with the edge definition, contrast ratio and consistent bar widths. Some of the new ink jet techniques use a solid ink that is liquefied with heat and placed on the paper where it reverts to its solid state. This gives better edge definition and contrast ratios but leaves a raised print image which can cause problems with contact scanners. Special ink jet systems have been developed to print low resolution bar codes directly on corrugated surfaces. Using independently mounted nozzles, the images are formed as the container is moved by on a conveyor system.

18 Page 14 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Ink Droplets Nozzle Advantages Non-contact - The primary advantages of ink-jet printing is that it is a non-contact printing technology. This removes any wear on the head due to contact abrasion. This also allows surfaces with irregular finishes to be printed if they are compatible with the ink. DISADVANTAGES To Ink Supply Ink Jet Printing Piezoelectric Transducer Control Voltage Media Surface - The ink must be absorbed into the surface of the media, requiring a controlled surface porosity and finish. Because bar codes involve much higher printing densities than text, the media requires a longer period of time to dry sufficiently before it can be handled without smearing. Ink Formulation - The ink must dry quickly, but not in the nozzle. The compromise between these two extremes requires the head to be purged or cleaned between print jobs. Water based inks are also very susceptible to exposure to moisture. A single drop of water can render a bar code unreadable. Infrared Response - If infrared scanners are used, carbon or some other infrared absorbing material must be added to the ink. This can cause excessive wear on the ink nozzles. Matching Technology and Requirements The selection of the proper technology for generating bar coded labels is a very complex process. It involves not only an understanding of the print technology to be used, but the label usage requirements as well. These two bodies of knowledge must be combined in the selection process to ensure that the bar code labels produced will give satisfactory performance for their required lifetime. Some of the factors to be considered are: What are the environmental requirements? What is the total cost target per label? Does the data content change? How will the label be scanned? How will the label be applied? How often will a label be required i.e., (10 labels per second, etc)?

19 Symbologies Linear Bar Codes Linear bar codes are uni-dimensional, i.e. the same data is present in all vertical elements. If you increase the number of characters in a linear bar code, it expands horizontally. The vertical dimension remains unchanged. Increasing the height of a linear bar code does not change its data capacity, just the ease of scanning. Five bar codes represent the great majority of all bar code usage. They are the UPC/EAN, Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, Codabar and Code 128. All of these are linear bar codes that are easy to print using a variety of printers. Of these five, UPC/EAN and Code 39 are by far the most commonly used, but Code 128 is rapidly gaining acceptance for new applications. Other codes have been designed for specific purposes, but do not enjoy wide usage. These five codes represent a wide range of capabilities. UPC/EAN, Codabar and Interleaved 2 of 5 being capable of only encoding numerics, while Code 39 can also encode uppercase alphas and Code 128 the full ASCII character set. UPC/EAN and Code 128 are four level codes, with each element being either 1X, 2X, 3X or 4X the width of a narrow bar. Code 39, Codabar and Interleaved 2 of 5, on the other hand, are two level codes having only two possible widths, either wide or narrow. The wide to narrow ratio for these codes is limited to a range from 2:1 to 3:1, with the minimum being 2.2:1 for codes having narrow bar dimensions of less than 20 mils (.020"). It should be noted that the two level codes have twice the printing tolerance when printed at 3:1 than the four level codes. The scanner has to only distinguish between a bar three times as wide as the narrow one. In the four level code, it has to determine when a bar is only twice as wide. To get an accurate density comparison between the two level and four level codes with all factors being equal, the wide to narrow ratio for the two level code should be set to 2:1. CODE 39 Code 39 is an alpha numeric code that encodes 43 characters. It is a discrete code, i.e. one where each character starts with a bar and ends with a bar and has a discrete space between characters. Each character in Code 39 is represented by five bars and four spaces, with three of the nine elements being wide and the remaining six narrow. It is a two level code, with the wide to narrow ratio being restricted between a range of 2:1 (2.2:1 for narrow bar widths under 20 mils) and 3:1. Unique start/stop characters are added at the beginning and end of the decoded data and are conventionally decoded as an asterisk. Code 39 is widely used in industrial applications because of its variable length feature and the ability to encode alphas as well as numerics. Code 39 is specified for usage by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), the Department of Defense s MIL SPEC 1189 LOGMARS specification and the Health Industry Bar Code Council (HIBCC). UPC The UPC code was established for the benefit of the supermarket industry to facilitate automatic scanning of items at the checkout counter. It is a four level numeric only code that is continuous, i.e. one that starts with a bar and ends with a space and has no intercharacter

20 Page 16 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide gap. Characters are constructed from a combination of two bars and two spaces, and occupy a total of 7 module widths. It is a fixed length code with the standard UPC-A symbols having one number system digit, ten data digits and one check digit in addition to the start/stop characters. When printed at 100% magnification (a 13 mil narrow bar dimension), it is inches long. The specification allows it to be printed as large as 200% and as small as 80%. The 80% limitation makes it difficult for a modern discrete dot printer to create both a 100% and an 80% symbol since it would require a dot size of 2.6 mils to construct both within specifications, a size found only in printers designed specifically to meet these requirements. Several variations of the UPC code exist. The EAN (European Article Numbering) variation encodes 13 characters, with the extra digit being combined with the number system digit to encode the country of origin. A shortened version, UPC-E can be used for products that do not have adequate room for the full symbol. INTERLEAVED 2 OF 5 Interleaved 2 of 5 is a numeric only bar code that has been widely accepted in warehouse and heavy industry applications. It is a continuous code and uses combinations of bars to encode one digit and the intervening spaces to encode another. Therefore any symbol must contain an even number of characters. A char- A B C D E F A b C d E f Code 39, 12 characters, 13 mil Code 128, 12 characters, 13 mil UPC-A, 12 characters, 13 mil A D Codabar, 12 characters, 13 mil EAN-13, 13 characters, 13 mil I 2 of 5, 12 characters, 13 mil UPC-E, 6 characters, 13 mil UPC-A, 5 Supplemental, 17 characters 13 mil Symbology Comparisons

21 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 17 acter is composed of two wide bars (or spaces) out of a total of five, using only two possible widths, either wide or narrow. Special start and stop characters are used to delineate the encoded data. Because of its use of all the bar and space elements for encoding data, it is regarded as a high density code. A check digit can be used to increase the reliability of the code. CODABAR Codabar is a discrete two level code with each character represented by a standalone group of four bars and three intervening spaces. A total of 16 characters are defined and four different start/stop characters used. This allows 16 different sets of data to be encoded using the possible start/stop character combinations. The original Codabar specification was optimized for ink spread in press printing, resulting in 18 possible element widths. Most modern printers use a rationalized version of the code that reduces the number of possible widths to two, making it more compatible with modern discrete dot printers. A check digit is optional if data integrity is critical. CODE 128 Code 128 is one of the newer kids on the block and is becoming very popular because of its high density and ability to encode a full character set. It is a four level discrete code with three possible start characters and one stop character, with each of the four combinations describing a separate character set. Subset A includes all of the standard uppercase alphanumeric keyboard characters plus the control and special characters. Subset B includes all of the standard uppercase alpha-numeric keyboard characters plus lower case alpha and special characters. Subset C includes the set of 100 digit pairs from 00 thru 99 inclusive, as well as special characters which allow double density numeric digit pairs to be encoded. It has a structure with 11 modules, each having three bars and three spaces. A check digit is mandatory. The combination of high density, the ability to encode 128 characters and the development of laser and thermal bar code printers capable of printing high quality symbols with small bar dimensions has fueled the popularity of Code 128. It is being specified for a number of applications, including the new UCC-128 Serial Shipping Container Code. 2-D Bar Codes 2-D bar codes were developed in an attempt to overcome the conventional information limitations of linear bar code symbols. As the amount of information encoded increases, there are only two options available with linear bar codes, make them longer or use multiple symbols. As the symbols become longer they consume more room and become a problem for scanners as they fall outside the allowable scan angle. Breaking the information up into a number of standalone symbols requires that each be read individually and that the contents of each be identifiable from that of the other symbols as the order of scanning cannot be ensured. The AIAG-B3 shipping label is an excellent example of conventional symbols being arranged one above another. In this case each symbol is read separately and the system must correlate the information. By using Data Identifier characters, the system knows what information is contained in the symbol regardless of the order scanned. However, the limitation of this approach is apparent. The 2-D symbologies take advantage of both horizontal and vertical encodation to reduce the symbol size and achieve character densities up to 2000 characters per square inch. There are two primary approaches taken. The first is to stack high density linear symbols with very small vertical measurements. The other is to use a pattern code in which data can be encoded in an X-Y matrix. STACKED CODES PDF417, Code 49 and Code 16K are examples of stacked symbologies. The most popular of these is PDF417, developed by Symbol Technologies, Inc. in It is easily recognized by the continuous start and stop codes that run the entire height of the symbol. In between the start/stop codes are a number of linear bar codes stacked directly on top of each other. The

22 Page 18 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Data Matrix Maxicode PDF417 2-D Bar Codes scanner must be able to determine when it has crossed a row boundary and stitch the symbols together. A high density PDF417 symbol can encode 500 characters per square inch of ASCII data and has a selectable security level. At the highest level, half the symbol can be missing and still be decodable. PDF417 uses shift characters to select a character set, much like Code 128. Reading a stacked symbol requires a scanner that can either image the entire symbol or can raster scan the symbol and stitch the results together. This increases the cost of the scanner as hand scanning is not possible and laser beam scanners must raster the scan pattern. PATTERN CODES Whereas stacked codes are two dimensional in nature by virtue of the vertical stacking of horizontal rows of bar codes, pattern codes use the location of an information bit in a matrix to encode the data. As such, they do not technically fit into the bar code category. They are capable of extremely high information densities, where they are limited only by the ability of the printer to accurately print and place the dots and the resolution of the scanner. The two most successful of the pattern codes is Maxicode, developed by UPS for package marking, and the Data Matrix code. Data Matrix is a binary code that encodes formation in a checkerboard pattern with dark and light cells. The contrast between cells can be as low as 20%, allowing it to be printed with chemical or laser etch processes on unconventional substrates. It can be scaled to a density of 2,334 characters per sq. in. with a sufficiently high resolution printer. Data Matrix is most often read with a CCD imaging scanner. Maxicode was developed for sorting and tracking packages. It is a matrix of hexagonal cells with a bullseye in the middle to assist the scanner in locking on the image as the package moves down a conveyor. Maxicode is a fixed, 1" x 1", 100-character code. Its structure does not lend itself to linear scanning and is most often read with a CCD imaging scanner. HRI AND 2-D CODES Standard linear bar codes make provision for a representation of the encoded data in Human Readable Interpretation (HRI) form. The HRI requirement is a safety net provided for the system. If a symbol cannot be read by the scanner, the operator has the option of entering the data manually via a keypad. The new 2-D symbols make the HRI concept unrealistic. The character densities of these symbols makes it impractical to reprint the information in human readable form. The HRI information would occupy much more space than the symbol, thereby defeating the purpose of high density symbols. Symbology Specifications Since we are concerned with both printing bar code symbols and reading them without introducing any errors, the specifications for vari-

23 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 19 ous symbologies allow for tolerances in both the process of printing and reading. Some of the allowable tolerances are allocated to the printing process and some to the reading process. If a symbol is in-spec, it simply means that the image representation of the symbol as printed on the substrate is within the limits allowable. The tolerances relate to such factors as the reflectivity of the spaces versus the bars and the ratio of the wide to narrow bar/space measurements. Being able to read a bar code symbol with a scanner is not an acceptable method of determining if it is within the allowable tolerances. A very poor quality symbol may possibly be read with a high performance scanner, but in this case the scanner is allowing the symbol to infringe upon the tolerances reserved for the scanning system. Another scanner, or even the same scanner with a different operator, might not be able to compensate for this lack of symbol quality, rendering the symbol unusable. For this reason, the standards will spell out the minimum acceptable levels of contrast, reflectance and other critical print quality measurements. They also specify how these measurements are to be made. The specifications for all of the bar code symbologies listed here are maintained by the Automatic Identification Manufacturers (AIM) trade association in the form of a Uniform Symbol Specification. The exception is the UPC symbol which is controlled by the Uniform Product Code Council. CX208 Desk Top Printer

24 Label Considerations Perhaps as important as the type of printer used is the consideration given to the design and construction of the label itself. Again, this should be the subject of a specification, especially if you are expecting someone else to print the label for you. Most major companies have developed bar code labeling specifications to which they expect their suppliers to conform. If a shipment is received without a label or with one that does not meet the specification, the shipment may be rejected and, worse yet, a fine imposed on the supplier. A good label specification should, at a minimum, specify the following information: The physical size and construction of the label. The environmental specifications. The symbology(s) to be used along with the technical specifications for the symbol. The number, size, position and orientation of the fields along with the data to be contained in each. Design The design of the label is critical. If you are dealing with a simple item identification label containing nothing but a single bar code and its human readable information, then it is relatively simple. However, here you still may be required to make a tradeoff on whether to print the label horizontally across the label using a wider web printer or to print it vertically down the length of the label with a smaller web printer running slower. Complicating the decision would be the addition of images such as company logos and fancy human readable printing such as commonly found on retail bar code tags. SIZE The physical size of the label must be within reasonable limits. One too small is difficult for klutzy fingers to position precisely, while a very large label is almost impossible to apply without creating a wrinkle (which can destroy the readability of the bar code). As a general rule, labels as small 1/2" high by 1" long and as large as 5" high by 7" long can be applied manually without too much difficulty. MULTIPLE BAR CODES As soon as more than one bar code is included on the label, the problem of which one is read by the scanner must be addressed. This can be solved by using different symbologies for each bar code or by including a Data Identifier character at the start of the data string. The two symbology approach is generally discouraged, since it requires two symbologies with similar structures and data encoding capabilities. Another way to separate two different bar code symbols is to place them at right angles to each other, but problems appear again when more than two symbols are needed. Multiple bar code labels must face another problem, that of how the operator knows which symbol was scanned. This is not difficult if a hand wand scanner is used, but a moving beam laser operator has no control over the horizontal scanning of the beam, just how it is vertically positioned. It is difficult to control which symbol is being read if they are both placed side by side. In this case, stacking the symbols vertically, will solve the problem since the beam can never cut through more than one complete

25 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 21 symbol. All of these problems can be eliminated by use of industry standard Data Identifiers to identify the data contained in the symbol. The placement and orientation of the fields can have a significant effect on the success of a bar code system. If there is information on the label that must be read by an operator, then it should be presented in a highly visible area in a font that will maximize readability. Bar code fields should be easily identified by the operator who must do the scanning. QUIET ZONE One of the most common mistakes made in label layout is the failure to include sufficient Quiet Zones at the beginning and end of the bar code. This is blank space free of any printing or marks. It is needed by the decoder to establish the end points of the symbol. While the decoder may be able to resolve a Quiet Zone that is at least 10 times the smallest bar dimension, the Quiet Zone should never be less than 0.25". Even at that size, hand scanning with a wand is difficult because hand motion is very erratic at the beginning and end of the scan. Placing the bar code too close to the edge of the label violates the Quiet Zone rule even if the label is placed on a white surface. The scanner may detect the raised label edge as a non-reflective bar. Design Software After deciding what the label should look like, the next problem encountered is how to create it. There are two options, you can either write your own program or use a software package to do it for you. If the number of different label designs is small, and the data on them is minimal, it is relatively easy to write a small program to do the job. The Basic program shown in the illustration will print the example label shown on a SATO M-8400RV printer. It has only three fields, one a bar code with HRI information printed below it and two text fields surrounded by a box. However, the day when the process consisted of sending a line of characters down to a text printer to be printed upon a receipt of a carriage return is long gone. Now you have to specify the font, how large it is, where the characters are to be placed, the orientation of the field, what type of bar code, etc. Basic Program and Label

26 Page 22 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide The AIAG shipping label illustrates the problem of complex label designs. It typically contains 29 fields that must be separately programmed along with eight border lines. Also, the information contained in the fields can, and probably will, vary from label to label. Even if we manage to get all of the fields programmed correctly, we still have to find a way to easily enter the variable data into the fields without writing a new program each time. We are talking serious programming here with GO TO statements, LOOPS and other esoteric jargon. It is obvious that we need something to insulate us from this process. A label design and software package is in order. The definition of a good label design package depends upon the label to be designed. For a simple layout, a basic text-based program asking you to enter coordinates and information with a menu driven screen is acceptable. However, more complex labels are difficult to visualize using this method. A WYSIWYG screen layout program is preferred. One caveat is in order, even though a label design program allows you to do all sorts of fancy things, unless the capability is needed, it can end up complicating your life. The only person that becomes proficient in using a complicated label design program is one that uses it a lot. This is not the normal case in the industry, where it is more likely that a few standard labels will be designed and used over and over. For this reason, an intuitive design program is desired, one where you do not spend a lot of time trying to understand how to use the program. A Windows based program would be a good choice, since it has a user interface that is familiar to most people. A Windows design screen from SATO s Label Wizard program illustrates the advantages. It provides a userfriendly interface that insulates the user from the intricacies of the design process. Typical AIAG Shipping Label

27 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 23 Label Wizard Windows Design Screen A demo copy of Label Wizard can be downloaded free from the SATO internet web site ( This is a complete functional version of the program and contains all of the features and capabilities of Label Wizard except for production printing. All of the label formats designed with this version can be used if a decision is made to upgrade to the full production version of Label Wizard at a later date. Printing Most label design programs will allow you to print labels directly from the program. Sometimes this is not the way to go. If the operator only needs to print labels, there is no need to supply access to the design part of the program. As a matter of fact, it is probably desirable to limit access since the temptation to improve the design is eliminated. Being able to break the print portion out into a print only stand-alone program (referred to as a Run Time program) is the best solution. The operator then has to select the right label design from a list and identify the source of the data for the fields. If the labels are to be used in a production environment, the ability to automatically access external database files for the contents of variable fields is a necessity. By defining the field as a variable and tying it to a database, the information can be automatically placed in the field at the time of printing. This allows all database management to be confined to the primary database and any updates or changes automatically incorporated into the label without having to modify the label printing job. The database types can be supported by the program directly or indirectly through the new Microsoft ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) specification.

28 Page 24 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide WINDOWS PRINTER DRIVER Sometimes it is desirable to be able to print directly to a bar code printer from a standard Windows application program. To do this you need to load the printer as a standard Windows printer. A Windows Printer Driver is available for many of the more popular bar code printers. Windows drivers for SATO printers are available free of charge from SATO. These drivers support all of the bar code symbologies resident in the SATO printers. This allows precise control of the bar code to ensure that it is printed within specifications. One of the primary disadvantages of using a Windows Driver is transmission time. All True- Type fonts are transmitted to the printer in a graphics format, i.e. instead of sending a character code to the printer, the actual bit map character is sent. While this increases the versatility and selection of fonts, it greatly increases the amount of data to be transmitted to the printer. For most printers, this would cause an objectionable delay in label production time. However, the new enhanced SATO printers (the CT Series and all e printers) with their new high-speed interfaces and thrid generation RISC processors, can easily accomodate large data transfers without impacting label production time. With these printers, the data transmission and imaging time is minimal, resulting in extremely high through-put. A comparison report illustrating these speed advantages, Achieved Label Print Time, can be downloaded from the SATO America web site at USING TrueType BAR CODE FONTS Bar codes can be printed from standard Windows applications using bar code TrueType fonts, of which a number are available from different sources. These can be used successfully with the SATO Windows Printer Driver, but extreme care must be used to ensure that readable bar codes are printed. There are several areas in which careful attention must be made: Type Size - By design, TrueType fonts are scalable fonts. You specify a type size and the computer generates the best fit using the resolution of the printer. This works great for human readable fonts, but can cause problems with bar code fonts. For example, the TrueType expansion algorithm tries to make the font outline smooth and decides when an element is printed with one dot versus going to the next size by adding another dot. When printing bar code fonts, this can cause variations in the relative bar widths, resulting in an unreadable bar code. TrueType bar code fonts are designed to be printed at specific type sizes using a certain resolution printer. Using a different type size or a different resolution printer can destroy the critical bar width relationship of the bar code. Start/Stop and Check Digit Characters - When data is input for TrueType fonts, any necessary start/stop or check digit characters must be included. Data Input - Some bar codes support a number of character sets, many of which are not present on a typical PC keyboard. The TrueType font must assign some key combination for these characters. Graphics - All TrueType text information is sent in a graphics format, including bar code symbols. This greatly increases the transmission time required for each label unless a high-speed interface is used, such as the SATO IEEE1284 parallel interface.

29 SATO Thermal Printers Thermal Printing Thermal printing has been around for many years. It was originally developed in the early part of this century to produce analog strip chart recordings using a heated stylus moved over the surface of heat sensitive paper. In 1953, a thermally sensitive paper was developed that led to the introduction of the 3M Thermofax office copier. In fact, thermal printers held 30% of the office copier market in 1960, but were quickly replaced by the newly emerging xerographic process during the next decade. Thermal printing thrived however in other applications spurred by three key developments; 1) the introduction by NCR of a thermal color-developing method giving a vastly improved print image, 2) the development of silicon-mesa thick film print heads in the early 1970 s and the thin film heads in the late 1970 s resulted in print elements with high resolution, and 3) the development of thermal transfer printing in the early 1980 s. The technology was divided into two major directions with the introduction of transfer printing; the direct thermal imaging printers that use thermally sensitive paper, and the transfer printers that use a ribbon and untreated paper. Both technologies have their major advantages. Direct printing requires the use of a special thermal sensitive paper, but gives excellent dot formation with a simpler mechanism. Transfer printing uses uncoated paper that is not sensitive to heat or ultraviolet light, but depends upon a secondary substance transfer and a more complicated mechanism. SATO was a pioneer in the development of thermal transfer printing for bar code applications with the introduction of the Model 5323, the world s first thermal transfer bar code printer, in The permanence of the image was the overriding factor in the technology selection at that time since the environmental limitations of direct thermal printing did not match well to the industrial market. However, the development of new high temperature papers and ultraviolet coatings have removed many of these limitations. Many industrial uses, such as shipping labels, which were previously marginal applications are now easily covered using the new thermal label materials. Direct thermal now offers a low cost alternative for many industrial tasks that were previously reserved for thermal transfer printers. Thermal printing was chosen by SATO for all of their bar code printers. Thermal technology has many characteristics that fit quite nicely with bar code printing requirements. The technology is capable of printing high quality bar codes, it is easily adaptable to demand label printing and last, but certainly not least, a reliable and rugged printer can be manufactured within reasonable cost constraints without adversely impacting the first two goals. PRINT QUALITY Thermal print heads make a very precise and well defined mark on the media. The essentially square dots produced by the heat elements make it possible to form bars with high edge definition without the need for overlapping dots. Round dots on the other hand must be overlapped by at least 50% to produce an acceptable bar edge, and even then result in poor edge definition. Thermal printing allows the shape of the dot to be controlled by the shape of the heat element used. While there is a small amount of edge blooming that results from the heat gradient across the element, it can be tuned to produce a substantially square print dot.

30 Page 26 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide The criteria for acceptable bar code symbols includes the bar edge definition, the voids within the bar elements and the contrast ratio between the bar and the media upon which it is printed. Since the primary usage of the SATO printer line is for the printing of high quality bar code symbols, the ability to produce a well defined bar edge (when printing either horizontally or vertically) is an absolute requirement. DEMAND LABEL APPLICATIONS A great majority of bar code printing applications involve demand label printing, or the printing of a label on site as it is needed. This implies that the label must be immediately available to the user as soon as it is printed. The print line for thermal printers can be located very close to the label ejection point because of the physical geometry of the print head. They are long and flat and can be easily fitted into a constrained space. The result is that, as soon as a label has finished printing, it is immediately available for usage. Typical dot matrix printers are fitted with pin feed tractor assemblies that trap the last printed label, making it necessary to waste a number of unprinted labels before the last printed one is clear of the tractors. Similarly, a page oriented printer like a laser printer prints a page at a time. If you only need one label, you must waste the remainder of the page to get it. COST Cost of ownership can be divided into two categories. The first is the cost connected with the original purchase of the printer and the associated installation. The other is the recurring cost related to consumables purchasing and maintenance. A quality thermal bar code printer is more cost effective from a manufacturing view point than any of the competing technologies. The typical label width is around 4", making the print head costs reasonable. The paper movement mechanism is relatively simple and even the addition of a ribbon mechanism for thermal transfer printing does not overly complicate the design. The compact design of the printing assembly makes it easy to accommodate options such as label cutters, dispensers and supply take up reels. The recurring costs associated with the maintenance of the printer and the purchase of consumables is generally more than the initial cost of the unit when accumulated over its lifetime. It is obvious that the more simply a printer can be manufactured, the fewer things there are to go wrong. The inherent simplicity of thermal print mechanisms results in a substantial maintenance advantage, both in the frequency of maintenance, cost of replacement parts and operator training. The only significant item in a thermal printer that is subject to a meaningful level of wear is the print head. Critical to the rate of wear is the abrasion characteristics of the material that comes into contact with the head. With thermal transfer ribbons, the ribbon backing provides a smooth surface for the head to rub against. With direct thermal printing, it is a different situation. The surface of the label material rubs directly on the head and therefore must present a non-abrasive surface. This can be provided by applying a coating over the surface of the label. In addition, the construction of the new direct thermal print heads used by SATO is such that the resistive elements are not raised on the surface, reducing their exposure to wear. These new heads can significantly increase the wear lifetime, by as much as four times in typical applications. The other item affecting the head lifetime is dot transitions ( i.e. the number of times a print element is exercised). This process exists in all technologies since some type of energy transition is required to form a dot. The transitions may be mechanical (as in a dot matrix print head) which introduces frictional wear. The major factor in wear is how many transitions must be made to form a symbol, a few transitions by a lot of elements or a lot of transitions by a few elements (e.g. a line printer versus a serial character printer). The line printer has a higher lifetime since each element has to make fewer transitions to print a given amount of data. Other types of energy transitions, such as electrical to heat, are subject to different

31 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 27 types of wear, or thermal stress. The SATO printers are line printers that do not use mechanical energy transitions and therefore have the lifetime advantages associated with both line printers and non-mechanical dot formation. Consumable costs are directly related to the volume of labels printed and the type of supplies required. Direct thermal printing requires paper that has been coated with a thermally activated layer and most people do not consider it to be plain paper. However, the definition of plain paper is very nebulous, especially when your primary consideration is print quality. Thermal transfer printers print on plain paper, but in reality they have difficulty printing acceptable quality bar code symbols on papers with a rough surface, such as rag bond. Therefore, it is important to carefully specify the label stock to be used to ensure good print quality. This is true of all bar code printing technologies that depend upon a secondary material transference. Hence, plain paper does not mean readily available or cheap. Since we are primarily concerned with demand label printers, another factor comes into consideration. No matter what type of paper is chosen for the label stock, it must be coated with an adhesive, applied to a release liner stock and the labels die-cut. When all of these costs are taken into consideration, the cost of the primary paper stock becomes only a small part of the overall conversion cost. Therefore, when quality of the labels is taken into consideration, the cost of a label produced using thermally coated paper is only slightly greater than labels produced using plain paper. Offsetting this is the cost of the secondary transfer media. This can range from the toner/drum cost for a laser printer to the ribbon cost for a thermal transfer printer. Thermal transfer ribbon costs for a demand label printer can be significant since the ribbon must be at least as wide as the print field and if only one dot is printed on a line, the rest of the ribbon is wasted. USER FRIENDLY User Friendly is a highly subjective term used to describe a user s frustration level. As you might imagine, this level can vary greatly between users. The guiding criteria is to make the printer as simple and easy as possible for the operator to use and maintain, while staying within the range of economic feasibility. A good example of this process is the impact ribbon printers. When they were first introduced, a reel-to-reel spool ribbon was common. However, the frustration of the user in trying to thread the ribbon into the printer resulted in the development and almost exclusive usage of ribbon cartridges even though they are more expensive. The direct thermal printer has a distinct advantage because of the absence of any type of ribbon and any associated loading problems. Thermal transfer printers are more susceptible in this area than direct thermal printers because of the addition of the ribbon mechanism. The thin transfer ribbon must be loaded into the printer at periodic intervals by the operator. It can be difficult to route and handle, especially for the ribbons used on the wider platen printers. I m here to adjust your DIP switches! Definitely User-Unfriendly

32 Page 28 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Direct Thermal vs. Thermal Transfer There are three primary areas in which these two technologies differ. The first, and most pronounced, is the expected life of the label, followed by the inherent difference in print speed and finally the cost of ownership. LABEL LIFE Two permanence factors are important to bar code printers; the ability of the bar to remain as printed, and the ability of the media background to remain constant. However, the label life requirements are mostly overlooked in the rhetoric of the arguments. As long as the label lasts as long as its useful life, anything else is unnecessary, and may even be wasting money. If a container is to be stored outside for months in the sunlight or subjected to elevated temperatures above 212 F, then direct thermal labels would be inappropriate. However, these conditions are not typical for most applications. In direct thermal printing, a heat source activates a dye that changes the reflectance of the coating. The label resulting from this process is therefore highly resistant to mechanical forms of surface abuse, such as scratching, scuffing or fluid dilution. For this reason, thermally produced labels work well when contact scanners are used. Technologies that rely on secondary transference to produce the bar must depend upon a good bond between the media and the transferred ink to prevent damage to the printed areas. LABEL TYPE The permanence of the media background is a separate story. While most non-coated media will age with exposure to the atmosphere, the basic properties of the thermal coating present a different problem for a direct thermal label. Since the label is heat activated, exposure to heat above the color formation threshold will result in the entire label changing color. This limits the use of direct thermal labels to temperatures that do not go above the color formation temperature. By judicious selection of the proper paper, this can be extended to around 212 F. In addition, exposure to ultraviolet light will also change the background color, but at a much slower rate than heat. Tests with some of the newer papers with ultraviolet coatings has shown that labels can stand months of exposure to direct sunlight before the contrast ratio falls below the 75% minimum. Thermal transfer printing is less susceptible to heat, even though the ink is melted onto the surface of the label by heat. If low temperature paraffin based ribbons are used, high temperatures can cause the ink to soften and become susceptible to smudging. The higher release temperature of the resin based ribbons reduces this susceptibility substantially. The resin based ribbons can also react chemically with certain synthetic materials, producing a label durability comparable to that obtained by laminating the label with a protective material. SPEED As pointed out in the Technology Description section, less energy is required to release the ink from a thermal transfer ribbon than it TYPICAL COST/LABEL (10K Qty) General Purpose Thermal $0.021 High Temp Thermal $0.062 Transfer with Standard Ribbon $0.027 Transfer with Premier II Ribbon $0.029 Transfer with Premier I Ribbon $0.041 Label Cost Comparisons, 4" x 6.5" AIAG Shipping Labels

33 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 29 requires to develop a dot in a thermally sensitive coating. The result is that the thermal transfer printer can print faster than its direct thermal cousin, even if the same head and printer is used. While the amount of energy put into a thermal print element can be increased to make it reach the correct temperature more quickly, there is no way to cool it down any faster. The paper must stay stationary underneath the head until the element temperature drops below the dot formation temperature or else a tail will be produced as the paper is stepped to the next print position. If you are printing in a horizontal mode (the bars parallel to the paper movement direction), some smearing can be tolerated as it just runs into the next dot forming the bar. But when printing vertically it is a disaster. The smeared bar will encroach on the area reserved for a space in the bar code while at the same time losing the precise bar edge definition so necessary for bar code printing. This problem is present in all SATO M-8400RVe Thermal Transfer Printer thermal printers, even thermal transfer, but it s much more pronounced in direct thermal. The only alternative is to slow the print speed of the direct thermal printer down to match the thermal inertia of the heat elements. As a general rule, a direct thermal printer, when optimized for the paper sensitivity, will run at approximately 50% of the speed of a comparable thermal transfer printer. The axiom in racing circles is Speed costs money. Unless you are involved in bar code printer racing, it is probably not very cost effective to buy more speed than necessary. After all, speed is relative. It is only one of the important considerations in determining how fast something can be done. A high speed automobile is of little use if it has to stop each block for a traffic light. To use the speed other factors must be taken into consideration, such as taking the freeway where there are no traffic lights. It is the same with printers. When a limited amount of time is available to produce a job, a high speed printer may help, but often it is not the complete answer, and in some cases, it may be a waste of money. Of greater importance is the ability to receive, process and print individually unique labels. Printing labels is perhaps more demanding upon the complete print system than other types of print jobs. Questions must be answered, such as the label size, the resolution of the character symbols, the amount and type of data to be printed and whether or not they can be batch printed or must be printed one at a time. These factors can sometimes control the actual speed at which a label can be printed more than the maximum print speed of the printer.

34 Page 30 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Print and Apply Print/apply describes a process where labels are printed and then mechanically applied to the product. Label apply machinery places some unique demands on printers. They must be able to print labels fast enough to keep up with the conveyor system and present it so that the applicator mechanism can easily and accurately apply it. The placement of the label on the item must be accurate to within 1/16th of an inch. Any variance in the position of the label will cause the position of the applied label to vary. Since a print/apply unit does not sit on a table top, it must be easily mounted in a variety of configurations. The majority of label apply applications require a side mounted printer so that the label can be applied to the side of a carton. This keeps the throw distance of the apply mechanism consistent for range of carton sizes, since the conveyor can force the carton to one side. The mechanism must be easily accessible in all configurations for changing media or removing label jams. Information display panels should be viewable from any angle so that the operator can easily determine the status of the printer. Reliability is of utmost importance since production line downtime must be kept to an absolute minimum. Media supply capacity and reloading is also critical for the same reason. Another consideration is the ability to synchronize the label printing with the applicator. If a label is printed before the applicator is ready to accept it, it may get in the way of the application process or even jam the mechanism. A separate port for interfacing to the applicator and controlling the print cycle is needed. While it is possible to adapt a standard label printer to meet some print and apply applications, it is much more desirable to use a printer that is designed for such applications, such as the SATO Se model printers. These printers are designed to be mounted in application machinery and provide reliable service. SATO Se printers are the printers of choice for these print/apply applications. M-8485Se Print/Apply Printer

35 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 31 SATO BAR CODE LABEL PRINTER SUMMARY MODEL CX208/212 M-5900RV M-8400RVe CT400/410 Printing Method Direct or Transfer Direct Thermal Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Resolution 203/300 dpi 203 dpi 203 dpi 203/305 dpi Maximum Print Width 4.1" 4.4" 4.1" 4.1" Maximum Print Length 20"/ " 49.4" 15.7 Minimum Print Length 0.5" 0.5" 0.25" 0.6 Print Speed (max) 3 ips 4.7 ips 10 ips 4/6 ips Bar Code Fonts D Symbologies Text Fonts Font Rotation 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 Text Font Expansion 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster Media Type Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Media Capacity (max) 5.0" OD 6.0" OD 8.6" OD 4.4" OD Label Sensing Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru System Interfaces RS232C RS422 Parallel USB Ethernet Twinax/Coax 38.4K bps N/A Centronics N/A N/A N/A (1) 19.2K bps 19.2K bps Centronics Version BaseT IBM 52XX/4214 (1) 58.6K bps 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT IBM 52XX/ K bps 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT N/A Physical (W x D x H x lbs) 10"x 6.9"x6.6" 3.6 lbs 10"x13"x10" 21.5 lbs 10.4"x17"x13.5" 40 lbs 19.6 x 11.8"x 11.5" 30.8 lbs Power 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC Options Label Dispenser Label Cutter Label Rewinder External Twinax/Coax Adapter Memory Expansion Real Time Clock 2M/4M N/A PCMCIA PCMCIA/Flash Flash N/A (1) Uses Plug-In Interface Modules Specifications subject to change without notice.

36 Page 32 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide SATO BAR CODE LABEL PRINTER SUMMARY (cont d) MODEL CL408e CL412e CL608e CL612e Printing Method Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Resolution 203 dpi 305 dpi 203 dpi 305 dpi Maximum Print Width 4.1" 4.1" 6.0" 6.5" Maximum Print Length 49.4" 32.8" 49.4" 32.8" Minimum Print Length 0.24" 0.24" 0.78" 0.78" Print Speed (max) 6 ips 6 ips 8 ips 8 ips Bar Code Fonts D Symbologies Text Fonts Font Rotation 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 Text Font Expansion 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 pt Raster Media Type Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Roll or Fan Fold Media Capacity (max) 8.6" OD 8.6" OD 8.6" OD 8.6" OD Label Sensing Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Plug-In Interface Modules (1) RS232C RS422/485 Parallel USB Ethernet Twinax/Coax To 58.6K bps To 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT IBM 52XX/4214 To 58.6K bps To 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT IBM 52XX/4214 To 58.6K bps To 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT IBM 52XX/4214 To 58.6K bps To 19.2K bps IEEE1284 Version /100BaseT IBM 52XX/4214 Physical (W x D x H x lbs) 10.7"x 16.9"x 12.6" 28.7 lbs 10.7"x 16.9"x 12.6" 28.7 lbs 13.8"x 16.9"x 11.7" 41.9 lbs 13.8"x 16.9"x 11.7" 41.9 lbs Power 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC Options Label Dispenser Label Cutter Label Rewinder Memory Expansion Real Time Clock PCMCIA/Flash PCMCIA/Flash PCMCIA/Flash PCMCIA/Flash Specifications subject to change without notice. (1) Interface type specified at time of order. Ethernet, RS422/485 and Twinax/Coax optional at extra cost.

37 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 33 SATO BAR CODE PRINT & APPLY PRINTER SUMMARY MODEL M-8459Se M-8460Se M-8485Se M-8490Se Printing Method Direct Thermal Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Thermal Transfer Resolution 203 dpi 203 dpi 203 dpi 305 dpi Maximum Print Width 4.4" 6.0" 5.0" 4.4" Maximum Print Length 49.4" 49.4" 49.4" 32.8" Minimum Print Length 0.25" 0.25" 0.25" 0.25" Print Speed (max) 5 ips 8 ips 12 ips 8 ips Bar Code Fonts D Symbologies Text Fonts Font Rotation 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 0, 90, 180, 270 Text Font Expansion 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster 12X Vertical 12X Horizontal 6 to 99 Pt Raster Media Type External Roll External Roll External Roll External Roll Media Unwind (max) 8 ft/lbs 8 ft/lbs 8 ft/lbs 8 ft/lbs Label Sensing Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru Eye-Mark See-Thru External Signal Port Real Time Clock Standard Standard Standard Standard Plug-In Interface Modules (1) RS232C RS422/485 USB Ethernet Parallel Twinax/Coax To 56.8K bps To 19.2K bps Version /100BaseT IEEE1284 IBM 52XX/4214 To 56.8K bps To 19.2K bps Version /100BaseT IEEE1284 IBM 52XX/4214 To 56.8K bps To 19.2K bps Version /100BaseT IEEE1284 IBM 52XX/4214 To 56.8K bps To 19.2K bps Version /100BaseT IEEE1284 IBM 52XX/4214 Physical (W x L x H x lbs) 9.7"x 16.1" x 11.7" 25 lbs 9.7"x 16.1"x11.7" 27.5 lbs 9.7"x 16.1"x 11.7" 25 lbs 9.7"x 16.1"x 11.7" 25 lbs Power 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC 115/220 VAC Options Memory Expansion Top-mounted Sensor Opposite Hand Model PCMCIA/Flash N/A PCMCIA/Flash N/A PCMCIA/Flash PCMCIA/Flash Specifications subject to change without notice. (1) Interface specified at time of order. Ethernet, RS422/485 and Twinax/Coax optional at extra cost.

38 Feature Guide Bar Code Symbologies SATO printers can print a wide spectrum of bar code symbols, up to 13 linear and three 2- Dimensional bar codes, for the CL Series printers. They are stored in the printer s ROM memory for fast processing. These symbologies account for over 99% of all bar code labels printed. The printers can automatically print the human readable characters at the bottom of the linear bar code symbols, or they can be left off, as required. The character density of the 2- Dimensional symbologies make it impractical (and self-defeating) to print the human readable characters. Allowable bar code densities are a function of the resolution of the head and are discussed in the section on Resolution. For symbologies that allow you to specify a wide to narrow ratio, the common fixed ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and 5:2 are automatically constructed by the printer. Custom ratios may also be programmed using increments of the dot size. MODEL CX Series M-5900RV e and CT Series Bookland(UPC/EAN Addendums) Code 39 Code 93 Code 128 Codabar EAN-8, EAN-13 Interleaved 2 of 5 Industrial 2 of 5 Matrix 2 of 5 MSI Plessey Postnet UPC-A/UPC-E UPC/EAN-128 Data Matrix Maxicode QR Code PDF417 Bar Code Symbologies Supported

39 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 35 Text Fonts The use of internal fonts when printing labels reduces the transmission and imaging time considerably. Matrix fonts in the printer memory can be expanded independently in the horizontal or vertical direction to create larger characters. However this results in the block effect for large expansions, the printers that are capable of printing the larger characters also include matrix fonts with the ability to smooth the edges between the matrix cells. In addition, a vector font, ones that create characters by generating strokes similar to using a pen plotter, is included. Some printers also include resident raster fonts that can be expanded up to one inch hight (72 pt) using special font algorithms for expansion. Matrix Fonts FONT TYPE MATRIX 203 dpi Sample 300 dpi Sample U Non-Proportional S Non-Proportional M Non-Proportional XU Proportional XS Proportional XM Proportional OA Fixed Size OB Fixed Size Auto Smoothing WB Helvetica Univers Condensed Bold Univers Condensed Bold Helvetica Univers Condensed Bold Univers Condensed Bold OCR-A OCR-B Univers Condensed Bold 5Wx9H 8Wx15H 13Wx20H 5Wx9H 8Wx15H 13Wx20H 15 Wx22H 22 W x 33H 20 Wx24H 30Wx36H 18Wx30H WL Sans Serif 28 W x 52 H XB Univers Condensed Bold 48Wx48H XL Sans Serif 48 W x 48 H Raster Fonts A CG Times 0 to 99 pt B CG Triumvirate 0 to 99 pt Vector Outline Font Helvetica Bold N/A Times Triumvirate Times Triumvirate Text Fonts

40 Page 36 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Both proportional and mono spaced fonts are provided. The proportional fonts provide for text messages while the mono spaced fonts are useful when aligning columns of numbers. All matrix fonts can be expanded vertically and horizontally by a factor of 12. The Vector font can be expanded in dot increments up to 999. You can also design and download custom character fonts. The Enhanced e and CT Series printers also incorporate two raster fonts that can be expanded from 6 to 99 point sizes. The font styles are CG Times and CG Trimuvirate. Label Formats Most demand label applications seldom print the exact same label time and time again. This more closely describes a batch label printing task. Instead, a demand label job will most likely consist of the same overall format design with only a limited amount of variable data such as a changing serial number. The SATO printers are able to store a basic label design along with information on fields that are designated for fixed and variable data. This allows the host to specify the stored format and then send only the variable part of the data to print a label. Formats are used to reduce computer transmission time. The typical AIAG label requires approximately 400 bytes of data to be transferred to the printer if it is sent as a complete label. Using a stored format, the label can be transmitted to the printer along with a new serial number with a 21 byte data transfer. In the above example, the memory required to store the format is approximately the same as it takes to transmit the entire label, which is not too bad. However, if we decide to include a graphic logo on the label, the storage requirements can quickly skyrocket. Since there is only a limited amount of memory available for storing formats, a more efficient way is desirable. By storing the image separately, it may be recalled by the printer and printed as an overlay on another label. As long as the image size stays the same for all formats, the logo can be simply recalled and printed on any label desired, saving a considerable amount of memory storage. + = S A T O S A T O Stored Form Overlay New Data Resulting Label Form Overlay

41 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 37 Label Edge Sensing Friction feed is commonly used in thermal label printers since the head must be in direct contact with the media. This type of drive system is susceptible to accumulative errors which can build up to an unacceptable level over the length of several labels if not corrected. Error compensation is provided by sensing the beginning of each label and using this position to reset the print line counter. Two methods are commonly employed to sense the beginning of each label. Transmissive or see-thru sensing uses a light source positioned on one side of the label with a photo detector on the opposite side. As the label passes between these two, the difference in the light transmission between the opaque label and the liner is used to detect the leading edge of the next label. Liner opacity and uniformity is very critical for proper operation. For tag stock, a notch is cut or a hole punched along one edge, essentially simulating a 100% transmissive liner. Reflective sensing, sometimes called Eyemark sensing, is used in conjunction with a non-reflective mark printed on the back of the label liner indicating the start of a new label. The difference in light reflected from the label liner and the mark is used to detect the label edge. This type of sensing requires an additional process step to print the mark on the back side of the label liner or label material. The reflectance background of the liner must be carefully controlled so that enough signal differential is maintained to allow accurate detection of the printed mark. Eye-Mark sensing is most often used with butt-cut tag stock where there is no gap between adjacent labels. SATO printers employ both methods for detection of the edge of the label. They can use either an Eye-mark or see-thru sensing. In addition, they can also use a print line counter when printing on continuous roll paper with a label cutter. Both the see-thru and Eye-mark sensors need to be positioned correctly. The Eye-mark or label gap must pass through the sensor before it can detect the edge. The sensors are positioned along the left side of the label (as seen looking at the front of the printer). It is important that the mark or the label edge be as straight as possible and be perpendicular to the direction of label travel. Otherwise, any variations in label position caused by poorly adjusted label guides will result in variations in the detected edge position. Reflective sensing - there must be enough difference between the reflective characteristics of the sense mark and the release liner to be detected by the sensor receiver Trailing edge of Eye-Mark should be positioned on the bottom of the backing to correspond with the leading edge of the label. Label gap must be larger than the diameter of the sensor beam. See-Thru Sensing - The release liner must transmit enough light to be detected by the sensor receiver. Notch may be used instead of label gap. Trailing edge should correspond to leading edge of the label. Sensor Positioning

42 Page 38 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Resolution Resolution and dot size are directly related in SATO printers. The construction of the head is such that the print elements are immediately adjacent to each other. If all of them are energized at one time, a solid horizontal line is created that is one dot high and n dots across. Therefore, the spacing between print centers is the same as the width of the dot. There are both advantages and disadvantages with this arrangement. The primary advantage is the ease in which precise bar edges can be formed. Also, they do not have to overlap to create a well defined edge. On the other hand, the inability to overlap restricts the bar widths to even multiples of the basic dot size. This restricts the wide/narrow ratios to even multiples, i.e. 2:1 or 3:1, unless multiple dots are used to define the bar width. If the dot is small enough, this is not much of a problem as a 2.5:1 ratio is easily constructed using a 5:2 relationship. However, if the dots are relatively large, a 5:2 relationship results in low density bar codes which may not be practical for the application. Using the 5 mil and 3.3 mil size of typical thermal transfer label printers, the problem is mostly eliminated since single width bar codes are not recommended except for very special closed loop applications where tight control can be exercised over both the printing and reading of the symbols. The higher resolution printers can also create more aesthetically pleasing human readable fonts and graphic images since the blocks used to construct them are smaller. The two main disadvantages of the high resolution printers are related to speed and cost. To maintain a square relationship, the distance between print lines should be equal to the width of the dot. Thus, more steps are needed to create a label of the same size. In addition, the larger number of dots requires a larger image buffer. A 4" x 7" label printed at 300 dpi requires a 315 Kbyte buffer while needing only 140 Kbyte at 200 dpi. Unless the image processing time can be decreased, it will take over twice as long to load the image in the print buffer. The high density CL412e, CL612e and CT410e alleviate this problem by using high speed 32 bit RISC processors for imaging the label. The increased dpi also means that the print head contains more elements and will be more expensive to replace.

43 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 39 System Options The SATO printer line can be easily configured with a variety of system interfaces. All CL, Se and M Series printers use a Plug-In Interface Module which can be easily replaced in the field. The CX and CT printers come with a Parallel port as standard with the CX also including an RS232 Serial interface. A CT printer can also be configured ith an RS232 Serial or USB Interface in addition to the standard Parallel interface. A number of options other than electrical interfaces are offered for the SATO printers which increase their usefulness in certain applications. The SATO thermal transfer printers can be configured with several options designed to complement their label production capabilities. These include: Label and Tag Cutter - For cutting continuous tag and label stock up to 0.1" thick. Label Dispenser - For peeling each label from its backing and presenting it to the operator for application. Label Rewinder - Rewinds labels in rolls up to 10" in diameter. Available in a wide web version for use with the CL6XX wide web printers. Memory Expansion - The memory can be expanded by using PCMCIA memory cards and/or Memory Expansion option. MODEL M-5900RV CLe Series M-8400RVe CX Series (1) CT Series (1) RS232 Serial To 19.2K Baud To 56.8K Baud To 56.8K Baud To 38.4K Baud To 56.8K Baud RS422/485 Serial To 19.2K Baud To 19.2K Baud To 19.2K Baud N/A N/A Parallel Centronics IEEE1284 IEEE1284 Centronics IEEE1284 USB Version 1.0 Version 1.0 Version 1.0 N/A Version 1.0 Ethernet 10BaseT 10/100BaseT 10/100BaseT N/A N/A Twinax/Coax IBM 52XX/4214 IBM 52XX/4214 IBM 52XX/4214 N/A N/A (1) Does not use Plug-In Interface Modules (2) Units may be ordered with Parallel, Serial or USB Interface. Other interfaces are additional cost Connectivity Options SATO CL612 and Label Rewinder Plug-In Interface Modules

44 Media Selection Direct Thermal Labels Direct thermal printing is one of the most cost effective ways to produce high quality bar code labels. While they cannot be used in all applications because of their sensitivity to heat and sunlight, they do offer some significant advantages not available when other printing technologies are used. In particular, it is the only technology that does not depend upon a secondary substance transfer for formation of the image. There are no ribbons, ink rollers or other marking agents that must be transferred to the surface of the label. Instead, the image is formed in a heat sensitive layer that is placed on the surface with a thin protective layer placed over it. The image developed by applying heat lies beneath the protective coating, with nothing exposed on the surface. For this reason, direct thermal labels are very resistant to smudging, scratches or abrasion. They are ideal for use in labeling foodstuffs because they are unaffected by moisture or even complete submersion in water. At the same time, foodstuffs are also not tolerant of heat and sunlight, so the two match quite well. SENSITIVITY Thermally sensitive paper is classified by the amount of energy required to form the image. A high speed uncoated paper, such as that commonly used in fax machines, requires less heat to print, but also is more sensitive to ambient heat than slower paper. Labeling media is a compromise between fast and slow. Direct thermal printers generally are capable of producing a more controlled and precise dot than the typical thermal fax machine, but at a slightly lower print speed. Because each different type of printer can represent a different set of tradeoffs, it is important that the printer be carefully matched to the labels used. If not, poorly printed bar codes that are either underdeveloped or have significant blooming at the bar edges will result. The thermal coatings have two different sensitivity ratings. The first is the dynamic sensitivity, which is the temperature at which a dot is formed by a print element. Static sensitivity is the ambient temperature at which the label background begins to change. Thermal label coatings are a compromise between these two. On one hand, the highest static temperature possible is desirable, since this is the limiting factor in using thermal labels at high ambient temperatures. Conversely, a coating with a low dynamic temperature will result in faster print speeds since the heat element does not have to reach as high a temperature to form a dot. While these two ratings are not independent of each other, they can be tuned to give us the best coating for a particular application. TEMPERATURE SATO recommends three different types of thermal label material for use in the M-5900RV and thermal transfer printers running in the direct thermal mode. The first is for general purpose use. It is usable at ambient temperatures up to about 140 F and can be exposed to direct sunlight for several weeks before the bar code contrast ratio drops below acceptable levels. For high ambient temperatures, a different coating is recommended that can withstand temperatures up to 212 F before it becomes non-usable. A special UV filter coating is recommended if exposure to sunlight exceeds several weeks. It filters out most of the harmful ultraviolet rays that cause the background color

45 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 41 change and extends the direct sunlight exposure time to several months. RECOMMENDATIONS All of the direct thermal labels recommended by SATO are matched to the requirements of the SATO printers. While they can be successfully used with other printers, there is no guarantee they will be compatible. Conversely, only the recommended media can be guaranteed to be compatible with the SATO printers. Media from other suppliers may work just as well, but must be first tested with the printer. When testing the labels, it is important to use a print quality verifier with a visible light wand, since what the eye sees is different from that seen by the scanner. Synthetic material can be coated with any of the thermally sensitive coatings used for paper labels, resulting in a label that is very tough and of excellent print quality. However, because the coating does not migrate into the surface of the synthetic material like it does for paper labels, the developed image will deteriorate due to ultraviolet light exposure more quickly than the corresponding paper labels. VISIBLE VS. INFRARED There are two types of direct thermal labels. The first are used with visible light scanners and employ a thermal sensitive dye that responds quite well to the visible light source used by these scanners. The other type uses a different dye technology that responds to both visible and infrared light. The infrared responding material is more expensive, and for this reason, the standard visible labels are preferred in applications where it is known that infrared scanners will not be used. Thermal Transfer Labels & Ribbons Thermal transfer printing is a cross between direct thermal and hot stamp printing. The mechanism is mechanically similar to that of a direct thermal printer except a ribbon consisting of a wax or resin based ink coated on a thin mylar backing is interposed between the print head and the label. The heat from the print element melts the ink and is transferred to the surface of the label material. Most thermal transfer printers can be used for printing on direct thermal label stock, but it is not a common practice. First, the thermal transfer printer is more costly because it must also contain the ribbon mechanism. Second, it requires more energy to print using thermally sensitive paper than is required to release the ink from ribbon. This requires that the head power drive and print speed be adjusted to meet the new heat requirement. And last, the head wear from abrasion is greater when the ribbon is removed. The major disadvantage of the thermal transfer process is the cost of the ribbon. There is a 1:1 ratio between ribbon usage and labels. If 100 feet of labels are printed, it requires 100 feet of ribbon. Sometimes it is possible to use a ribbon saver, which lifts the ribbon over un- LABEL ROLL M-5900RV M-8400RVe CLe Series CX Series CT Series Max. Outside Diameter 6.0 in. 8.6 in. 8.6 in. 5.0 in. 4.4 in. Core Inside Diameter 3.0 in. 3.0 in. 3.0 in. 1.5 in. 1.5 in. Typical Roll Length 250 ft. 650 ft. 650 ft. 165 ft. 155 ft. Min.Gap Between Labels in in in in in. Max. Label Width 5.0 in. 5.0 in. 5.0 in in. 4.6 in. Wind Direction Face-In Face-In Face-In Face-In Face-Out Label Roll Specifications

46 Page 42 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide printed areas to minimize ribbon usage. However, most labels are designed to be the appropriate size and incorporate very little white space since that also means valuable label material is being wasted. High quality bar code labels can be produced without the major disadvantages of the direct thermal process, namely the sensitivity to heat and sunlight. However, it requires a careful match between the ribbon, the label surface and the printer to consistently get good quality labels. Any variation in one of these can be disastrous. HEAT SENSITIVITY While the label material itself is not heat sensitive, the ink coating on the ribbon must be released from the mylar backing by the application of heat. The composition of this ink determines the melt point and must be matched to the heat generated by the individual heat elements. PERMANENCE SATO Labels and Thermal Transfer Ribbons As the ink that is released from the ribbon must adhere to the label material, there must be a match between the composition of the ink and that of the label. A wax based ink that flows readily when melted will fill a rough surface better than a resin based ink. However, it is more susceptible to smudging when handled or when contact scanners are used, especially at elevated temperatures when the ink becomes soft. Resin based ink, on the other hand, requires a smoother surface for proper adherence. The addition of a plasticizer to the resin can result in an almost indestructible bond between the ink and a synthetic media. But wax based ribbons are much cheaper than resin based ones, and paper labels less expensive than ones made with synthetic materials. VISIBLE VS. INFRARED The coloring agent in the inks used for the ribbons described in this section are all compatible with infrared or visible light scanners. They respond to either equally well. COMPATIBILITY The labels and ribbons listed in this section have been carefully chosen to match the characteristics of the SATO thermal transfer printers. While other combinations may work well, there is no guarantee that they will be satisfactory. On the other hand, labels and ribbons presented here may work well with other printers, but again compatibility is not guaranteed.

47 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 43 RIBBON TYPE STANDARD PREMIER II PREMIER I Ink Formulation Wax Wax/Resin Resin Compatible Papers Thermal Transfer High Gloss Synthetic Plastic Film Untreated Thermal Transfer High Gloss Synthetic Plastic Film Tyvek Thermal Transfer High Gloss Synthetic Plastic Film Plastic Card Stock Environmental Abrasion Scratching Fair Not Recommended Very Good Good Excellent Excellent Solvents Alcohol Oil, Fat Kerosene, Gasoline Haloid Solvents Aromatic Solvents Fair Fair Not Recommended Not Recommended Not Recommended Very Good Very Good Good Good Good Very Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Print Energy (mj/mm 2 ) Untreated Paper High Gloss Paper Plastic Film SATO Thermal Ribbon Selection Chart Adhesives Attachment is a very important part of bar code labeling. A perfectly printed label lying on the floor is as useless as an unreadable one on the item. A method must be used to secure the label to the item. In many cases, the retail industry for example, the label must stay attached to the item throughout its useful life, and then be easily removed, somewhat of a contradiction. The most popular method of attachment is adhesives applied to the back of the label. These come in two general classifications; permanent and removable. The most popular adhesive, as you might guess, is permanent. It is suitable for the majority of bar code applications, from industrial marking to grocery tags. As the names imply, they are each designed for a particular type of usage. Other formulations have been prepared for specific applications, but are available only on a special order basis. The permanent adhesives offer a high initial tack with strong adhesion to a variety of surfaces, such as painted and stainless steel, plastics and paper. It is virtually impossible to remove a label attached with permanent adhesive without destroying it, especially if it has security cuts (small cuts into the label surface). This type of adhesive is used in special applications where removal is not wanted, such as postage meter strips. It generally has an apply temperature range starting around 35 F. Permanent cold temperature adhesives were developed for usage by the grocery industry and have high initial tack and good adhesion to plastic wrap with an apply temperature ranging down to 20 F. While it is not impossible to remove the label without destroying it, it is difficult, requiring great care. The removable adhesives were developed for applications where the label is temporary and must be removed without leaving parts of the label or any residue. They are commonly used as price tags on expensive consumer goods, where the tag must be removed without damaging the item. The apply temperature is higher than that for either of the permanent adhesives, starting around 40 F.

48 Page 44 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide ADHESIVE TYPE PERMANENT GENERAL PURPOSE PERMANENT COLD TEMPERATURE REMOVABLE Typical Usage High initial tack with strong final adhesion to a variety of surfaces such as painted and stainless steel, plastics and paper. Applications with high initial tack and good adhesion to plastic wrap with cold temperature apply capability. Temporary labels that can be removed without leaving parts of the label or any residue. Typical Apply Range 35 F to 120 F 2 C to 55 C Typical Service Range -10 F to 120 F -23 C to 55 C 20 F to 100 F -7 C to 42 C -10 F to 100 F -26 C to 42 C 40 F to 100 F 5 C to 42 C 40 F to 100 F 5 C to 42 C Adhesive Selection Chart TAG MEDIA Tag printing is much like label printing, except the media is thicker and there is no liner backing to contend with. The standard tag thickness in the U.S. is 10 pt. (0.10") and occasionally 12 pt. The thicker tag stock makes curl more pronounced, especially on the inner layers of the wind. For this reason, a 4" diameter core is sometimes specified. It is also common to print long and narrow tags in a rotated orientation so that any curl is across the short direction. Tag stock is generally supplied on continuous rolls. Since there is no label gap for detecting the beginning of a label, holes, notches or non-reflective sense marks must be used. The preferred methods are round-corner notches or small hang holes. Tags with rounded corners are aesthetically nicer looking in appearance and have no sharp corners to snag on clothing or other parts of the labeled product. By designing the notch properly, it can be used both for sensing and to provide rounded tag corners. Holes are used as attachment points for hanging tags and are typically at the center top of the tag, which can be in the center of the tag roll or, if they are printed in a rotated orientation, along the outside edge of the roll. The other method of sensing labels is with a preprinted Eye-mark on the bottom of the tag which is detected using a reflective sensor. Printing the mark however adds another operation to the process, thereby increasing the overall cost per tag. It also leaves a visible mark on the tag which is objectionable is some applications. Because the tags are most often supplied on continuous rolls, some method must be provided to separate them after they are printed. A heavy duty cutter is needed to reliably cut the thicker stock. The printer must supply some method of adjusting the cut location to accurately position it at the proper cut point. After the tags are cut, they can be collected in a cb Cut Line Rounded Corner Notch Hang Hole Sense Marks on opposite side Typical Tag Media

49 Bar Code Printer Selection Guide Page 45 unit (cardboard box) or placed in a neat stack using a label stacker. A means of inserting batch separators, by either varying the cut length or placing a visible mark on the edge of a tag, allows the print jobs to be easily separated. Tags can be printed with standard tabletop label printers but sometimes the stiffness and curl of the tag stock causes feed problems. For heavy duty tag printing, it is best to use a printer, such as the SATO CL or M Series, designed specifically to handle the heavier tag material. These printers have specially designed cutter options for cutting the tags after they are printed.

50 For More Information is always striving to enhance the value of its product line by including new features and capabilities. Because this is a continual process, the contents of this book may not reflect the latest capabilities or newly released products. In addition, to this book, SATO America also periodically publishes application notes and other information to assist the user in realizing the maximum potential from the SATO product line. For a list of the latest publications available, please contact SATO America at the following address: Eastern USA and Eastern Canada 125 E. Slope Road Mahwah, NJ Tel: (201) Fax: (201) [email protected] Central USA and Central Canada 1278 Sycamore Street Elgin, IL Tel: (847) Fax: (847) [email protected] Western USA and Western Canada Heather Lane Castaic, CA Tel: (661) Fax: (661) [email protected] Marketing Department 545 Weddell Drive Sunnyvale, CA Tel: (408) Fax: (408) [email protected] For more information on SATO printers, please contact one of our regional sales offices listed below. Southern USA, PR and Virgin Islands 2315 Sycamore Street Snellville, GA Tel: (770) Fax: (770) [email protected] Latin America 545 Wedell Drive Sunnyvale, CA Tel: (408) Fax: (408) [email protected] OEM Sales 545 Wedell Drive Sunnyvale, CA Tel: (408) Fax: (408) [email protected]

51 545 Weddell Drive Sunnyvale, CA Phone: 408/ Fax: 408/ Industrial Bar Code Printers SATO BAR CODE PRINTERS Bar Code Printer Selection Guide