Printers save time, reduce waste

Targeted to e-commerce and omni-channel retail fulfillment centers, where order sizes have shrunk but volumes and frequencies have increased dramatically, Toshiba America Business Solutions has focused on developing new, robust industrial thermal bar code printers that reduce waste and total cost of ownership, says Joe Contreras, vice president of product and solutions marketing.

“A single facility can be applying millions of shipping labels to packages, so we’ve developed two different product lines that address different areas of productivity, waste elimination and cost savings,” Contreras explains.

The first unit, the DB-EA4D direct thermal printer, generates 4-inch duplex labels—printing the shipping information on one side and a variety of other information on the back. No ribbon is required to imprint either side, and the unit achieves maximum print speeds of 6 inches per second.

“The back could include a packing list, return instructions, return shipping label, receipt, warranty, coupons or marketing promotions,” Contreras says. “Plus, the need to print extra information on other sheets of paper, then insert those into the package or box, is completely eliminated, cutting waste and saving time and labor.”

Toshiba’s newest industrial printer—the rugged B-EX6T with near edge and flat edge print heads—debuted in August. Capable of printing 6-inch wide labels in lengths up to 59.6 inches, the printer can be adjusted to accommodate different label widths, says Contreras.

Further, with Toshiba’s “ribbon save” technology, the printer pre-scans the incoming imprint data stream to ensure the ribbon only advances when marking data, maximizing ribbon use and minimizing waste, he adds. This makes it ideal for marking on pre-printed labels with a minimal area dedicated to variable information.

The printer saves fractions of an inch of ribbon over each print. “When you add that up over millions of labels, that becomes true savings over time that can substantially impact profitability for a warehouse operation,” says Contreras. “Users save time by not having to replace the ribbon as frequently, as well as by getting the maximum use out of each ribbon and not having to buy as many.”