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How To Extend The Life of Barcode Label Printers

By aisltd, Monday, 3rd December 2018 | 0 comments
Filed under: Publications.

If you use barcode label printers then you know that downtime can be very costly. To help you avoid this, we have come up with our top tips to ensure your barcode printers last longer. If you want to keep your printer in good condition, this is how you can do it.

Top Tips For Ensuring Barcode Label Printers Last Longer

Below are our top tips for extending the life of barcode printers. By following these you can ensure the longevity of your device and save a lot of money.

  • Choose The Right Printer: The first of our top tips is to make sure you have the right label printer. You want one that is durable and designed to handle the volume of printing you need. Barcode printers with proper maintenance can work for up to ten years or more. We have a wide range of label printers available from our partners Zebra and Cab.
  • Keep Your Barcode Printers Clean: This is something that is often overlooked especially in a busy company. The truth is, your barcode printer will work best if you clean the print head and platen roller every time you install a new ribbon in your Thermal printer. If you are using direct thermal printing you need to clean after every two rolls of labels. Check out our useful videos on how to do this here.  
  • Maintain Your Print Heads: As well as cleaning, you need to protect the print heads in your label printers by using the right labels and ribbons. You should avoid messing with the darkness settings, and only use certified replacement parts, which are available from AIS. Make sure you follow the manufacturers cleaning and maintenance protocols.
  • Use the Right Labels: You need to make sure you are using the right label and adhesive combination in your barcode printer. This will help to ensure quality label printing as well as letting you run your thermal printer at a lower energy setting. Cheap labels and products can cause dust or debris to build up and this can damage the heating elements in your printer.
  • Keep an Eye on Print Head Pressure and Speed Settings: Barcode label printers come with darkness and pressure settings. You should avoid increasing this as this can lead to a shorter life span for your print head. Don’t use the fastest print speeds unless they are necessary. Lowering your speed, contrast, and pressure settings to as low as possible whilst still printing quality labels is a great way to extend the life of your print head.
  • Change Your Labels Carefully: Never use sharp objects to remove labels from the roller or ribbons from the spindle. You might cut the rubber on the roller and this will affect the quality of your label printing and reduce the lifespan of your barcode printer.

Now that you know what our top tips are, we want to remind you that proper maintenance and following the manufacturers guidelines for cleaning and changing your media, as well as monitoring your print quality will help you address any problems you might have with your barcode printers before they become costly. Barcode printers should last for years with minimal maintenance costs if you adhere to our top tips and use the correct products. Feel free to contact our team should you wish to purchase a barcode label printer.

Dublin

Automatic Identification Systems Ltd

Cork

Automatic Identification Systems Ltd
Unit 35 Eastgate Drive,
Little Island, Cork,  
T45 C925, Ireland

Phone: +353 (0)21 2355540
Email: info@aisltd.ie

Dundalk

AIS Automation Ltd
Unit 5B, Aiken Business Park
Old Coes Road
Dundalk A91 XW5C, Ireland

Phone: +353 (0)42 935992
www.aisautomation.ie

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AIS Vision Systems S.L
Carrer de Can Camps, 10
08202 Sabadell,
Barcelona, Spain

Phone: +34 931 003 035
www.aisvision.com

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AIS-Scanology B.V. 
Laan de Wijze 20,
5835 DS Beugen
The Netherlands

Phone: +31 (0)485-561616
www.scanology.nl

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