Barcode Printers
A barcode is a representation of information about an item that can easily be read by a machine. Most of what we purchase in stores and supermarkets has a barcode, which the cashier scans at the checkout and the price automatically comes up on the screen. This label comes from a barcode printer. The labels are applied at the factory and when they arrive at the store, the owner or manager aligns them up with the proper price.
There are two different printing technologies involved in bar code printers. Digital thermal printers use a printhead that generates heat to cause a chemical reaction in specially designed paper that turns the paper black. Heat is also used in thermal transfer printers but in these printers, the heat melts a waxy substance that runs over a ribbon on the label material. The heat transfers the ink from the ribbon to the label. Although digital thermal printers for printing bar codes are cheaper than thermal transfer printers, if the bar code label is exposed to heat, direct sunlight or chemical vapors, a machine will not be able to read them.
There are different sizes of bar codes for various uses. Small industries can use a hand held printer, such as for making bar codes for new books in a library. Large machines are used in factories, hospitals and laboratories where thousands of bar codes need to be printed. There are consumable products in these printers and supplies need to be replenished in order to keep them working properly. For example, ribbons, printheads and the paper stock for the labels have to be purchased on a regular basis.