Can mobile printers print fast too?

The ZQ521 prints up to 102 mm/s (4 ips) at normal settings, and up to 127 mm/s (5 ips) with draft mode on. Draft mode lowers optical density by 22% and is a setting meant for text-only printing.

Can a mobile printer be charged and used in a vehicle?

The Zebra ZQ520 runs on vehicle power alone with the battery eliminator fitted. The QLn420 has a heavy-duty forklift mount and a DC converter available as accessories, so it is mounted and used on forklifts.

Which printer prints 6-inch wide labels?

The print width of 4-inch models is 104-108 mm, so anything wider is printed on the 6-inch ZT421 or ZT620, with a 168 mm print width. Both models take labels from 51 mm wide.

Barcode printer types: how to choose desktop, industrial, mobile, or print engine

By form, barcode printers come in 4 types: desktop models on a desk, industrial models beside a work line, mobile models worn on the body, and print engines built into automatic applicators. How much one roll must last, where it is installed, and whether it prints where power is available decide the form; print method and resolution are chosen after that.

Representative models by form

Form	Model	Top speed at 203 dpi	Label roll OD	Weight
Desktop	Zebra ZD230D	152 mm/s	127 mm	1.1 kg
Desktop	Zebra ZD621	203 mm/s	127 mm	1.6 kg
Industrial	Zebra ZT231	305 mm/s	203 mm	9.1 kg
Industrial	Zebra ZT610	356 mm/s	203 mm	22.7 kg
Mobile	Zebra ZQ521	102 mm/s (127 mm in draft mode)	57 mm	0.79 kg (spec sheet)

When the roll OD grows from 127 mm to 203 mm, more labels are wound on one roll and roll changes become less frequent. The mobile ZQ521 takes 57 mm OD rolls.

Expanding connectivity on desktop printers

The desktop models in the table weigh 1.1-1.6 kg, so they sit on a checkout counter or shipping desk. Even among 4-inch desktop models, the way to change connectivity later differs by model.

The ZD421 is used over USB 2.0, and an Ethernet and serial module or a Wi-Fi module is bought and fitted in the field later.
On the ZD230D, Ethernet or Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 are chosen as factory-installed configurations when ordering.
The Bixolon SLP-DX420 has a separate USB, serial, and parallel configuration, so it connects even to older PCs with only a parallel port.

So for a shipping area where several PCs share one printer, order the ZD230D with Ethernet from the start.

Weight and uses of industrial printers

Industrial printers load 203 mm OD label rolls on 76 mm cores and 450 m ribbons to reduce roll changes. In exchange, they weigh 9.1-26 kg, so they get a dedicated workbench or shelf.

The ZT231, at 9.1 kg, is light among industrial models and takes labels as narrow as 19.4 mm. The ZT411 weighs 16.33 kg and offers a 600 dpi printhead and an RFID option, and the ZT610 weighs 22.7 kg with Gigabit Ethernet as standard. Labels wider than 104 mm move to the 6-inch ZT620 (168 mm print width, 26 kg).

Batteries and media on mobile printers

Mobile printers run on batteries and connect to PDAs and smartphones over Bluetooth, printing labels right at warehouse shelves or delivery sites. The 4-inch ZQ521 has a 3,250 mAh battery with an optional 6,500 mAh extended battery, and the 3-inch ZQ620 uses media 25.4-79.4 mm wide.

The ZQ521 unit is IP54, and with the exoskeleton case fitted it meets IP65 and a 3 m drop rating. The ZQ521 roll OD is 57 mm and the ZQ620's is 66.8 mm, so if daily output is high, carry spare media and batteries together.

Print engines for automatic applicators

Print engines such as the ZE511 go inside label applicators and are used on automatic lines that print a label and apply it to the product right away. The applicator interface is standard, ribbons are 600 m rolls wound either ink side in or out, and with a high-speed printhead at 203 dpi direct thermal it prints at 457 mm/s.

The general industrial ZT411 and ZT610 can also take an optional applicator interface to receive applicator signals.

Print method and resolution, decided after the form

Invoices kept for 1 week to 1 year are direct thermal, and asset tags that must last for years are thermal transfer. Resolution is decided by the smallest text and bar width, and raising the resolution lowers top speed even on the same model.

These two criteria are compared separately in direct thermal vs. thermal transfer and 203 dpi vs. 300 dpi, and equipment to read the printed labels is in barcode scanner types.