The Alpha-3R is a TSC 3-inch mobile printer that mainly prints receipts and also takes specified labels. It weighs 550 g with the battery installed and prints receipts for more than 30 hours on one charge of its 2,500 mAh battery.
The uses TSC lists are delivery receipts for drivers, on-site sales and repair confirmations, onboard tickets, event tickets, meter reading bills, and parking tickets. All of them involve carrying the printer and printing one sheet at a time on the spot.
Receipt and label media specs
| Item | Receipt | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Media width | 50.8-80 mm | 50.8-78 mm |
| Roll OD | Up to 57 mm | Up to 55 mm |
| Thickness | 0.0508-0.1016 mm | Up to 0.14 mm |
| Length | Prints up to 2,286 mm | 25.4 mm or more |
Receipt paper with a black mark on the print side is also supported. The media holder is adjusted to width by turning a knob; position the holder so it rests over the black line but does not cover the two dots on the line.
When you switch to a different kind of label or load a new roll, run Calibration in TSC Console so the printer reads the media type and label size again. Without a PC, calibrate the media sensor by holding the FEED button with the power off, pressing the power button to turn it on, and releasing FEED when the indicator blinks for the first five times.
Battery charging and life
The battery is a 2-cell 7.4 V 2,500 mAh lithium-ion, and the first full charge takes about 2-3 hours. Its charge cycle life is about 300 cycles.
When charged in the unit, the battery indicator stays orange and turns off when full. If you charge near 40°C or with the printer turned on, charging stops for a while to protect the battery. Spare batteries are charged separately in 1-slot or 4-slot chargers, where a green charger indicator means fully charged and red means charging.
Connection options and choices at order time
The standard connection is USB 2.0 only. If it needs to pair wirelessly with a phone, choose the Bluetooth model or the wireless LAN (802.11 a/b/g/n) model when ordering, and MFi certification for Apple devices is also a factory option.
It accepts TSPL-EZ (EPL2, ZPL2 compatible), ESC-POS, and CPCL commands. Sales apps that send receipts with ESC-POS commands and mobile apps that use CPCL connect without changing their command set.
Protective case for fieldwork and vehicle charging
The unit has a rubber-overmolded plastic housing that withstands 1.5 m drops. The IP54 dust and water rating applies when it is in the protective case with a shoulder strap. In a vehicle, charge with the 12-24 V or 12-60 V vehicle power adapter or the 12-60 V open-ended adapter that wires in directly.
The driver and manual are available on the Alpha-3R driver download page.
