Bar Code printer..

[Boodles]

There are loads of these machines, big and small that print bar codes. And then of the course the question comes in ink quality.

Dont need anything fancy, just so long as the ink stays put on the bar code, and its readable. What type of ink thingee should i be looking out for?

Anyone got any insight here?

 

[Elfreako]

Anyone know anything about barcode printers? Where can I buy one of these?

 

[sn3rd]

Printers? You can buy a printer anywhere. You need the software to generate a barcode, which shouldn't be too tough to make: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/upc.htm/printable

 

[bdt]

Of course you can buy a printer anywhere - and, with the necessary font can start to spew out all the barcodes you choose ..only, IMNSHO , people who want to print out barcodes ALSO want to stick the resulting output onto things for, you know, packaging and subsequent scanning.

This puts kind of a kibosh on pressing your regular printer into this kind of duty for much above casual usage. If you're going to be doing this for more than moderate levels, a label printer becomes a good idea: that Seiko (..Epson) SLP440 goes for around the R1400 mark and should do quite nicely (don't forget that the printer is only your initial purchase, you should also figure ongoing media costs into things.)

 

[LazyLion]

You can go with a Normal Printer... ink on labels... smudges easily.

You can go with Thermal Printers... like those that print your receipt at the checkout till... better, but they fade over time.

Or you can go with Foil or Marking Ribbon... most expensive, but best bet for keeping the barcode on the product or on the label.

Look for Printers made by Datamax or Go-dex. I have used both of those.

You can also search for "Thermal printing" or thermal barcoding"

(the above printers come with their own design software that can make up the labels for you... including the barcode).

The company I work for sells foil and marking ribbon btw.

 

[sn3rd]

Of course you can buy a printer anywhere - and, with the necessary font can start to spew out all the barcodes you choose ..only, IMNSHO , people who want to print out barcodes ALSO want to stick the resulting output onto things for, you know, packaging and subsequent scanning.

This puts kind of a kibosh on pressing your regular printer into this kind of duty for much above casual usage. If you're going to be doing this for more than moderate levels, a label printer becomes a good idea: that Seiko (..Epson) SLP440 goes for around the R1400 mark and should do quite nicely (don't forget that the printer is only your initial purchase, you should also figure ongoing media costs into things.)