What Defines a Truly Rugged Printer?

If you’re investing in printers for industrial applications, it’s important to understand the true definition of a rugged printer.

Some printers are truly rugged and suited for industrial requirements, while others are doomed to be a costly disappointment. They simply can’t handle the high volumes, harsh conditions and continuous printing performance that industrial applications demand. To help you tell the difference, we’ve put together some useful guidelines to keep in mind.

Durability for Extreme Environments

If you’re printing on the floor of a manufacturing plant, in a warehouse, or out in the field, your printers can be subjected to extreme temperatures, dust and debris, and being bumped, dropped or knocked over.

To survive and thrive in these environments, you need an industrial-strength, rugged printer built to withstand these abusive extremes.

The alternative is investing in a cheaper solution that isn’t purpose-built for industrial durability. Usually that means you’ll end up paying much more in the long run due to costly servicing, repairs and replacements.

An industrial printer is the better option when you want maximum quality and durability as well as a better ROI.

When you choose an industrial, rugged printer, it should be built with an all-metal frame and chassis, as

well as high-quality, durable internal components. This will allow it to take a beating and still run seamlessly.

It should also have internal temperature sensors and controls, to ensure proper performance in extreme temperature environments.

High-Volume Printing Capabilities

If you’re printing in large volumes, such as labeling parts, materials or pharmaceuticals, you’ll need a rugged printer. In these applications, reliability and continuous operation are critical to ensuring seamless production and shipments.

As with handling extreme environments, your printer should have an all-metal frame and high-quality components to ensure uninterrupted performance at higher volumes.

You should also make sure your device is engineered for 24/7 availability and reliability, with outstanding print registration and consistent printing.

Precision and consistency will ensure that your labels, tags, packing slips and other documents are printed accurately and flawlessly—from the first to the last. It will also help you avoid costly and time-consuming reprinting, which is often required when you’re using a lower-quality and cheaper printer.

Easy Maintenance & Management

If you’re running numerous printers across many sites, managing them is critical to continuous uptime and keeping your costs down. This is why it’s critical to use rugged printers with remote management a cloud-based visibility that allows you to quickly see and monitor the status, use and health of every printing device on your network.

Using configurable dashboards, you can access all the insights and data you need for proactive printer management. You can schedule preventive maintenance, maintain the right supplies, and adjust your printer deployment to enhance performance, availability and life cycle.

You can also get automatic notifications of servicing needs or print errors, so you can quickly address issues and ensure your printers are as reliable as possible.

A Brand You Can Trust

When you need an extremely robust and rugged printer, it’s also important to choose a brand you can trust, with outstanding engineering expertise and support.  This is why our experts at Huzzard recommend industrial printers from Zebra Technologies.

Zebra is the global leader in ultra-rugged industrial printing, including its new ZT510 industrial printer, which combines high durability, high-volume printing, advanced remote management, and a cost-effective price point.

To learn more about Zebra’s rugged printers and get a free recommendation and consultation for your business, contact Huzzard Systems now. Visit us at www.huzzard.com, call 1-800-321-9094 or email us now.