Smaller labels, bigger impact - New Zebra ZD411 and ZD611 2-Inch printers
These 2-inch printers will help you keep up in an increasingly fast-paced world. With the freedom to create any kind of 2-inch label you need with a single printer.
Labels are essential! Labels keep us organised, as individuals and businesses. They are also one of the most valuable sources of information we have today. Today, so many digital data systems gain their information from labels, so truly - they keep businesses going!
From a simple label, you can gain a wealth of information from product availability, expiry to ingredients of allergens. Items can be tracked such as assets, packages, evidence, lab samples and even people with the use of wristbands rather than labels. Professionals can quickly check the status of specimens sent to the lab or track equipment in an ambulance. The potential for labels is endless.
In a world without labels, we would be without essential information and unaware of what we are consuming, pricing, when products expire. We would be unable to locate anything whether it’s as simple as a tin of beans or life saving equipment. Without accurate labelling, more essential tasks such as matching blood specimens to the right patient or evidence to a case would be impossible and even life threatening. So when we say labels are essential - we mean it!
What Makes a Good Label Printer?
If you’re searching for what you might think is a “standard” 2-inch label printer, you might assume that all label printers are the same. But if you need labels for medication, patient records or ID, these all require different media. Your best option is to invest in a small desktop printer that allows you to easily change between the media you need. This could be barcode labels, RFID labels or patient wristbands.
Zebra Technologies understands the need for this convenience and developed the Zebra ZD411 and ZD611 2-inch desktop printers.
- Healthcare needs a printer that increases label/data capture accuracy, reduces overall operational costs and elevates patient care during check-in and triage, at the bedside, in the lab and pharmacy, and throughout the administrative/billing process.
- Retail needs a printer that helps you boost sales, maintain compliance and increase shopper satisfaction with accurate shelf labels and merchandise tags, fast markdowns, and simple tracking of inventory.
- Hospitality needs a way to deliver better guest experiences and increase customer service and loyalty, whether through ticketing, proper food labelling, or access wristbands.
- Public safety and criminal justice need a way to effectively manage evidence and case files through accurate, always-readable labels that can be printed almost anywhere.
- Every sector must be able to print labels consistently and without interruption, whether used as product slips or to track documents, parts, or other assets.
With the ZD411 and ZD611 printers, you and your team will get long-lasting desktop printers that will reliably print almost any type of small label or wristband you need to keep your business running smoothly, your employees informed (and stress free) and your customers/patients happy.
What’s so different about these 2-inch label printers?
- They’re small – as in the length and width of a typical loaf of bread and around the same weight as the average laptop. This makes it ideal for small workspaces. You can easily transport the ZD411 and ZD611 printers from one workstation to the next or on a cart between patient rooms or store aisles as needed, especially since they have an optional removable battery pack.
- They think and move faster than most compact label printers, so you and your team can create more labels in less time. The ZD411 is 20% faster than the ZD410, and the ZD611 is 33% faster than the TLP2824 Plus. So, if you’re using those printers today, you’re going to get an automatic boost in efficiency and output – before factoring the other changes that make use more efficient than ever, such as the colour-coded media change guide or the colour touch display.
- Your front-line workers will be able to set up, use and manage these printers, even if they aren’t tech-savvy. There’s a mobile app that front-line workers can download to their Android or iOS device to handle printer setup. The app will connect them to the ZD411 or ZD611 printer using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5 connection and then walk them through the pairing configuration process step by step. Once online, users can refer to the five LED icons on the interface to see if any maintenance actions are needed to keep the printers up and running, such as media replenishment. There’s also a new three-button user interface versus the traditional single-button/single-light interface common with other desktop printers. The goal is to make it easy – and obvious for printer users when maintenance or troubleshooting is needed. In other words, front-line workers won’t have to rely on IT as much to install and manage every printer your organisation buys.
- You can also manage the printers remotely if you prefer. Like any technology, there will be times when IT or operations teams need to check in on performance and intervene to assist with an update. With the growing set of Print DNA software available on the ZD411 and ZD611 printers, it’s easy to remote in to check or strengthen security, diagnose issues that front-line workers can’t figure out, or upgrade printer features to support new applications.
- You can upgrade the wireless connectivity whenever you want. All ZD411 and ZD611 printers come standard with USB 2.0 and USB Host ports. But if you want to upgrade to 802.11 ac Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.1 (dual radio) connectivity later, all you have to do is open the wireless access door located on the bottom of the printer and follow the three easy installation steps to complete the upgrade in the field. The ZD611 printers also come with a factory-installed ethernet and serial port option, and you can add ethernet to your ZD41 , just so you know.
- You can print, cut and peel more labels than ever. The ZD411 and ZD611 printers offer a new field-upgradeable peeler and cutter that enables you to produce labels less than half an inch long, if needed.
- You’ll be able to generate time stamped labels, such as those used on food products, with perfect accuracy. These compact printers have a real-time clock embedded. They also offer plenty of memory. So, you can store all the company and product logos, label designs and data points needed to generate different types of labels.
- You won’t have to worry about getting new label printers for many years. This will be a one-and-done investment. The ZD411 and ZD611 printers have an exceptionally long lifecycle with low serviceability requirements, which gives you a high return on investment. Print DNA enterprise software suite – which is exclusive to Zebra printers – really does differentiate the ZD411 and ZD611 printers from competitor’s 2-inch label printers. You can read about how it makes your job easier and sustains the printers’ high performance level here.
- You won’t have to worry about security breaches, assuming you take full advantage of the included PrintSecure toolset. Printers are a point of vulnerability for many organisations, even small businesses, as they are connected to business systems filled with sensitive data, including customer/patient, inventory, and pricing information. They need to be locked down as well as any other technology system, including mobile devices. That’s why the ZD411 and ZD611 are so different from non-Zebra 2-inch label printers – they have Print DNA, which includes continuously-refined PrintSecure tools designed to help you quickly assess potential vulnerabilities, block unauthorised access, and control data exchanges.
How Printers Underpin Your Business Success
Printers aren’t just commodities. If a printer is down, even going a small time without them can cause big problems in an organisation. There’s no doubt that your business is as dependent on printers as it is mobile computers, scanners, RFID readers or any other technology you use to automate workflows and improve task accuracy. So don’t assume all label printers can handle the pressure you put on them.
Talk to us at Bar Code Data about which ZD411 or ZD611 printer may be best for your labelling applications. Then give it a test drive alongside other printers you’re using today or considering for your next upgrade. Note which printer enables workers to get high-quality labels printed fast and which ones get them flustered. Also measure the impact of each printer on IT teams – how many helpdesk tickets are submitted for each printer and how long it takes for each ticket to be resolved. User self-sufficiency is so important to a time-sensitive operation. Every second spent calling someone else for help, looking up instructions or otherwise fussing with the printer is a second lost on revenue-generating, profit-protecting and/or life-saving activities. Likewise, IT needs to be able to get into the printer, work out what’s going on, apply a fix (if needed) then move on. It shouldn’t be a lengthy process to get – or keep – one printer online.
Small Changes Make Big Improvements
Do some research on your current printers’ capabilities – talk to your employees, run performance diagnostics, and walk through real-world, label-dependent workflows yourself during your company’s peak period. See what can be working better. Then get in touch with us at Bar Code Data to see how a ZD411 or ZD611 may be able to directly address some of the pain points you identify.
With some effort to address where improvements can be made in your organisation, you can make changes that will save your front-line workers much more time and effort in the long run, and that’s going to benefit your business by increasing worker availability for revenue-generating tasks and customer service. Taking the time to find the right label printer will also help you issue tickets, process specimens, log evidence, or get food made and shelved faster than ever before.
To talk to us more about the role a label printer is currently playing in your business and how you could improve its performance with an upgrade to the right printer, you can get in touch with our team to find out what small changes you can make to drive big improvements in label-driven processes.
Why Choose Bar Code Data?
Bar Code Data are experts in all things labelling and labelling software. We appreciate that each business is individual, and no two have the exact same requirements, so we will talk you through your labelling needs to establish the best way forward. Call our Sales Team on 0808 109 9858 for a free consultation to answer any questions you may have and provide expert advice.