Labelling Systems - Zebra

QL Series - Mobile printing & labelling from Zebra.

Mobile printing systems offer the quality and convenience necessary to provide documentation for internal operations and customer service. Industrial companies can use mobile printers for receiving, cross docking, production test and sample tracking, pick tickets and shipment labeling. The QL range of mobile printers are lightweight, easy to use, durable, and offer outstanding print quality.

• A wireless interface (WiFi or 802.11) that allows connection to enterprise RF networks and applications from anywhere in the facility, indoors or out.
• Mobile printers can be used to produce high-quality labels, receipts and tickets using a variety of media.
• Mobile printers are typically used in conjunction with handheld or wearable computers. The printer receives its commands from the portable computer through either a cabled or wireless connection.
• Printers may also have a direct connection to enterprise wireless networks. The wireless interfaces perform separate functions and can be used simultaneously.

Users can wear their printers with either a belt clip or a shoulder strap.

• Wearing printers instead of carrying them keeps the user’s hands free for other tasks and reduces fatigue.
• The printer is always with the operator for instant access
• Damage or loss is less likely

Mobile printers can be mounted into most forklifts and delivery trucks.

• The mount may be permanent, for in-vehicle operation, or removable so the printer can be taken out and used at the point of service
• Mounted printers may be battery operated or wired to a vehicle adapter.
• Mobile printers are designed to withstand the shock and vibrations of the mobile environment and have power management.

Wireless Networking

Mobile printers can use a wireless network connection to receive print jobs, label formats, variable data and other information from host systems. The printer has an IP address and appears like any other device on the network, which lets users take advantage of the many excellent software products available for network management and security.

Zebra’s QL series is unique among all mobile printers because it supports the POP3 protocol. The POP3 function enables the printers to receive print commands via an e-mail. Wireless network printing is possible even if the mobile computer used with the printer does not have a wireless network connection. Because mobile printers can be worn on a belt or a strap, some users prefer to put the network connectivity board into the printer to keep the handheld device as light as possible. 802.11b is the most widely used wireless network standard and offers excellent performance for enterprise applications. It uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band and allows up to 11 Mbps (megabits per second) data rates. Other standards in the 802.11 wireless networking series include 802.11a and 802.11g, which are less mature than 802.11b, make up a small percentage of all wireless network installations, and are supported in far fewer products.

The a and g standards have higher data rates, but the speed isn’t necessary for mobile printing applications. 802.11g was developed to be backward-compatible with 802.11b, so that 802.11b printers and other devices will be supported on 802.11g networks. Zebra Technologies supports several leading security protocols including WEP, LEAP and Kerberos to meet user preferences for securing wireless transmissions.

Through Zebra’s involvement with international standards committees and strong relationships with leading wireless technology developers, Zebra will continue to offer advanced wireless security features as they are introduced. For more information about wireless technology, see the Zebra white paper The Benefits of Wireless Printing.