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PRINT.IT
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Printers
According to a report on
the BBC News website, the
Russian agency responsible
for Kremlin security has
placed a £9,860 order for
electronic typewriters in a bid
to prevent secrets from being
hacked or downloaded from
computers.
This story is a reminder
that some ‘old’ technologies
take a long time to die, for
the simple reason that they
possess qualities still valued
by certain buyers. In the case
of typewriters, according to
a source quoted in Russia’s
Izvestiya newspaper, it is that
each has a unique typing
pattern that makes it possible
to match a document to the
machine on which it was
created.
Another output technology
with remarkable staying power
is dot matrix printing. Although
laser printers have been
promoted as a viable alternative
to impact printers even where
multiple copies are required,
Dascom Europe marketing
manager Michael Ried says that
dot matrix has certain qualities
that make it particularly
well suited to applications
in logistics, transport and
warehousing.
“A back office where it is
dusty and where there are
large humidity and temperature
changes, from 40 degrees to
minus zero, can be difficult for
a laser printer to cope with. Dot
matrix is rugged and reliable.
The only disadvantage is when
you need to print graphics,
but this doesn’t matter with
invoices and packaging slips
that are used quickly and then
thrown away,” he said.
He added: “Dot matrix has
a lower cost of ownership,
because the ribbon is the only
Tap and print with NFC
Still going strong
The enduring appeal of the dot matrix printer
consumable, and it is preferable
from an environmental
viewpoint because the cassette
consists of a fabric band and a
plastic case and that’s all. And
power consumption is low.”
Laser’s advocates point out
that dot matrix printing is costly
in terms of pre-printed multi-
part stationery but Ried argues
that this has become less of
an issue as organisations have
changed their processes to
reduce the requirement for
multi-part sets or the number
of copies in each set. Nor do
organisations have to use pre-
printed stationery.
Though dot matrix still
has a place, Ried concedes
that new applications are not
being developed. He estimates
that 80% of all dot matrix
shipments are replacement
sales and agrees that the days
of innovation are over – “Dot
matrix is an old technology: all
optimisation has been done in
the last 20 years, so you won’t
see any big surprises,” he said.
Today, all you can expect are
slight changes in the way the
technology is packaged.
A case in point is Dascom’s
new 2600/2610 series (80 and
136 columns respectively). To
keep the price down, the 24-pin
printers have fewer automatic
features than the company’s
high end 2150/2250 series
– ejecting the printhead and
changing/reloading paper must
be done manually – yet still
offer advanced features for
ease of use.
These include an integrated
Ethernet interface as standard,
plus USB and parallel
connectivity, and the ability to
administer a device remotely via
a web browser without the need
for any additional software.
This is particularly useful for
companies that have more than
one printer that they would like
to manage centrally, with the
option to download settings
to multiple printers across the
network. There is also a built-in
LCD to simplify administration
at the printer itself.
Ried says that providing
network connectivity as a
built-in feature rather than via
an external print server is an
increasingly popular feature.
“The advantage of an
external print server is that
you can switch very easily, but
if you have two devices and
something fails you don’t know
if it’s the printer or the box.
People like to have one unit and
no external devices. Every time
we put this to customers they
like having network connectivity
as standard,” he said.
Other advantages, he says,
are that they are fast (up to
680 characters per second);
have a 40% smaller footprint
than competitors and longer
lasting ribbons (6 or 8 million
characters compared to 4
million on competing devices);
and feature a metal tear bar.
Both printers are available
immediately for a retail price of
£549 (Tally Dascom 2600) or
£649 (Tally Dascom 2610).
www.dascom.com
Continued...
A new generation of
printers is taking mobile
printing to a greater level
of convenience and ease
of user. Instead of having
to open up a special
application, an NFC-enabled
printer can be paired with
an NFC-enabled smartphone
with a simple tap.
Samsung has just
launched the first NFC- and
WiFi-enabled colour laser
devices – the C410W printer
and C460 MFP – and Brother
is soon to launch the NFC-
enabled MFC-J870DW/MFC-
J875DW. Earlier in the year,
LG launched the NFC-enabled
Pocket Photo Smart photo
printer.
NFC (Near Field
Communication), which
initiates a wireless connection
between two devices in close
proximity to each other, has
been used with print products
before, e.g. to release a print
using Cortado’s Personal
Printing Essentials pull
printing solution. However,
these are the first devices to
be NFC-enabled from the box.
They provide a new
and arguably easier way
to print from and scan
to mobile devices. In the