New retail supply chain RFID printer launched by Paxar

A new RFID printer, specifically designed for retail supply chain operations, has been unveiled by Paxar UK. Called the Monarch 9855 RFID, it is aimed at manufacturers and logistics companies supplying the growing number of retailers that are now adopting RFID technology.

(PRWEB) May 29, 2004 -- A new RFID printer, specifically designed and engineered for demanding retail supply chain operations, has been unveiled by Paxar UK. Called the Monarch 9855 RFID, it is aimed at manufacturers and logistics companies supplying the growing number of retailers that are now adopting RFID technology. It writes to EPC Class 1 RFID chips that are embedded in thermal direct or thermal transfer barcode labels, producing smart labels and smart tags that enable merchandise to be moved quickly through the supply chain and be tracked at every stage in the logistics process.

The 9855 RFID tabletop printer, which is available at US 915MHz and the proposed 866MHz standard for Europe, tests the chip, writes to the chip and then prints the human-readable and barcode data. It provides complete verification of the RFID data and overstrikes bad labels to alert users if the RFID data cannot be encoded. It is, says Paxar, the ideal RFID printer where high volumes of labels and tags are required either on demand or continuously.

The printer has already proved so successful in the USA that it is at the heart of an RFID Implementation Kit that is now being offered to Wal-Marts supply partners to ensure their compliance with the retail giants stipulation that all deliveries after January of next year from its top 100 suppliers must have RFID encoded labels.

The smart labels and tags produced on the 9855 RFID printer can be read without close contact or without a clear line-of-sight, and RFID readers can differentiate and read multiple tags produced on the 9855 RFID printer simultaneously and at great speed. The 9855 RFID labels and tags can be updated with new information as items pass through the supply chain.

Paxar is citing a number of cost-saving benefits associated with the adoption of RFID technology that support the introduction of the new RFID printer. These include reduced safety margin" inventory, significantly less labour devoted to receiving goods and stock control, and a profit boosting reduction in inventory shrinkage. Additionally, stock has greater visibility as it moves through the supply chain, plus RFID merchandise is less susceptible to counterfeiting and is more resistant to fraud and theft.

The new printer is available in a tough metal casing and, as standard, comes with USB [Universal Serial Bus], parallel and serial ports. Other connectivity options include Twinax/Coax interface that enables the user to connect to IBM AS400 networks and incorporates a built-in protocol converter, and a dual wireless 802.11b/wired Ethernet network interface card. This innovative wireless interface card allows the 9855 RFID printer to be run on a wireless network, with the ability for the wired Ethernet port to switch-in automatically if the wireless network fails, is overloaded, or is being serviced. Should this occur, the IP address is retained and there is no risk of losing the connection or any data.

In addition to its RFID capabilities, the easy-to-use 9855 RFID provides full barcode print capability on the RFID labels for all of the popular barcode symbologies. It incorporates a super-fast 150 MHz processor and prints at speeds of up to 305mm [12 inches] a second. Another bonus is the 9855 RFIDs bumper-length supply rolls that are as simple to load as a Sellotape dispenser, and cuts downtime compared with other tag and label printers on the market by an impressive 31 percent. It has a 16-character, two-row front panel display that shows readable error messages rather than potentially baffling numeric codes.

Supply sensing is die cut, black mark, aperture or non-indexed, and the 9855 RFID printer can handle Bitmapped, Scalable, True-type and 2-Byte loadable fonts, while offering the facility to accommodate both one and 2-D barcodes.

Paxar UK is a member of Aim [Association of Automatic Identification and Mobility], EPCglobal, and is an e.center Alliance Member. The company is one of a number of Paxar EMEA companies spread across continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is part of the US-based Paxar Corporation -- the world's leading manufacturer of apparel labelling and identification products. Further information on the Paxar Corporation can be found on www.paxar.com. Similar details on Paxar Europe are available on www.paxar-emea.com