How to Select the Best RFID Printer to Fit Your Application

RFID is emerging as a high-speed and low-cost method for tracking assets, especially for enterprises with large product inventories and valuable property. The use of RFID spans several industry applications from retail to healthcare, manufacturing, shipping and logistics, and more.

New and innovative use cases for RFID are also revealing themselves, from nursery and greenhouse plant inventory to law enforcement evidence tracking. As the use of RFID becomes more prevalent, organizations will need reliable technology for printing RFID labels.

We have an RFID family of printers that encompasses high performance enterprise all the way to functional compact industrial models suited for your application. The high-speed, high-memory TSC Printronix Auto ID RFID printer options allow users to take inventory and locate equipment in real time.

Today, we’ll cover key features in our RFID printer lineup so you can select the best one for your needs.

Affordable and Compact: T800 Series 4-Inch Enterprise Desktop RFID Printers

If you’re looking for an affordable, compact RFID desktop printer to track products throughout the supply chain, the T800 Series printer is the answer. It can handle lower-volume printing of up to 2,500 labels per day and offers label calibration to automatically set the optimal label encoding position. T800 Series printers come with an adjustable, multi-position antenna which provides even more options for label constructions.

This printer series offers affordable performance with flexibility, supporting all nine major thermal printer languages, multiple connectivity options, and easy to use setup and navigation menus. The T800 has an available UHF/RAIN RFID encoding option which includes a convenient RFID calibration feature to automatically determine the optimal printer settings for real-time RFID encoding.

Fast-Paced, Mid-Volume: T4000 Series 4-Inch Enterprise Industrial RFID Printers

For heavier print needs, consider the T4000 Series printer. This mid-volume printer prints up to 5,000 standard and on-metal RFID labels and tags per day at up to 10-inches per second (ips). While it’s compact enough to fit in tight spaces, it’s also durable for regular enterprise use.

The T4000 RFID printer features automated performance alerts so you can gauge productivity and address issues quickly for better efficiency. These and other features can be managed onsite or remotely with your choice of the free PrintNet Enterprise management tool or the subscription-based SOTI Connect.

The T4000 is ideal for supporting fast-paced and accuracy-reliant industries. It also presents compatibility with major enterprise resource planning (ERP) and warehouse management systems (WMS). In addition to fast-paced performance, it offers flexibility to support nine barcode label printer languages, legacy printing environments, and enterprise-level security protocols.

If you’re not 100% sure yet whether your business needs RFID printing capabilities, don’t worry. The T4000 standard model printer can be upgraded with an RFID update kit. This enables you plenty of room to adapt to customer needs for standard barcode labels and RFID.

Versatile with High Performance: T6000e Series Enterprise Industrial RFID Printers

The award-winning T6000e RFID enterprise printer, with 4-inch and 6-inch options, is the best choice for high-volume print needs. It also presents the greatest versatility with the capacity for integrated and automated barcode inspection as well as RFID capabilities. With the ability to print up to 10,000 standard and on-metal labels per day, this option produces high-quality labels with up to 600 dpi resolution.

T6000e enterprise printers automatically overstrike and reprint labels and tags that fail to encode properly during the printing process, saving you time and printing resources. These printers are also the only TSC Printronix Auto ID RFID printers with our integrated ODV-2D barcode inspection systems. Our ODV barcode verification technology encompasses both 1D and 2D verification and validation, and does this automatically during the printing process without operator intervention. This saves time, improves efficiency, and offers intelligent data to support you when disputing chargebacks or if needed for an audit.

The T6000e printer also includes RFID smart labels for non-line sight reading for rapid inventory tracking.

Rugged Printing and Encoding On the Go

The Alpha-40L RFID is the best option to print and encode RFID labels on the go. This versatile mobile printer enables you to print from anywhere with reliable performance. The Alpha-40L is IP54-rated for dust and water resistance capable of withstanding a 3.3-foot (1.0 m) tumble and 6-foot (1.8 m) drop and meets MIL-STD-810G military drop and vibration standards. For seamless connectivity on the go, it offers the latest 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi certified with Bluetooth® 4.2 combo module or Apple-certified MFi Bluetooth® 5.0. This enables safe and secure printing on demand.

The Alpha-40L goes above and beyond with its high-speed UHF RFID encoding and validation in addition to RFID auto-calibration to enable an easy setup. It can pitch a tag as little as 0.625” (15.9mm) as well as support multiple brands of RFID inlays and chips. With its remote printer management options, IT personnel can remotely manage, monitor, and troubleshoot mission-critical devices from a completely central, remote location. Small but mighty, the Alpha-40L RFID delivers versatile yet ruggedly reliable mobile RFID printing options.

Feel Confident Choosing an RFID Printer

The family of TSC Printronix Auto ID RFID printers offers something for every business and application. From low-volume enterprise needs to high-volume industrial requirements, there’s a printer for your RFID label and tag needs. Flexible options such as remote printer management capabilities and RFID upgrade kits for standard printers makes us confident you’ll find the right option for your business in our RFID printer family.

Contact your local representative to learn more, or explore our range of RFID printers online.