BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD, ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR
PRINTING AND LABELING
materialhandlingupdate
Printers on the go
In an era of sleek consumer devices, a mobile printer
that’s heavy, clunky, or slow will be a hard sell. Here’s what
manufacturers are doing to keep up with customer expectations.
PHOTO COURTES Y OF ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES
IT’S A SURE BET THAT ALMOST ALL OF YOUR
warehouse associates use some sort of mobile
device in their daily lives—whether it’s a smart
phone, a tablet computer, or an MP3 player. So
it’s no surprise that mobile devices like portable
printers are becoming common in the workplace
as well, particularly for warehouse or distribu-
tion center (DC) applications. As Marty
Johnson, product marketing manager for printer
manufacturer Zebra Technologies, puts it: “The
commercialization of mobility is all around us.”
Indeed, many companies have either already
implemented Wi-Fi in their distribution facilities
or are strongly considering it, says Ravi
Panjwani, regional vice president of marketing
and product management for printer manufac-
turer Brother Mobile Solutions Inc. And with
wireless connectivity in place, DCs can reap great
productivity benefits by using mobile printers.
Mobile units allow associates to print items—like
bar codes and labels for pallets and cartons,
packing lists, inventory pick and return tickets,
and lot identifiers—at the point of use rather
than having to travel to a central location. (For
when to use a mobile versus a stationary printer,
see sidebar.)
