Seiko, the makers of fancy watches, is taking a stab at building receipt printers. Their Qaliber RP-E is available and offers pretty strong performance at a good price.

So the Qaliber (pronounced Caliber and not Kwaliber) is a cube, 5 inches on a side, which is an interesting aesthetic and adds to the printer’s stackability. It’s available with standard topside printing and also front-feeding, in case you need to mount it under a desk or you want to put something on top of it, like a stylish vase. I think the only difference is how the labeling on the front is oriented, so you could have both top and front-feed functionality from either printer.

So you see that glowy blue glowiness on the printer? That’s an LED bar that chan change color depending on your preference. So say you want it to be green, you mess with the driver and boom, green LEDs. Seiko says it does a few shades of blue/green for regular mode, then red/magenta for errors. It’s a pretty striking accent and could help make counter space look a little nicer.

In terms of performance, the Qaliber lines up nicely with higher end printers. A near 14″ per second print speed is remarkably fast, hopefully nobody gets papercuts as a result of impatiently trying to grab the receipt. Time for some math: a standard receipt paper roll is 220 feet long, 2,640 inches. Just firing out one gigantic 220-foot receipt would take the Qaliber 3 minutes and about 10 seconds. Whereas a competing printer with an 11.8″ per second print speed would take 3 minutes and 43 seconds. A full half a minute per roll, or twenty five minutes per box of paper. It’s crazy to see how this scales up so quickly.

The Qaliber’s also built for long lasting performance. The printhead is rated at 99 miles of printed receipts, or 2,376 rolls of receipts, or 125 hours of straight printing. Its autocutter provides over 2 million cuts, which just sounds like a ton of receipts. It also ships with a 3-year warranty, which is pretty standard for printers.

Bottom line: The Seiko Qaliber receipt printer is a high-performance option for retailers wanting to speed their checkout process. The unique design and stylish accents make it a great way to maintain a clean, modern look at your checkstand as well.

Mobile couponing has been growing as way for retailers to offer convenient savings for their customer base. Rather than haul a pile of coupons to the store, you just load up a text message or email or whatever and scan at checkout. This also allows retailers to track coupon usage, as you can send custom Codes to specific customers and see which ones work and which don’t.

Unfortunately, laser Barcode Scanners can’t read barcodes on LCD screens. They calculate barcode data based on the laser light reflected back and all they really get back from a glass screen is reflection. Mobeam is trying to remedy this and have a solution that will be in the Samsung Galaxy S 4, according to Engadget. Their technology has to be baked into the phone, and when it’s time to scan, the phone flashes light in a certain pattern that tricks the scanner into treating is as reflected barcode data.

This technology would’ve been terrific 5 or 6 years ago, but linear imager technology has advanced to the point that a scanner such as the Honeywell Hyperion 1300g or Motorola LI4278 can read off LCD screens without much trouble. There’s also the problem that phone manufacturers have to opt in to add this functionality, and customers have to buy compatible phones. I’m not sure  if they’re going to hit critical mass with one Android phone supporting their technology.

The migration to imaging technology in data capture seems inevitable at this point. Even those big grocery scales are getting updated to support imaging in one or both scanning planes, such as the Honeywell Stratos 2700 and Motorola MP6000. I could see this being a viable technology for low-resolution feature phones, since they’d have trouble displaying the barcode properly. And I guess for retailers who don’t feel ready to move to imagers it’s a smart choice. But at the point almost every major retailer with in-counter laser scanning also has an imager, either 1D or 2D, hanging out as an alternative.

Unitech has a new barcode scanner available, the AS10. The AS10 is a contact barcode scanner, so you end up getting a scan range of up to 2 inches for most barcodes. Its shallower depth of field means the AS10 takes a bit longer to set up for a successful scan than higher end scanners. The scanner’s a great choice for places where you might not scan a lot of products, or you’re not too worried about lines forming waiting to check out. So libraries, smaller boutiques, or maybe even asset management at home or your office. Knowing who has your DVDs is great when you’ve switched to Netflix.

The AS10 does not have an autosense or presentation stand available, so it’s all handheld scanning, all day. It’s built to survive 3 foot drops, so knocking it off a counter is no big deal. You get a 1 year warranty with the scanner, so you have some coverage for potential mishaps.

We also have a video covering the AS10, so you can actually see it actually scan barcodes. Which is terrific. Terrific.

Like the video said, this scanner comes in under $50, so it’s an attractive option for those wanting to streamline data capture but maybe don’t want to break the bank on an expensive retail or 2D scanner.

I’ve been waiting for Honeywell to release an industrial barcode scanner with their new Adaptus imager, and it’s finally available with their Granit line of scanners. The Granit 1910i barcode scanner is the cabled version of their new line, and it should be a smart fit for heavy manufacturing, cold storage, or any of those environments that would take down lesser scanners.

The Adaptus 6.0 imaging technology (I think that’s the full marketing term for it) has been around for a couple years in their Xenon scanners, and it’s a tremendous step up from the previous imager technology. The older Adaptus revisions were fine, but sometimes it’s nice to move into awesome or amazing territory. Yes. I just said barcode imaging technology is awesome.

With the Granit 1910i, Honeywell tuned the scanner for extended range scanning. So now those barcodes on the top shelf at Costco can be read as easily as the one right in front of you. For regular UPC barcodes, you get a scan range of half an inch to almost two feet, which is pretty solid for an imager. 20 mil gets to nearly 3 feet, and I can only imagine how far away you can be while still reading 100 mil reflective barcodes. Those things are like magic.

Industrial areas require tougher equipment. You might accidentally hit things with a forklift, or drop them off scaffolding, or maybe use two scanners to pound out a killer drum solo, and you need them to work after this abuse. Thankfully the Granit 1910i is one tough scanner. The rubberized body reinforces the scanner well, protecting it from 50 6.5-foot drops to concrete, at -22 degrees F. I imagine that testing was someone realizing it was 22 below and dropping the scanner while searching for a coat.
That does lead to the operating temperature specs. This scanner can scan barcodes at 22 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. For everyone outside of the US, that’s -30 degrees Celsius. I don’t know what’s stored at that temperature, but my guess is it’s for ice cream inventory management.

The Granit’s reinforced body is sealed to IP65 standards. This means no dirt whatsoever can get into the scanner (that’s the six,) and you can tag it with low pressure jets of water without the water getting into the scanner either (that’s the five.) That kind of sealing is fantastic for keeping track of inventory during a water balloon fight. Or garden center inventory control.

All in all, the Granit 1910i is a great way to scan barcodes, especially in environments where other scanners will fail.

FUZION For Aldelo Wireless!

I am excited!

For many years, now, if you desired to utilize a wireless hand-held device with your Aldelo POS for Restaurants system, the cost was prohibitive. First, you would have had to invest in Microsoft Server 2003 ($2100), a wireless license for each device ($295) and each hand-held ($500). Well, that is now in the past…no more…it’s history.  You have another, better choice.

POS-X has introduced a wireless solution for Aldelo for Restaurants…the FUZION!

This little touch-screen mobile computer comes standard with Windows CE 5.0 and a virtual keypad, as well as an IP54 rating to protect against dust and misted liquids. And, if you drop it from 4 feet, it should bounce.

But, all that is secondary to what this little baby can do. The price  for the device will be very reasonable.  So, here’s a scenario: Let’s say that you already have Aldelo installed on your back office computer and a station in your cashier area or bar. The license for the FUZION would only cost $500 for the Aldelo License and the price of the device for the entire mobile solution!

Another scenario: Suppose you have a night club. Besides your primary bar station, you would need a back office station($700 for copy of Aldelo for the office) to run any and all hand-helds. So, if you wanted 4 servers to each have their own mobile device, just add up the extra licenses at $500 each plus the price of the device…no more server pricing to pay for!

Look for this awesome solution to arrive in about a month or so.

Oh, and for those who require a card reader on those devices, that module will be coming soon!

Find it soon at: www.posguys.com

Knowing how to address some of the physical challenges of these devices makes sense, both for sales and support. This is another issue to consider when purchasing or presenting mobile computer-scanner options to specific market segments.

Selecting Appropriate Devices

Computers designed for spaces where invisible gases or extremely explosive “incindive” conditions exist require devices specially designed and sealed to prevent sparks from igniting such fuel sources. Oil refineries or grain elevator sites are areas where such devices might be used.

On “Incindive” Compliance for Class 1, Division 2 Devices:

Class 1 is part of the National Electric Code definitions of hazardous location classifications and protection techniques for operating devices within areas where flammable gases or other “incindives” may be present in sufficient quantities to produce explosive or flammable mixtures.

Division 2 is an environment where flammable gases, vapors, liquids, combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and airborne particulates are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions. Hazardous atmospheres are further defined by ”groups.” These include:

• Group A: Atmospheres containing acetylene.
• Group B: Atmospheres containing hydrogen, gases or vapors of equivalent hazard such as manufactured gas.
• Group C: Atmospheres containing ethyl-ether vapors, ethylene, or cyclo-propane.
• Group D: Atmospheres containing gasoline, hexane, naptha, benzene, butane, propane, alcohol, acetone, benzol, lacquer solvent vapors, or natural gas.
• Group E: Atmospheres containing metal dust – including aluminum, magnesium, and their commercial alloys, and other metals of similarly hazardous characteristics.
• Group F: Atmospheres containing carbon black, coal or coke dust.
• Group G: Atmospheres containing flour, starch, or grain dusts

The bottom line to all of this is that without the specialized components within these hardened devices a mobile computing/scanning solution has the potential to be downright deadly. Therefore, it would be prudent for the buyer and the sales professional to make certain that all devices considered for these areas be certified as Class 1, Division 2 compliant.

The experts at www.POSGuys.com can assist in providing safe, appropriate mobile computer-scanner options for retail and warehouse environments in addition to industrial class 1 division 2 areas and cold storage facilities.

So, you have an authentic Chinese restaurant and have hired an authentic Chinese cook who speaks and reads only Chinese. Does your POS system have the capability to print in languages other than English? Does your printer print in languages other than English?

If your POS system does allow displaying and printing in other languages then what printer has the ability to print the those language sets?

For instance:

Aldelo Pro for Restaurants prints in English, Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Spanish. The system will display in Arabic characters.

Amigo POS prints in Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish, Welsh…and four user-defined.  By the way, all these languages are displayed in the system by Arabic text. The system will display different character sets for these languages using non-Arabic characters if the character sets are installed on the system.

What is the procedure to get such a printer?

1. Call your software vendor to make sure your POS application does have the ability to print in another language set.
2. Ask them if any specific printer model works better than another with their system.
3. Most of the time a KITCHEN PRINTER is what is needed but other models are made for receipts, as well.
4. Go to www.posguys.com to get your printer. Our sales staff can research the correct printer for your needs.
5. Epson and Star-Micronics are just two of the manufacturers that make printers with alternate language drivers.

Additional things to consider:

1. How the printer attaches to the computer:

Serial port, or RS-232 has 25 pins on the computer side.

Parallel port, or Centronix has 36 pins on the computer side.

USB port is a small, flat connector that slides into the computer USB port.

2. What kind of paper the printer uses:

Thermal (no ribbon) uses heat-sensitive, coated paper

Impact (uses ribbon) uses plain paper

Each brand or model has specifications for paper width and diameter, in addition to ribbon type so check your operator’s guide!.

http://www.posguys.com has all your retail POS and inventory needs!

Do you require custom gift cards, employee cards or loyalty cards for your retail store or restaurant?

You may be interested in knowing that all cards will not work with all software applications. Therefore, here are a few things to know before placing an order for Card Printing:

1. Color of card stock
2. Design of card available from your card vendor
3. Programming codes required by the software you are using
   1. Some applications require specific characters before or after the card number so that their system identifies the card as a gift card, loyalty card, employee access card from a credit card. These programming codes can be found by asking your software provider. Be ready for some resistance from your vendor because they usually provide card programming themselves and may not release their codes to you!
   2. Card number you want the current batch to start at: ie: 1001 for Gift cards, or maybe 4001 for employee cards, etc. to be able to differentiate each type of card, if you wish.

1. All cards should come with a barcode but you may want to add a magnetic stripe if required by your system or if you just want to use a MSR instead of a barcode scanner.
2. Color of the text and image on the card (single-color or full-color ribbon needed).
3. Pre-made image to be included on a custom card (JPG, GIF, PSD, etc. format)
4. Text to be printed on the front (or back) of the card (restaurant name, address, phone, “10% discount for order over $100″, or other message needed).
5. There may be other things to consider but this is just a place to start!

At POSGuys.com we print custom cards in quantities of 50 and up. We can provide all the information you need for your cards (except maybe the proprietary programming codes mentioned above if we do not already have them).

Also, we have a full-service design department to assist you!

Check out our site at http://www.posguys.com/custom_card_printing_60/

It’s amazing what a difference Class 1 vs Class 2 Bluetooth does for the scanning range of Bluetooth Barcode Scanners.  Here’s a relatively good example of how much farther the Class 1 Bluetooth will allow you to scan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ahjBQO6ixg

The Xenon Barcode Scanner is one of the most aggressive wireless barcode scanners I’ve seen.  And it’s priced accordingly.  If you don’t want to mess around with damaged or barely readable barcodes, buy this scanner.  The only other scanner that comes close is the Symbol 9808.

You can find the Xenon on our website at:

http://www.posguys.com/barcode-scanner_3/Honeywell-Xenon-1902_1030/

Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions,

Shad

The OPN-2002 bluetooth Barcode Scanner quickly connects to the Apple iPad and functions like an external keyboard device.  This Barcode Scanner is small, lightweight and survives drops to concrete by the fact that it weighs a couple ounces.  The lithium ion battery is recharged via a USB cable and will power the scanner for a few days of moderate use.

We sell the scanner for $314 and they’re currently in stock.

http://www.posguys.com/mobile_computers_6/Opticon-OPN-2002_947/

Honeywell Xenon

Fort Mill, S.C. – May 4, 2010 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced the introduction of the Xenon™ series, the company’s sixth generation of hand-held area imaging scanners. Xenon is the first Honeywell scanner to combine two proven technologies, Adaptus® Imaging Technology and Omniplanar’s SwiftDecoder® decoding software, to create an industry-leading platform that extends depth of field, shortens read time and improves scanning performance, including faster throughput and processing, on almost all types of bar codes. Designed to meet the needs of workers in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, postal/courier and government, Xenon is available in two easy-to-use models: the corded 1900 and Bluetooth-enabled 1902.

Xenon utilizes Adaptus Imaging Technology 6.0 to read high density linear bar codes, 2D bar codes and those found on alternative surfaces, such as the screen of a mobile device. Adaptus also provides enhanced image capture capabilities, including auto-cropping, resolution enhancement and sharpening filters that increase flexibility and ease integration into existing applications. Combined with SwiftDecoder software, which improves the scanner’s ability to decode damaged and hard-to-read bar codes, Xenon delivers unmatched scanning performance.

“The Xenon series is not only a major advancement in our scanning portfolio, but also the industry, as it brings the best of two worlds together to form a scanning platform with next-generation capabilities,” said Darius Adamczyk, president, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “In our internal testing, Xenon outperformed the other scanners tested in a wide variety of use case scenarios. We look forward to offering our customers this series of feature-rich scanners that will reshape the AIDC industry.”

Another differentiator for Xenon is its custom sensor, optimized specifically for bar code reading to deliver improved scanning aggressiveness. Additionally, as the sensor is manufactured only for Honeywell scanning products, it helps avoid supply chain issues experienced with off-the-shelf camera sensors used by other area-imaging scanners. Unlike most competitors within the AIDC space, Xenon’s internal infrastructure mounts critical components on a single board, reducing the need for connectors. This improves serviceability and reliability, while minimizing downtime and increasing productivity.

“Our customers demand quick, efficient and seamless transactions,” said Brad Fick, president, Direct Source, Inc. “To meet this need, we collaborate with partners like Honeywell to provide advanced scanning solutions. It serves our customers well that Honeywell is a proven leader in the imaging space.”

Xenon also comes equipped with Honeywell’s TotalFreedom® development platform, which expands Xenon’s functionality by allowing image processing, decoding and formatting application plug-ins to be loaded directly to the scanner instead of the host system. Additionally, the device is compatible with Honeywell’s Remote MasterMind® (ReM) scanner management software, which provides a quick and convenient solution for IT administrators seeking to manage all scanners within their network from a single remote location, enabling users to perform tasks ranging from asset tracking to software upgrades.

EZConfig, Honeywell’s new scanner configuration software, is launching along with Xenon. With an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI), EZConfig saves time and increases productivity by simplifying scanner configuration.

Xenon’s space-saving design fits well in any sized hand, increasing comfort and reducing operator fatigue. The scanner’s rugged form factor is capable of withstanding up to 50 drops to concrete from distances as high as six feet. Xenon also offers optional disinfectant-ready housing to minimize degradation in environments where scanners must be cleaned frequently with harsh chemicals, such as healthcare facilities.

Corded Xenon scanners are now available, while Bluetooth® Xenon scanners will begin shipping in June. For more information on Xenon, please visit http://www.honeywellaidc.com/xenon_press_release.

This video from APG Cash Drawer shows their focus on point of sale Cash Drawers extending to high volume, multi-lane implementations. APG Cash Drawer has a solid offering of Cash Drawers that fit into the budget whether you’re a multi-lane grocery or a quiet book store.