Zebra is an IT-based software solution company that helps various organizations monitor and provide an accelerated workflow by empowering businesses. It specializes in RFID (radio frequency identification) technology offering RFID readers, scanners, tags, and printers. AS an AIDC company Zebra provides a whole range of RFID solutions to consumers, from readers to printers.
RFID implementation has become very common and one can easily encounter an RFID tag in our daily lives including payment systems, healthcare, retail stores, access control, home security, etc. As the RFID demand soars, RFID technology is bound to see more applications in manufacturing, healthcare, supply chains, and inventory management applications.
With skyrocketing RFID demands, organizations need RFID printers to match the ratio of demand and supply in the market. They not only need RFID printers but also need heavy-duty performers in printing including fast printing, system compatibility with different existing technologies, backward compatibility, simple and easy UI (User Interfaces), etc.
Moreover, RFID printers are also used for data encoding in RFID tags.
Let's look into two RFID printers offered by Zebra, namely ZT 230 and ZT 231, their features, functionality, etc.
Zebra ZT 231 RFID Printer and Zebra RFID Printer ZT 230
Zebra ZT 230 and ZT 231 both fall into the same category as midrange industrial RFID printers. The new ZT 231 printer is made up of a metal frame and is best used in industrial environments and applications. It can print at a maximum speed of 12 ips (inches per second) at a resolution of 203 dpi but, if you want more crisp text and high-quality barcode. So, you can prefer 300 dpi resolutions.
The new Zebra ZT 231 comes with 4.3 inches of a full-color touch screen including Ethernet, BLE, and USB port. At the higher end, you can have various options to choose a version which have a peeler and rewinder, label cutter, or even the support of Wi-Fi technology. All Zebra 231 printers support a large 450m thermal transfer ribbon (TTR).
Key Features of ZT231
1. ZT 231 comes with BLE-supported technology, which means you connect peripherals to the printer, without any worries about power consumption because BLE doesn’t consume too much power.
2. It also has USB host support in its motherboard to connect devices like a keyboard, which allows printers to take input data from the user end.
3. ZT 230 can print at 6 ips (inches per second), but ZT 231 can print at a speed of 8 ips, depending on the print head dpi. It will help in providing fast-speed printing without losing quality control.
4. It has a 4.3 full-color touch screen support in the display department which a user to see installation and setup videos and also to see your print status, an easy-to-access menu, and different features of the printer.
5. For connectivity solution, it has too many ports. One of them is an Ethernet cable which provides internet connectivity right out of the box.
6. It has a major advantage of backward compatibility in that it can support the older format of labels which are made for ZT 230 printers.
To summarize, Zebra ZT 231 is a better barcode and RFID label printing technology. It is a successor of the older version printer which was lacking in some departments like fast speed of printing, easy and simple operating system support, and also has some connectivity and communication issues. On the other hand, ZT 231 comes with Zebra’s built operating system which is a link OS that ensures hassles, secure and confident printings in its latest version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What are the types of thermal printing?
They are commonly used to provide high-quality, consistent image printing. They offer multiple advancements over traditional inkjets and laser printers, and the types of thermal printing are:
1. Thermal transfer printing: Thermal transfer uses the thermal transfer ribbon technique for printing the barcodes. When the printer applies heat to ribbons, it melts the ink and transfers it onto the label material.
2. Direct thermal printing: Direct thermal printers apply heat directly on the ribbons, to melt the ink, and transfer it onto the label material.
Q2. What format does a Zebra printer use?
Zebra printers use the ZPL format of files, it is a small file with markup telling the printer how to visualize and open the file. It is a text file that contains instructions (ZPL programming language).
Q3. What is the maximum printing width of the Zebra ZT 231 printer?
The Zebra ZT 231 printer has a maximum printing width of 104 mm. The maximum printing length will depend upon the chosen printing resolution. At 203 dpi it has a maximum print length of 3998 mm and at 300 dpi it reaches 1854 mm.
Q4. How to perform an RFID Calibration on a Zebra ZT231?
To perform RFID calibration on Zebra ZT 231, navigate to the RFID menu on the printer, select the calibration option, and press enter to start the calibration process, you’ll see a pop-up message to load the media into the printer. The printer will continue the process when the process is completed, press the enter button to exit the calibration process.
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