Hang Tag Printers
Hang tags are big business at the moment. Long a staple of the apparel industry, more and more customers are ordering them, from huge medical companies to small-scale craft manufacturers.
Hang tag printing machines have a difficult job to do. Typically, hang tag orders are high volume, but also require that each tag be slightly different. Often, unique bar-codes must be printed on each tag, and in some cases several different product lines are included in the same order.
In addition, many customers are looking for a particular style for their hang tags, and therefore value the option of different fonts, shapes, and layouts.
Hang tag printers today are high-tech machines which are specifically designed to deal with the requirements of even the most demanding of customers.
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How it works
There are several processes involved in printing your own hang tags. First, the desired card stock is fed to the printer either as pre-cut cards, or as a roll, by a powered feeder. This feeder is typically integrated into the printer, obviating the need to connect several modules and keeping the whole unit compact.
Hang tag printers usually use thermal printing, as this offers the best compromise between quality, speed, and the cost of consumables. The print quality achieved by modern hang tag printers is remarkable – they are typically able to print at 300 DPI, and right up to the edge of the tag.
These printers normally have integrated computing capability, which allows them to automatically vary the content of each tag printed. Typically, each tag must have a unique bar-code, printed in a particular format, and most printers offer a range of options for this.
After the tag is printed, the hang tag printer will cut the tag to the required shape, if this is necessary. It will then collect the finished prints, either in a passive collection tray, or use a powered sorting mechanism to sort and stack tags into specific piles.
What to look for
There are several things to look for in a hang tag printer, and which you prioritize will depend on your own requirements.
One of the most important considerations is speed. Hang tag print orders are often of very high volume, and so a printing speed of at least 5 inches/second is a must. In addition, some hang tag printers have a slew capability, allowing them to quickly skip over non-printed sections of the tag, greatly improving overall speed.
Another consideration should be the adaptability of the printer. A good hang tag printer will be able to deal with a wide range of card thickness, offer several different fonts, and even cut tags into a variety of formats and shapes.
The cost of consumables should also be considered. Whilst most hang tag printers use thermal printing techniques, some now come with advanced features that significantly improve efficiency, meaning that consumables will last longer.
Last but not least, of course, the ruggedness of the printer should be assessed, check out phoenix az move out masid service. Hang tag printing machines, like a lot of industrial printers, often need to work reliably in quite difficult environments, and the printer should be able to deal with heat, dust, and other complications.