Bringing Color to the Enterprise Label Printing Industry

As the decade comes to a close, technology continues to march forward. This time, expect to see changes in the way enterprises print their labels. A new family of color label printers is set to arrive in January 2020, and it’s likely to be transformative.

Currently, fleets of thermal transfer printers print out black barcodes and text on plain white labels such as those you see on the packages, shoe boxes, and cartons. That’s not to say it’s been a strictly black-and white world. These same enterprises often order pre-printed color labels to use with their black-only thermal transfer printers. It’s a bit of a workaround to get colorful labels, but it gets the job done.

In today’s competitive environment, companies need every advantage they can get. Color labels helps packers and warehouse personnel select the right parts, reducing errors and improving productivity. Color helps products stand out on crowded shelves. Color helps ensure that all items conform to the company’s branding guidelines. From color-coding on the backend to evoking a psychological response on the frontend, there are many reasons to bring color into the label production environment.

However, the color inkjet printers on the market are designed for a different segment of the market. Many of the high resolution color inkjet printers are marketed to small businesses and not practical for high-volume enterprise environments, and they don’t integrate with enterprise workflows.

According to Basat Khalifa, CEO of DuraFast Label Company, that’s about to change in 2020.

“When we heard about the new Epson ColorWorks C6500A and Epson ColorWorks C6500P, we immediately realized that this would be a turning point for enterprise fleet label printing,” he said.

Khalifa said the new ColorWorks C6500 color label printers have everything the black-only thermal transfer printers have going for them but with the additional advantage of full color printing.

For example:

• Outstanding image quality — Epson PrecisionCore TFP serial printheads deliver a print resolution of up to 1200 dpi.
• 8-inch print width — The Epson C6500 color label printers print labels up to 8 inches wide. A 4-inch model (Epson ColorWorks C6000) will be coming in May 2020.
• Broad integration and compatibility — Integrates with ZPL II, ESC/Label, SAP, middleware, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux (and more).
• Remote printer management — Designed specifically to replace existing thermal transfer printers, the Epson C6500 color label printer can be managed as part of a fleet remotely.
• General purpose / label applicator I/O port — This allows for connectivity to external devices like label applicators for the ultimate in automation.
• Media handling capabilities — Supports large label rolls and works with a wide range of media types including coated matte paper labels, gloss paper labels, high gloss and matte synthetic labels, PET film labels. This printer is also GHS BS5609 certified when used with corresponding GHS BS5609 chemical label stock.

Finally, there are two models of the ColorWorks C6500. The “A” model (CW-C6500A) comes with an auto cutter while the “P” version (CW-C6500P) comes with a peeler. In fact, the Epson CW-C6500P is the first color inkjet label printer to offer peel-and-present.

“Our enterprise customers have been waiting for a legitimate and cost-effective color label printing solution,” Khalifa said. “This is exactly what they’ve been waiting for.”