Barcoding now: Speaking the same language

FOR MOST food manufacturers, top concerns typically revolve around food safety and cost control. A large part of food safety is in ensuring food traceability through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. In that regard, barcode labels play a vital role in creating an effective traceability system for food manufacturers, so that each batch of products is accurately labeled with pertinent information before it leaves the facility.

One of the most commonly used track-and-trace solution in food manufacturing enterprises is bar code technology. Within the food industry, companies typically use thermal transfer printing technology to create barcodes, as barcodes printed on product labels will last through food expiration dates. Beyond tracing food sources, accurate labels also assist food manufacturers in transportation and logistics tasks such as cross docking and pallet tracking when distributing products.

That said, companies that prioritise cost management are increasingly receptive of the cost-savings involved with the implementation of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) systems. With an improved inventory tracking system and workflow, productivity increases whilst human error decreases, enabling manufacturers to reduce headcount and associated labour costs.

Barcoding has served the food industry very well globally, with estimates of cost-savings amounting to hundreds of billions of US dollars. In fact, when considered amongst other technology options, the bar code is still one of the most trusted tools that manufacturers rely on today across industries.

Furthermore, the latest label printers that operate on standard printer languages and open-source software development modules give business owners the additional freedom to define how these printers will operate within their organisations.

New standards for thermal printers

Unlike most technology solutions, thermal printers have not used an open standard programming language for communication and print control. Printer manufacturers developed their own proprietary language because it was cheaper and easier to do so. Moreover, there were no incentives to create a standardised printer language.

The lack of a standard printer language in the thermal printing industry created many problems for system integrators over the years. Most significantly, companies were locked into one printer manufacturer for all their printing needs because printers of different brands did not ‘speak’ a common language. Many companies inadvertently suffered as the evolution of their IT infrastructure got held back, and users had to find ways to work around the different proprietary languages. It was not just an inconvenience; it was a serious issue with real costs involved.

About three decades ago, Hewlett-Packard first introduced a Printer Control Language (PCL) that provided the answer to this problem – an open, economical, and efficient language for application programmes to control a range of printer features across a number of printing devices. Yet, businesses have been slower to adopt it in thermal printing because legacy, proprietary printing languages have kept them locked into using specific products for their barcode needs. It was not till a few years ago that Datamax-O’Neil introduced the first ‘fully-integrated’ PCL5 thermal printer to the market.

Advantages of a PCL-enabled thermal printer

Whilst the idea of owning the latest PCL-enabled thermal printer sounds good, what are some tangible benefits that a food manufacturer can expect from switching over? For starters, PCL can get printer systems up and running in a shorter amount of time. Because it is standardised to run on a variety of operating systems (Microsoft, Mac, Linux and others), and is independent of any application software running on a computer, PCL ensures faster and easier plug-play integration.

On top of that, PCL allows for seamless integration of international language capabilities, including Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Being able to immediately print international pallet labels, package barcode labels, and pick lists without requiring custom coding greatly increases global inventory and traceability responsiveness.

With PCL, system administrators also have full flexibility to customise and integrate thermal printing into a variety of hosted environments, and this is especially useful in a scenario where mixed populations of printers are involved. In addition, PCL extends the functionality of thermal printers by offering an expansive menu of feature commands not normally found in other thermal printers. These commands pave the way for the thermal printing industry to develop new and exciting applications.

Another sizable benefit of using PCL-enabled thermal printing is its lower overall cost of ownership, as the purchase is effectively one-off. The printer works as a plug-and-play device with standardised command language integration. There is no need to develop a customised printer code, nor any need to maintain, upgrade, or certify printer drivers once the printer is installed. Comparatively, printers not using PCL will require the use of middleware that come with these associated costs.

Last but not least, PCL supports dozens of scalable fonts. This eliminates the need for customised middleware interfaces that are typically required to decipher fixed-width fonts, and that also prevents the possibility of an unsuitable font from being substituted. Having standardised font formatting on every label ensures the accuracy of barcode scans and reduces operating costs for inventory audits.

Manufacturers that truly understand users’ needs have introduced user-optimised hardware that encompasses many of these sought-after features. Prudent end user companies will want to ensure that long-term printing needs are well met before making any capital investment.

*Joseph Lim is regional general manager, ASPAC, Datamax-O’Neil