The costs associated with printing are significant and far outweigh the initial purchase price of a printer. The Printer Distribution Company (PDC) has introduced the P7000 range of industrial line matrix printers by Printronix -- available in 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 lines-per-minute versions -- that offer new enhanced features and savings that, depending on print volume, can escalate into considerable amounts over a five-year period, providing a substantial return on investment (ROI).
This is the word from Rodney Bartman, CEO of The Printer Distribution Company (PDC).
"Line matrix printing is the most cost-effective means of printing in industrial and mission-critical environments, making it a natural choice for companies," he says. "However, Printronix has developed a range of printers that not only delivers an impressively low total cost of ownership (TCO), but also delivers additional benefits that meet the needs of industrial environments."
Line matrix printing cost is up to 10 times less expensive than laser or serial matrix printing. However, Printronix has pushed the envelope with its P7000 range, which feature a new ink and textile ribbon formulation, says Holger Steer, Central Europe and South Africa sales manager at Printronix: "This development further lowers costs and improves quality of print as it delivers a 20% darker image from the start and yet lasts three times longer than the popular 30 million character ribbons, providing a rated life of 90 million characters."
In addition, each ribbon has a unique round bar code label that identifies the ribbon and eliminates the chance of counterfeit and incompatible consumables being used that can reduce the lifespan of the printer. Used in conjunction with the Printronix integrated print management system, users are able to establish the 'life' left in the ribbon. If for example a lighter print is selected, it will automatically calculate the remaining life and highlight this on the operator panel of the printer.
Bartman continues: "The inherent intelligence of this printer series further distinguishes it from its competitors. Industrial and production environments cannot afford printer downtime as this could result in the manufacturing process coming to a halt, creating customer dissatisfaction and negatively affecting a company's bottom line. The Printronix Printnet Enterprise printer management tool prevents and reduces downtime by alerting key personnel via SMS or e-mail of any problems, or if the life of the ribbon is running low. Networked functionality also means the printer can be accessed remotely via the network for performance checks, configuration changes or firmware upgrades. A centrally managed print solution increases IT resource efficiency and reduces downtimes costs."
Industrial printers must feature a robust design. Printronix P7000 printers are used in mining environments, kilometres under ground where it is dirty, as well as on production lines that expose the printer to grease, steam and other environmental hazards. The P7000 printers are available in two designs: Pedestal and enclosed cabinet. The cabinet version offers a near silent operation in environments such as back offices and features a space saving front access paper tray, allowing the printer to be positioned against a wall. The pedestal version, completely redesigned, allows for faster ribbon replacement and paper loading, and also features an optional acoustic shroud that reduces noise.
Paper loss is reduced with the zero tear (ZT) option. Between print jobs, paper is usually wasted - ie, many standard production protocols instruct regular printers to skip one page between jobs. Printronix's P7000 printers feature a lower feed tractor system that eliminates the requirement to 'skip' a page and saves paper.
Upgrade-ability is also a cinch with these printers as they are built for change, allowing users to adapt to future print requirements without a 'rip and replace' approach.
The latest addition to this range, Printronix's P7000 HD printer, meets the needs of businesses that require quality high industrial graphics printing, such as PDFs from Windows applications. It offers laser-like print solutions and includes the features and functionality of the P7000 range of printers. Its ease of implementation is achieved with a direct drop-in replacement of a Windows driven laser printer and gives users the dual benefits of greatly lowered cost and uncompromised quality.
Bartman adds: "This printer is ideal for environments where security is of concern, as the PDF format ensures no documents, such as instruction manuals and contracts, are tampered with or modified and don't require format changes. An additional benefit is that the printer makes use of multi-part paper, further reducing prints costs."
Printronix is gaining market share with its perpetually evolving printer solutions. The company has consistently grown its market share in South Africa and it currently owns around 65% of the global line printing market.
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