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Gen2 RFID printer unveiled

By Warwick Ashford, ITWeb London correspondent
Johannesburg, 02 Nov 2005
Printronix has announced a new generation of radio frequency identification (RFID) printers that enable the encoding and printing of various smart label sizes and antenna designs to support EPCglobal`s Generation Two (Gen2) standards.

The patented MP2 RFID encoding technology used in the new SL5000r and SLPA7000r make them the first printer and printer application families to deliver Gen2 coding capabilities, claims Holger Steer, Printronix EMEA regional sales manager.

"Being multi-protocol means these printers can encode EPC-compliant chips and labels from a variety of different manufacturers," says Steer.

The solution combines an embedded Gen2 certified reader with Printronix`s new RF coupling device and firmware to verify the RFID chip is working on each label and cross-referencing the encoded content with the printed barcode and human readable information.

If the chip is not working or the information has not been correctly encoded, the label will be rejected and the printer will move on to the next label, says Stuart Bartman, MD of local Printronix supplier, PDC.

Barcodes are also checked by an optical reader and the label is reprinted if the barcode fails, without interrupting the print run. "This functionality cannot be matched by our competitors in the South African market," says Bartman.

"While optimised for Gen2 tags, the MP2 encoding technology also supports previous EPCglobal coding standards as well as the Philips UCode 1.19 protocols," says Steer.

While one of the reasons organisations are delaying full RFID implementations is that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has yet to fix the local RFID frequency allocation, Printronix RFID printers will merely require a free software upgrade to become compliant, says Bartman.

"This also means that these printers can be used as ordinary label printers and easily converted in future to RFID printing by switching to RFID labels and installing new software," adds Bartman.

Printronix has also launched a developer`s kit, which allows RFID adopters to fast-track their RFID pilot programmes for testing and process development. Steer says the kit includes an SL5204 RFID printer, 1000 RFID labels, migration software, network card and instruction manuals.

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