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TheP4TSeriesintroducesseveralnewtechnologiestotheZebra
Mobile Printer product line.
Smart Battery
TheP4TSeriesbatterypackcontainselectronicswhichallowthe
printer to monitor its operating parameters. Among these are the
battery’s charge state, the number of charge cycles it has under-
gone, and its date of manufacture. Using these parameters, the
P4TSeries’softwarecanmonitorthebattery’sconditionandalert
the user when to recharge, re-condition or remove the battery from
service.
Useofanybatterypackotherthantheonemanufacturedby
ZebraspecificallyforusewithP4TSeriesprinterswillnot
beabletousethediagnosticfeaturesoftheZebraSmart
Batteryandwillnotworkwiththeprinter.
Printing Technology
TheP4TSeriesusestwomethodstoprinthumanreadibletext,
graphicsandbarcodes:DirectThermal,andThermalTransfer
DirectThermal
Directthermalprintingusesheattocauseachemicalreactionon
speciallytreatedmedia.Thisreactioncreatesadarkmarkwher-
ever a heated element on the printhead comes in contact with the
media. Since the printing elements are arranged very densely at
203d.p.i.(dotsperinch)or8dotspermm,highlylegiblecharacters
and graphic elements may be created a row at a time as the media
is advanced past the printhead. This technology has the advantage
of simplicity, as there is no requirement for consumable supplies
suchasinkortoner.However,sincethemediaissensitivetoheat,
it will gradually loose legibility over long periods of time, especially
if exposed to environments with relatively high temperatures.
ThermalTransfer
Thermal transfer printing uses the same basic technology as direct
thermal, except that the printhead elements react with a transfer
film which passes between the printhead and the media. The print-
ing process fuses the thermal transfer material to the media being
printed and creates characters and graphic images that are very
dark,andmorepermanentthanthosecreatedbydirectthermal
printing. Offsetting this advantage is the extra cost of the thermal
transfer film and printing speeds slower than those required for
direct thermal printing.
Foreaseofinstallation,P4TSeriesthermaltransferfilmissupplied
as a cartridge. Typically a thermal transfer film cartridge will be
able to print two rolls of media before needing replacement. This
ratiomayvaryconsiderablybasedontheamountoflabelstock
per roll.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
AP4TSeriesprinterequippedwithanRFIDencoderallowsitto
encode information on special label media using radio frequen-
cies in addition to using conventional thermal transfer technology.
These printers are identified as RP4Tprinters.
RFIDencodedinformationcanberetrievedusinganRFIDscanner
from a distance of inches to several yards from an encoded label.
Zebra’simplementationofRFIDfollowsacceptedindustrystan-
dards.Asanexample,theRP4Tverifiestheinformationencoded
on the label media after it is transmitted and voids the label if the
dataisincorrect.MoreinformationconcerningRFIDmaybefound
in Zebra’s
RFIDProgrammingManual
, available for download on
Zebra’s Web site.
P4T Series Technology