Logistics is one of the biggest industries in the UK, with thousands of businesses all vying for the best contracts and trying to outpace their competitors. Warehouses are an essential part of the logistics process, going hand in hand with those companies to keep their precious cargo safe at the start and end of their journey.
Inside every warehouse are dozens if not hundreds of employees, all working hard to keep things running smoothly. From the forklift driver to the manager in their office, everyone has an important role to play.
Label printers can be an essential part of the day-to-day operation of a warehouse or storage facility. They help with organisation, sorting, and general admin, so it’s important that you have the right machine for the job.
Types of Printer for Warehouses
As for most businesses, warehouse owners have two types of printer to choose from, each with their own pros and cons.
The first is an Inkjet printer. These are most commonly used for offices, both commercial and domestic, and can differ greatly in size and capacity. But they always work in a similar way; the print head dispenses ink onto the paper (or other material depending on the printer you’re using) and it’s ready to go.
The main downside is that you have to top up your inkjet printer with new ink cartridges. If you’re using your printer a lot during the workday, this cost will add up quickly.
Thermal printers, on the other hand, have much lower operating costs, meaning they are more cost effective in the long run. These don’t use ink, instead their print head is heated to create bold images and text on the appropriate materials. This is why thermal printers are more often used for receipts, labels, and stickers, all things a warehouse needs to use.
The main downside of a thermal printer is that the labels they create will fade faster than those made with ink. Not always an issue, but something you should keep in mind when shopping for your new printer.
Which Type of Printer is Best for Warehouses?
So which of the two should you invest in for your warehouse? Well let’s first talk about what you can use your printer for in warehousing.
The main use for printers is for shipping labels. If, for example, you work for a company like Amazon, you have a lot of packages that need printed shipping labels before they can be sent on their way.
A thermal printer can churn out thousands of shipping labels a day without breaking a sweat. If you use tough paper or plastic with strong adhesion, your labels will be able to withstand even long journeys or being caught in bad weather. The latter is very important, as the text on labels printed using ink will be more likely to run if they get wet.
Thermal printers are also great for stickers, which can be used to mark items clearly for transport or storage. You can also use labels on shelving to keep things more organised – just remember that they will fade over time, faster if exposed to direct sunlight.
This doesn’t mean that inkjet printers don’t have their place in a warehouse. Inkjets are great for offices that need to print documents, which are commonplace in all warehouses and storage facilities to keep things on record. If you ever need labels that are more durable, it’s worth considering using an inkjet printer to ensure they last as long as you need them to.
For maximum efficiency, a combination of thermal and inkjet printing is ideal. That way you’ll get the best of both worlds, and your prints will never be lacking in quality.
But before you start shopping for your next printer, make sure it’s the right machine for the job. When you have a strict budget, it can be tempted to go for a cheaper model that is ‘good enough’. These printers will get the job done, but as your business grows, you’ll demand more from your machine. A cheap printer will struggle to keep up and could let you down when you need it the most. We always recommend choosing printers that will scale with your needs, ideally from a reliable brand.
Printer Servicing and Maintenance
No matter which printer you decide to invest in, you need to make sure that they work well for a long time. If your printer starts to let you down, developing a fault or just a drop in performance, we’re the ones to call.
With decades of experience throughout our team, there’s no type of printer we can’t help with. It could be from one of the biggest brands like Canon or Zebra, or something more obscure or an older model you don’t see too often these days. We’ll speak with you to establish the issue and send one of our engineers out as soon as possible. They’ll dismantle your machine and make the necessary repairs quickly, so it has minimal impact on your workflow.
For effective repairs, often spare parts are needed. Thankfully we have a warehouse of our own, one that’s packed to the rafters with parts for all types of printers. This means we very rarely need to order anything in, so your machine can be fixed sooner than what our rivals promise.
Job done, our engineers will give your machine a quick clean to make sure it continues running at 100% efficiency and you’ll be ready to get back to work. In a fast-paced environment like a warehouse, speed is key, and we’re some of the fastest out there, without sacrificing quality of service.