| Retail is a cutthroat industry as the survival of | | | | quality output in full colour. Retailers should also make |
| companies depends on success compared to | | | | sure the printers they look to implement come |
| competition. Retailers are increasingly focussed on | | | | network ready. Colour and mono laser printers will |
| technology to achieve a competitive edge. Printing is | | | | help retailers to print promotional and meeting |
| required in the retail environment from the shop floor | | | | material effectively, thus reducing printing costs, just |
| all the way to the distribution centres and | | | | like impact and serial matrix printers. |
| warehouses. Retailers should therefore pay attention | | | | Vehicle Printing: |
| to the specific printing applications in any given point | | | | With today's retail environment being ever changing, |
| in the supply chain. | | | | retailers offer a variety of 'Shop and Drop' services, |
| Warehouse and Distribution Centre: | | | | vehicle printing has become increasingly important. |
| Warehouse and distribution centres require printers | | | | With the advent of 'Shop and Drop' services, the |
| that are highly reliable, robust and can cost | | | | need to print delivery notes and invoices at the same |
| effectively print high volumes of documentation day | | | | time has become key to retailers. Retailers are |
| after day without disruptions. Printers ideally suited | | | | increasingly looking at vehicle printing solutions that |
| for this environment are line and serial matrix printers. | | | | are easy to mount in a delivery van's or truck's cabin. |
| Not only are these types of printers robust, serial | | | | Other printer technologies retailers should keep an |
| and line printers are capable of continuous print all day | | | | eye on are thermal printers. Thermal printers have |
| long, day in, day out. They offer a high level of | | | | become increasingly attractive solutions to the retail |
| reliability with an incredibly long working life. Capable | | | | market with the advent of RFID. However, the high |
| of printing up to 1,800 lines per minute, the serial and | | | | cost of RFID tags currently means that retailers will |
| line matrix printers can be used for printing materials | | | | reap benefits from printing barcodes through serial |
| such as barcodes, dispatch notes and invoices. This | | | | and line matrix printers. Thermal printers have |
| accounts for massive savings in terms of capital | | | | become widely used on filling pumps, information |
| equipment, running costs, reliability and time spent | | | | kiosks and point of sale systems. TallyGenicom |
| with user intervention. | | | | expects to launch its thermal printing solutions later |
| Office Printing: | | | | on this year. |
| Office printing in the retail environment is similar to | | | | The proliferation of printing applications available for |
| corporate printing requirements. Retailers who are | | | | the retail market has lead to it becoming extremely |
| thinking about implementing printer solutions for the | | | | important that retailers spend time with their chosen |
| office should be looking at printers that provide high | | | | vendor to discuss their specific requirement. |