Application area
Warehouse
In a warehouse a label printer is not an office accessory: it decides whether a received pallet can be put away, whether a rack location can be scanned and whether dispatched goods reach the customer with the right label. A faded label, one cut crooked or stuck on the wrong pallet stops the flow just like a broken-down forklift.
Typical tasks
- Pallet labels with an SSCC in GS1-128 format, at receiving and dispatch
- Relabelling pallets and cartons that arrive without a readable code
- Location labels for rack positions, floor storage and dock areas
- Labels for picked cartons and transport units
- Printing at the pallet, from a forklift or by hand, without walking to a desk
- Quick reprint of a damaged label from the same system
What to look for
Volume and where you print. At the receiving or dispatch dock, where hundreds of labels are printed per shift, choose an industrial printer: metal housing, large label and ribbon rolls, continuous operation. For a small warehouse or an office workstation a desktop printer is enough.
Mobile printing. A mobile printer on the belt or mounted on a forklift prints the label right next to the pallet. This reduces the risk of a label ending up on another pallet. See also the article on mobile printing in the warehouse.
Printing method. For pallet labels that live a few days or weeks, direct thermal is often enough. Rack location labels stay in place for years, exposed to light and abrasion, so they use thermal transfer with wax-resin or resin ribbons on a durable material.
Code legibility. An SSCC label must be readable not only by your scanners but also by the partners receiving the goods. For logistics labels 203 dpi is usually enough, while small codes or fine text call for 300 dpi. Print width depends on the model, so check it in the specification against the label format. More in the article on GS1 labels for pallets.
Link to the system. The printer only prints. The SSCC number, label content and storage location come from the warehouse system: see our WMS solution at wms.md. If your templates are already in ZPL, check whether the chosen model supports it natively or via emulation.
Lines for the warehouse
| Task | Zebra | TSC | CAB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dock, high volume | ZT411, ZT610 | MH | SQUIX |
| Medium volume, limited space | ZT231 | ML | MACH |
| Office, low volume | ZD421, ZD621 | TE, TC | EOS |
| Printing at the pallet, mobile | ZQ | Alpha | — |
Scanners that read pallet and location labels are at scanere.md, and terminals with a screen for receiving and stocktaking at terminale-mobile.md.
The list is indicative; we confirm exact configurations in the quotation, and prices are given on request. See the selection guide, the Zebra, TSC and CAB lines, or request a consultation.
Warehouse
Not sure which one to choose?
Describe which labels you print and where: store, warehouse, production or logistics. We will help you choose the printer and consumables and prepare the quote.