Zebra has significantly expanded its desktop printer portfolio over the past two years and introduced many new models. In the 4″-wide portfolio, these include the ZD220 and ZD230, the ZD421 and ZD621, whilst in the 2″-wide portfolio, there are the ZD411 and ZD611. All these models are available in various versions and configurations.
This wide range of models replaces the highly successful G Series desktop label printers from Zebra. Axel Schmidt, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Jarltech, and David Barnes, Head of EMEA Asset Tracking Solutions (ATS), Product Management and Business Development at Zebra Technologies, spoke about the new models, the evolving requirements for workplace label printing, security features and future trends in the label printing industry.
Axel Schmidt: Hello David, thank you for your time. Since 2021, Zebra has introduced many new desktop printer models. What new features and innovations do these models offer compared to their predecessors? And what are the benefits for the end user?
David Barnes: Great to talk to you today, Axel. Why should your customers switch to newer Zebra printers? It’s a good question. Fundamentally, I’d say that, as technology advances, it brings benefits and improves business outcomes – where organisations choose not to invest in smarter technology, they could find themselves falling behind. The »ZD« models are all designed to be more intuitive and easier to use.
In 2017 we first launched the ZD420 and ZD620 families, which marked the start of the transition from the GK and GX respectively. This new »ZD« product range introduced the PrintDNA ecosystem to our desktop range. Powered by our common printer operating system, Link-OS, PrintDNA is an intelligent and powerful suite of applications, utilities and developer tools to simplify printer setup, management and monitoring. In 2021 the ZD420 and ZD620 were refreshed with the ZD421 and ZD621, and soon after we announced the official end of sale of the GK and GX product families. The G Series were a phenomenal range of printers and they have proven hugely popular. But these were printers whose design dates back to around the same time as the first Apple iPhone – in terms of technology, we’ve seen a lot of change since then. With the »ZD« range, Zebra built on that success and legacy, integrating intelligence with Link-OS to deliver even greater printers that meet the demands of modern business.
Axel Schmidt: Zebra offers the new desktop printers in a variety of versions. How have the requirements for desktop label printing changed in recent years?
David Barnes: Customers are now expecting more from their print operations than ever before. Zebra’s ZD Series offers them best-in-class performance and features that help them get the job done faster. In fact, the ZD421 is 700% more powerful than the GK Series that it replaces, with the ZD621 being 300% more powerful than the GX Series. We are finding that our customers are looking for a »Zebra for every occasion«. Because we span so many verticals and industries, we tend to find »Zebras« used just about everywhere. While linerless media are not new, we have seen a surge in interest recently. We offer both 2″ and 4″ desktop models with the ZD611 and ZD621 respectively. Linerless provides not just a more sustainable solution to label printing, but also one that can improve productivity, with its continuous label format and greater number of labels per roll. Whatever our customers’ challenges in asset objectives, chances are we have a desktop printer fit for the task and the budget.
Axel Schmidt: Security is also becoming increasingly important in label printing. What security features do the new Zebra desktop label printers have to protect against data theft and manipulation?
David Barnes: When it comes to safeguarding organisations’ and customers’ data, printers today are far more at risk. Unless protected, printers are 68% more likely to be the source of an external threat or breach and are 118% more likely to be the source of an internal threat or breach*.
With Zebra’s ZD Series printers you can trust them to help keep your sensitive data safe and strengthen your security posture. Through PrintSecure, part of our proprietary PrintDNA software suite, we offer unmatched security features for peace-of-mind protection. PrintSecure offers the tools to configure printers to use secure connections, assess potential vulnerabilities, block unauthorised access and control data exchanges.
Axel Schmidt: Which new features of the ZD printers do customers like the most? Is there a clear favourite model among customers?
David Barnes: There is one quite novel feature that always gets a lot of interest and that is the battery accessory. We also have a phenomenal range of mobile printers at Zebra, but as good as those models are, they don’t provide thermal transfer technology, for when you need high-quality, long-lasting labels, high-resolution printing at 300dpi or large rolls of media. So, by simply adding a battery accessory to our ZD desktop range, it’s now possible to make the ZD4 or ZD6 range of Zebra printers portable. We see a lot of interest and sales of this accessory. There is even a dedicated Zebra carry case to complement it, which has special pockets to carry our mobile devices. The »better together« message is certainly one that resonates with customers.
Zebra printer emulations are also a great PrintDNA application that proves to be popular – in simple terms, this one really helps when you come to upgrade your printer fleet to smarter Zebra technology. And something else we are getting increased interest in is Managed Print Services (MPS) – at Zebra, we estimate that over 50% of businesses don’t know what they are spending on thermal printing in total. MPS is about understanding which printers you have, where they are and then managing them.
Axel Schmidt: The overall trend is moving towards increased compatibility, mobility, and customisation. Additionally, there is a growing demand for labels with variable data, higher complexity, and colour printing. What trends does Zebra see in this regard? Where is the industry heading when it comes to communicating information on goods and products? Will label printing be replaced by another technology in the near future?
David Barnes: I’ll deal with the complexity of label printing in a moment, but let’s start with the number of labels that are being printed. I see that the number of labels required to run our digital, always-on economy is only growing. We just have to look at our personal lives, at ecommerce with click and drop, online shopping or buy online, pick up in store – all of these demand efficient and accurate Asset Tracking Solutions.
Our end users demand more from their labels and therefore more from their printers. One of the benefits of the thermal printer is that it doesn’t use any ink or toner, which helps to make printing more cost-effective. Currently the use case for a full colour label is very limited. However, enabling colour to be part of an end users labelling solution can be very useful, and it always surprises users that we have a solution for adding colour to labels through our printers. Zebra IQ Color labels are a type of label that can be printed in colour using a Zebra thermal printer. We work with the end user to predefine sections of the label during label design that are activated by heat, turning from clear to colour when printed. IQ Color labels can be used to create more visually appealing labels.
When we talk about asset tracking solutions, we of course need to discuss RFID. This is the big trend, and we are seeing big steps by end users to integrate RFID labels and tags into their business processes with real results for their customers and their bottom line. As the technology becomes more mature, we are forecasting big growth in the RFID business, whether this be in retail to speed up checkout or in transport and logistics and package tracking. With regard to environmental factors, we are also working hard to support our end users with labelling solutions that align with eco credentials. We now have the beginnings of a comprehensive portfolio of sustainable supplies, which extends to and includes recyclable RFID labels. So, in summary, labels are here to stay and are only going to become more intelligent.
Axel Schmidt: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!
*According to a 2018 vs. 2016 survey conducted by Spiceworks as noted in the »Printer Security: The New IT Imperative Report, Research Shows That the “Humble Printer” Remains a Security Blind Spot
