A COUPLE of telltale signs that it’s time to upgrade ageing hardware is when its maintenance costs are higher and more frequent, and you start getting an increase in unscheduled downtime.

Replacing your printer isn’t just about avoiding downtime though, it’s also about improving the way your business operates. It might be that you just want to tighten up security against hacking as older devices offer less protection than newer ones. Or you might need much faster processing to increase your productivity.

‘Extreme’ productivity

Europe’s heatwave in the past few weeks has put the continent’s supply chain under pressure and is said to be leading to substantial productivity losses. Businesses are therefore being urged to start adapting now to climate changes and treat them as a long-term economic challenge rather than just a summer issue.

And it’s not just workforces that suffer in extreme temperatures, so too do processes like label printing. Adhesive performance and readability can both be affected when labels are exposed along the product’s journey and not every printer can cope with 40+°C environments or—at the other end of the scale—sub-zero temperatures.

Your options are narrowing

If you’ve been using eight-inch printers for years to produce labels then you now have less options to upgrade than before. TSC Auto ID is one of few OEMs still offering 8-inch industrial devices. Its T8000 is available in 4”, 6” and 8” versions and can withstand the harshest of environments.

Tested to work at temperatures ranging from a sub-zero -5°C right up to a sweltering +40°C, its robust all-metal enclosure is highly resilient in demanding manufacturing, warehousing and logistics settings. It will keep printing in tough surroundings where other printers cannot survive. It can also be fitted with an optional barcode verification device (ODV) to improve label quality and ensure 100% scannable barcodes are printed every time.

While benefits of the ODV may not appear immediately obvious, they can easily and quickly translate into good returns. Compliance demands are rising. Inaccurate, unreadable or badly formatted barcode labels look unprofessional but, worse, can cost manufacturers not only rejected shipments and fines but also their company’s reputation. As track and trace regulation increases, so too will label inspection. The cost of TSC’s ODV could easily be recouped by avoiding just one fine.

One of TSC’s clients, Weyco, suffered inefficiencies by manually reprinting inaccurate labels. Adding the ODV eliminated manual intervention and kept productivity high and ensured only good labels went out the door.

Take advantage of the trade-up programme

TSC’s trade-up programme offers a simple and rewarding way to upgrade to the latest generation of TSC and Printronix industrial printers, including the 8” T8000. Get a trade-up value for existing devices, regardless of brand.

If your current printer is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain—or simply no longer meets your business’s demands—it could be time to consider a replacement. If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions then a trade-up to the T8000 Series could be the logical next step:

• Is your printer over five years old?
• Are repairs becoming more frequent?
• Do you need better connectivity?
• Is downtime affecting productivity?

And upgrading legacy 8-inch industrial printers doesn’t have to mean reprogramming ERP systems, rewriting label formats or disrupting warehouse operations. The T8000 Series is engineered as a true drop-in replacement designed to protect existing workflows while reducing migration cost and risk.

If you’re planning your next 8-inch upgrade, compatibility and integration probably matter more than ever. Under TSC’s trade up programme, eligible legacy or competitor printers can be replaced with the T8000 Series under preferential conditions making migration both technically seamless and commercially attractive.

Upgrading has never been easier, talk to TSC now about trading in your existing printer and discover the benefits of enterprise-class performance.