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High-Volume Label Printing: Zebra’s Workhorse ZT600 Series Industrial Printers

ZT600 PrinterWhen you need 24/7 high-volume barcode labeling, no one wants to deal with hardware that breaks down and can’t keep up.

That’s why Zebra’s ZT600 Series printers have become the industry standard for continuous label printing at high volumes in manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and logistics, and other industrial applications.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the reasons why the ZT600 Series has quickly become the printer of choice for the toughest and most demanding labeling applications, and why our team at Taylor Data Systems recommends this solution to all of our industrial customers.

Zebra ZT600 Series Printers Overview

When it comes to durable and reliable label printing at the highest volumes, Zebra has been an undisputed leader for decades. As a pioneer in barcoding dating back to 1969, Zebra has been the leading innovator in print and data capture technology, and the key to the company’s success has been continuously reinventing and improving on its print hardware to stay ahead of real world needs.

These days, in many industrial applications, that means producing hardware that can withstand continuous label printing up to 24 hours per day in some of the harshest conditions. And while Zebra had already solved many of the toughest printing challenges with its Xi4 Series printers, which became the go-to industrial printers in recent years, Zebra took things to the next level with its latest ZT600 Series industrial printers.

The ZT600 Series is an ultra-rugged, durable, and reliable barcode and RFID-optional printer that combines the brawn of an industrial-strength device with next-generation brains and adaptability. The end result is an amazingly resilient and high-performance printing solution that’s future-proofed for business needs while being far easier to integrate, operate, and upgrade.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the many breakthrough improvements Zebra has unveiled with the ZT600 Series.

24/7 Reliability in the Harshest Environments

Like the unbeatable Xi4 Series that came before it, Zebra’s ZT600 Series printers are built to withstand the most demanding industrial environments and print high volumes of labels with superior print quality and speed.

Each printer is manufactured with all-metal structural components, built-in thermal management, and high-quality print mechanisms to ensure continuous, extremely reliable performance in the most demanding industrial applications.

This means you can reliably and continuously print barcode labels around-the-clock, at virtually any volume, without having to worry about frequent repairs, maintenance, or breakdowns. You can use the ZT600 series in environments with dust, debris, extreme temperatures, high humidity, and other challenging industrial conditions, and Zebra’s hardware handles it flawlessly.

And Zebra’s printers don’t just keep printing 24/7. They keep running for years, withstanding the toughest use and abuse, so you can get more return on your investment and keep your labeling operations running consistently and smoothly. Your savings in downtime alone will likely pay for your printer quickly.

Hassle-Free Setup, Daily Use and Maintenance

Every detail of Zebra’s ZT600 Series was designed to be user-friendly. A standard color LCD screen or optional 4.3-inch full-color touch display, plus easy-adjust printhead pressure toggles make it easy to set up and to quickly adjust printer settings and solve issues.

Side-loading capabilities and color-illuminated media and ribbon paths make media changes fast and simple. Onboard sensors, diagnostics, and help resources reduce the need for technical support. And guided instructions and feedback prevent common errors and reduce manual adjustments for highly consistent printing.

Micro-Consistent Printing for Top-Quality Labels

Regardless of your label size, ZT600 Series printers produce exceptional print quality and consistency. Highly precise registration and print line adjustment provide 600 dpi printing for labels as small as 3 mm, so you can print small and high-quality labels for circuit boards, microchips and miniature components. You can also print large labels with print width up to 4.09” (104 mm) or 6.6” (168 mm) depending on the model you choose.

A Highly Adaptable, Future-Ready Design

Until now, industrial printers were limited in intelligence and adaptability. They’ve been impossible to upgrade in the field and often difficult to integrate and connect with some of the latest apps, devices, or communications protocols. But all of that has changed with the ZT600 Series.

First off, ZT600 Series printers are available with optional UHF RFID encoding capabilities, so you can print both barcode and RFID labels, or you can later add RFID if you eventually adopt this fast-growing data capture technology. You can upgrade your printer with RFID encoding capabilities without sending it in for servicing.

Zebra’s ZT600 Series printers also support field-installable media handling options such as a label cutter and rewinder.

Additionally, ZT600 Series printers include compatibility with SOTI and AirWatch device management software, plus intuitive Link-OS applications and tools that simplify updates and reconfiguration (see below). Zebra’s apps also make it easy to create custom printing solutions tailored to your unique business needs.

Comprehensive Connectivity for Flexible Configuration

With the ZT600 Series, Zebra has enabled an array of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, USB, serial, and dual USB hosts. Two open communication slots provide additional connectivity options, including parallel, 802.11a/c, an applicator port, IPv6, and Bluetooth LE.

User-Friendly Design for Easy Day-to-Day Operation

One of Zebra’s best innovations is simple and intuitive side-loading of print media. Each ZT600 printer’s interior illuminates the ribbon and media paths. The same paths change color when errors occur, so you can quickly locate and resolve any issues.

Additionally, a highly visible color graphic display features an intuitive icon menu and local language support. It’s clearly visible, even from a distance, and the display turns red when there’s an error or yellow if the printer is paused. If an error occurs, the display also shows QR codes with convenient links to videos to help resolve the issue.

Link-OS® for Operational Visibility and Easy Remote Management

The ZT600 Series includes Zebra’s Link-OS operating system, which makes it easy to integrate your printers and manage and monitor them remotely. You can monitor networked Link-OS printers from a single user-friendly browser interface, with dashboards for system diagnostics, guided instructions, and feedback.

Link-OS also provides applications to simplify printer updates and reconfiguration as needed, plus cloud services to provide secure access to printing operations from anywhere. And, Zebra’s visibility services portfolio also offers tools to track and analyze printer health, performance, and usage, so you can optimize your printer usage and see potential problems or issues before they occur and affect your workflows.

Consistently Exceptional Print Media and Supplies

When using ZT600 Series printers, our team at Taylor Data Systems also recommends using Zebra certified print media and supplies. Zebra designs, manufactures, and rigorously pre-tests all of its supplies for optimum performance in Zebra printers to maximize print quality, while minimizing printhead wear and ensuring outstanding results in each specific application.

By investing in Zebra supplies along with Zebra hardware, you get the best of both worlds and can avoid common issues with cheaper, low-quality labels and supplies. Instead of dealing with print darkness adjustments, printing issues, and inconsistent label materials that can wear out printheads faster and disrupt your labeling, Zebra supplies will keep your Zebra printers running beautifully. And you’ll get superior label durability, adhesion, and print quality in the process.

Free Printhead Replacements with Zebra Supplies

A huge advantage of using certified Zebra supplies with your Zebra printers is getting 100% guaranteed protection against printhead replacements. If you purchase a ZT600 Series printer and agree to use Zebra supplies exclusively, you’ll get longer life out of your printheads, and they’ll be replaced at no cost.

The Bottom Line and Evaluating the ZT600 Series for Your Business

If you need a high-volume industrial printer or you’re considering an upgrade to your existing hardware, such as Zebra’s Xi4 Series, we highly recommend the new ZT600 Series. You’ll get rugged reliability with the durability and best-in-class performance that Zebra has become famous for around the world. And you’ll get a future-ready device that’s much easier to manage, integrate, and upgrade.

In all the high-volume industrial labeling applications we’ve helped our clients equip with the Zebra’s ZT600 Series, the results have always been outstanding. They often far exceed expectations, and the durability and reliability of Zebra’s printers never disappoints.

To learn more about the ZT600 Series, download our spec sheet and then contact our team at Taylor Data Systems to get custom pricing for your business.