TSC Auto ID: A printer for all cases and unusual markings

Founded in 2004, every step of production at the pet food factory is done by hand - "from preparing the ingredients to mixing the dough, cutting it out with our exclusively designed molds and the gentle baking process," affirms company founder and managing director Jeff Simpson. After cooling, the products are placed in flavor-sealed packaging and delivered via the company's own logistics center.

Previously: labeling by hand
"For the more than 200 different products, we used to use fully printed cartons and stickers for the goods packed in bags. However, the final printing of the packs significantly reduced our flexibility. It was almost impossible to make quick changes or add additional information," says Jeff Simpson, describing the initial situation. The procedure was also cumbersome: a manual labeler was used to apply the batch number and best-before date during order picking. In addition, more and more language versions were required for the different European countries and seasonal promotions were being pushed. "At Easter or Christmas, for example, we customized labels using a laser printer and attached them to the packs. However, the print quality, depth of field and toner smearing effects definitely no longer corresponded to the Jeffo brand, which animal lovers associate with high quality without compromise," adds the company boss.

TSC impresses in the selection process
Parallel to the introduction of the new "heart line" (treats and complete food), the company was therefore looking for a new printing solution. There were several arguments in favor of choosing a TSC TTP 346MT printer: "Firstly, TSC was able to answer all our questions comprehensively in a consultation and a live demonstration and offer us appropriate solutions. On the other hand, the printer's high-quality workmanship and touch display were also decisive factors." This is because the industrial model can be used flexibly as a stand-alone solution. The regional proximity to the German service branch was also a decisive factor - as was the "outstanding" after-sales support provided by TSC and Langen-based AJK Etiketten und Barcodesysteme GmbH, which supplied and configured the printers. The TSC partner also supplies consumables as required.

Jeff Simpson, Managing Director Jeffo © TSC Auto ID

"With the software supplied by TSC and the printer's network capability, every department in our company can design and print labels independently."
Jeff Simpson Managing Director Jeffo

The thermal transfer printers are primarily used to label the new products with the distinctive brand logo and heart. The labels affixed to the back of the packs contain product texts, ingredients, weight, batch numbers, best-before date, EAN and QR codes. The scannable, two-dimensional QR code informs consumers about further product details directly at the POS via smartphone and also allows them to download explanatory videos. Jeffo uses two different label types: White, unprinted labels, which are produced individually for Jeffo so that they can be stuck onto the product cartons with a perfect fit. And four-color printed labels with the option of imprinting product-specific information.

The printers from TSC Auto ID are used in a variety of ways at Jeffo. © TSC Auto ID

Good print quality, user-friendly touch panel
The printer model used in Markt Schwaben belongs to the new TTP 2410MT series. Thanks to TSC's specially developed "Thermal Smart Control", the heating level of each individual pixel can be precisely monitored and the best time calculated to produce precisely printed and clearly legible labels. Simpson was already "impressed with the speed, precision and quality of label printing after the first tests."

Print speeds of up to 254 mm per second (10 ips), a print resolution of 300 dpi, the powerful processor and memory capacities of 128 MB Flash and 128 MB SDRAM are just as much a standard feature of this printer as internal Ethernet, USB 2.0, a USB host and serial interfaces. With the 4.3" LCD touch panel with six clearly arranged buttons, the printer can be operated intuitively and the respective print status can be called up conveniently. Simpson adds: "As we always have to think about costs, we also consider the handling of the label rolls and films to be an important factor. Both handling and cost are unbeatable. We were really surprised, as we had expected higher costs beforehand." The printer supports film rolls with a length of up to 600 meters and label rolls with an outer diameter of up to 208.3 mm.

The TSPLEZ firmware offers integrated, automatic Zebra and Eltron language emulation. It can be easily integrated into the existing IT structure and supports common applications such as Oracle, SAP, Unix or AS/400. The printer is also equipped with label software. "With the software supplied by TSC and the printer's network capability, every department in our company can design and print labels independently and quickly based on our ready-made CI standard templates," says Simpson.

One printer - flexible use for all printing requirements
In fact, thanks to the flexibility of use, more and more printing requirements are now coming from more and more areas. The TTP 346MT printers now print address labels, incoming goods inspection labels, product flow labels, picking slips, outer packaging labels, shipping labels and also labels for outgoing pallets.

The labels contain information for retailers and consumers and also ensure traceability throughout the entire process chain. "But the most important thing," says Jeff Simpson, "is that the quality is one hundred percent right and that our products are well received by the four-legged friends."