NEW Smart Printheads from SSI Inc. in the US push thermal printhead technology far ahead of existing OEM and aftermarket products. Since 1991 SSI has manufactured and distributed high-performance, low cost thermal printheads that are the choice of companies in more than 30 countries with mission critical thermal label printing applications.
The Smart Printhead advancement drives down thermal label printing costs. The new family of Smart Printheads is designed to last up to three times longer than the printheads they replace.
In addition to the product’s exceptional life span, Smart Printheads are equipped with an on-board computer to track usage and operating conditions in real-time; a totally new feature for thermal printheads.
“These two features were never before seen in a thermal printhead,” says Rick Bushnell, barcode and RFID industry consultant. “The value of run-time data for optimizing thermal label printer performance is enormous.”
A third innovative feature of the Smart Printhead is its brand new warranty tracking system. The on-board computer tracks the product usage, allowing the warranty to be based upon linear usage rather than a fixed time period. Thermal printhead usage data is uploaded to a PC via a USB port on the Smart Printhead itself for simple on-line warranty administration. The linear-inch based warranty means that stocks of Smart Printheads can be held without fear of warranty expiration before the product is needed.
Each Smart Printhead comes with a one, two, or three million linear-inch warranty, depending on the grade. Within the Smart Printhead family there are three performance levels to meet the needs of the distributor and end user markets.