Overview
Save time and money by printing your own labels! The Zebra ZM600 is an industrial duty label printer for printing fast and economical runs of labels up to 6.6 inches wide at the rate of several thousand per day. Labels can include logos, basic graphics, text, bar codes and nutrition panels. Meant for all kinds of food products, the labels stand up to heat, moisture and cold.
The ZM600 includes additional productivity-enhancing features and modern, flexible network connectivity for easy system integration in most manufacturing, warehousing and business applications. This industrial/commercial workhorse also delivers efficient 6-inch-wide labeling thanks to its quick throughput and 10 inches-per-second print speed.
- Provides more standard features per dollar with a wide format print
- Promotes easy upgrades to grow with your changing needs
- Price-Performance leadership delivering enhanced productivity
- Large LCD for quick printer configurations
- One-world, one-printer solution with 15 translated menu languages and Unicode-Compliant printing
- Many networking connectivity choices including USB, wireless, 802.11 b/g, Ethernet, serial, and parallel
- Rugged metal frame and case for demanding environments
Connecting via USB and other standard connections, it works with Windows 95 to Vista. Use the included label design software or Photoshop®, Illustrator® or similar.
Printing your own labels with the Zebra ZM600 rather than using a printing service, there are:
- No lead times
- No minimum order requirements
- No obsolete label inventory
- No plate and die charges
Wide Variety of Available Print Stock (Substrates)
More than one hundred standard label types are available in rectangular shapes, from about 2" x .5” to 6” x 8” or 4" x 13". Label print width can be as narrow as 2 inches and as wide as 6.6 inches. Custom sizes and shapes are also available. Length on continuous labels can be up to 102".
Water-resistant labels! The Zebra ZM600 prints onto different thermal transfer or direct thermal materials, including high gloss and simi-gloss paper, polyester and polypropylene plastics. The plastic materials are especially resistant to scratches, moisture, heat and cold.
Included with the Zebra ZM600
- Starter ribbon
- Zebra Designer label design software
- USB Cable
- Parallel Cable
- Serial Cable
General Thermal Label Printer Information
This is a thermal transfer printer. Instead of ink, it uses heat to print either by transfer or direct methods. The advantages of thermal transfer over inkjet technology is that the labels are more water-resistant or waterproof, more durable and less expensive. Thermal direct printers are the type most commonly used to produce black-and-white food labels. Short runs of food labels (a few hundred to a few thousand per day) are usually made with thermal transfer printers. A typical food label made this way has a total cost of about a cent.
Thermal transfer label printers come in two main sizes and duty levels. Smaller, "desktop" printers print up to four inches wide and are suitable for printing a few hundred labels a day. Larger "industrial" printers print up to eight inches wide, accept larger label rolls, and easily print a few thousand labels a day. (Note that labels can be printed on their sides so the printer width can be used as the height instead.)
Label printers are loaded with label rolls of a few hundred to a few thousand labels per roll, depending on the label size. Continuous rolls are also available so labels can be individually cut to length or made unusually long with the automatic cutter separating the labels. Automatic cutters are usually optional extras.
The thermal transfer method heats a ribbon which causes pigment (usually black) to transfer from the ribbon to mark the media (labels). Ribbons are available in a limited variety of colors so the printer can transfer the color of the ribbon, but usually do not mix colors to produce the full spectrum of colors as do inkjets. One ribbon is usually sufficient for one or two rolls of labels. Ribbons are available in various widths and should be at least as wide as the labels being printed.
The widest variety of substrates (labels) are available for use with thermal transfer because the substrates do not need the special coating required for thermal direct printing and thermal ribbons can mark a wide variety of materials. Most dry food labels are printed on high gloss paper because it is scratch-resistant and looks good. Semi-gloss paper is less expensive but does not look as nice as high gloss, but it is more readable when glare is a problem. Plastic substrates are the most durable of all and are best to use for cold, moisture and heat.
The thermal direct method heats specially coated media directly so the media itself is marked by the heat without the use of a ribbon. Thermal direct printing is the least expensive technology because no ribbon is required. Its disadvantage is that thermal direct media remains heat-sensitive, so labels quickly turn dark if exposed to heat or prolonged sunlight and become gray in normal conditions in a few weeks. The variety of sizes of substrates (labels) is more limited because of the special coating they require to work. Thermal direct labels are the best to use with dry, cool food products which will never be on the shelf more than a few days.
Software: Most label printers include basic control software for composing complete food labels with product names, logos, bar codes and nutrition data (such as nutraCoster provides). The included software can usually be upgraded for a fee to more robust versions that can perform advanced functions such as individualizing labels (with lot numbers, weights, etc.) by interfacing with databases.
Service
- Warranty: One Year Parts and Labor
- Free factory phone support
Specifications
Standard Features
- Thermal transfer and direct thermal operating modes (can only use one mode at a time)
- Die-cast aluminum base, frame, and printhead mechanism
- Metal media cover with large clear window
- 16 MB DRAM, 8MB Flash
- 203dpi (8 dots/mm) printhead
- RS-232C Serial Interface
- High Speed, IEEE 1284, Bi-Directional Parallel Interface
- USB 2.0
- Transmissive and reflective media sensors
- Multi-lingual backlit 240x128 pixel graphic display
- Color-coded operator cues
- RFID Ready
- 7 bitmapped and 1 scalable font (CG Triumvarate Bold Condensed)
- 32-bit processor
- Auto-calibration
- Auto detectable (90V - 265V) power supply
- Element Energy Equalizer™ (E3®) (for print head energy control)
- Real Time Clock
- Unicode™ - Compliant
- Quick change printhead and platen
- Charcoal gray form design (for improved smudge resistance)
- ZPL® or ZPLII® (Zebra Programming Language®)
Printer Specifications
- Resolution: 203 dpi (8 dots/mm) / 300 dpi (12 dots/mm)
- Memory: 16 MB DRAM; 8 MB Flash; 64 MB Factory-Installed On-Board Flash (optional)
- Print width: 6.6" (168 mm) maximum
- Print length: Length with 203 dpi: 102" (2,591 mm); Length with 300 dpi (optional): 45" (1,143 mm)
- Print speed: 203 dpi 10" (254 mm)/sec; 300 dpi 8" (203 mm)/sec
- Media sensors: Reflective, Transmissive
Media Characteristics
- Maximum label and liner width: 7" (178 mm) - tear & cutter, 6.75" (171 mm) - peel & rewind
- Minimum label and liner width: 2" (51 mm) - tear & cutter, peel & rewind
- Maximum label and liner length: 39" (991 mm)
- Maximum roll diameter: 8" (203 mm)
- Core diameter: 3" (76 mm)
- Media thickness: .0023" (.058 mm) to .010" (0.25 mm)
- Media types: black mark, continuous, die-cut, fanfold, notch, perforated, tag stock
Ribbon Characteristics
- Outside diameter: 3.2" (81.3 mm)
- Standard length: 1476' (450 m)
- Ratio: 3:1 media roll to ribbon ratio
- Ribbon width: 2" (51 mm) to 6.85" (174 mm)
- Ribbon setup: Ribbon wound ink side out
- ID Core: 1.0" (25.4 mm)
Physical Characteristics
- Width: 13.4" (341 mm)
- Height: 13.3" (338 mm)
- Depth: 18.7" (475 mm)
- Weight: 34.7 lbs (16 kg)
- Shipping weight: 54 lbs (24.5 kg)
Related Products / Options
- 300 dpi (12 dots/mm) printhead
- 64 MB Factory-Installed, On-Board Flash Memory (58 MB user available)
- Cutter with catch tray
- Value peel (front mount, passive peel option with no liner take-up)
- Rewind, internally rewinds full label roll on three-inch core (comes with taller, non-standard printer base)
- RFID Field Upgrade Kit
- ZebraDesigner
- ZebraDesigner Pro
- ZebraDesigner for XML
- ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise
- Printhead conversion kits
- ZebraCare Extended Warranty
- European and Asian font sets
- APL-I
- APL-D
Communication and Interface Capabilities
- RS-232C serial port
- RS 232 to RS-422/485 serial port adaptor
- RS232 DB9 to DB25 adaptor
- High speed, IEEE 1284, bi-directional parallel interface
- ZebraNet Wireless Plus (optional)
- ZebraNet 10/100 Print Server (internal/external)
- ZebraNet PrintServer II (external option)
Programming Languages
- Core programming languages: XML, ZPL II, ZPL, EPL
- Bar Codes/Symbologies:
- Linear
- Codabar
- Code 11
- Code 39
- Code 93
- EAN-13
- EAN-8
- Industrial 2-of-5
- Interleaved 2-of-5
- Logmars
- MSI
- Planet Code
- Plessey
- Postnet
- RSS (reduced space symbology)
- Standard 2-of-5
- UPC and EAN 2 or 5 digit extensions
- UPC-A
- UPC-E
- Code 128 with subsets A/B/C and UCC case codes
- 2-dimensional:
- Aztec
- Codablock
- Code 49
- Data Matrix
- MaxiCode
- MicroPDF417
- PDF417
- QR Code
- RSS / GS1 DataBar family (12 barcodes)
- Fonts and Graphics
- Standard fonts: 7 bitmapped, 1 smooth scalable (CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed)
- Sets: IBM Code Page 850 International character set
- Optional European and Asian font sets
- Supports user-defined fonts and graphics, including custom logos
- ZPL II drawing commands, including boxes and lines
Policies
Returnable within 20 days of delivery. Refunds are less shipping, 15% restocking fee and charge card merchant fees (if applied).
Related Products
FoodSoftware carries monochrome thermal and color inkjet food label printers, rewinders, applicators and dispensers:
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