Partner Login   |   Australia   UK   USA   Canada   Spain   France
How can we help? (800) 922.8501

 

Home > Blog

NRF 2013 – Recap & Highlights

By Jessica Phillips | Published: January 22, 2013

Last week, Source Technologies exhibited at the 102nd Annual NRF Convention and Expo in the big apple! Here is a quick recap and a few pics to feast your eyes on:

PRINTER READY - Source Technologies

So, this is obviously not a real billboard…but how awesome would it be if it was?! At the show, we launched our newest “PRINTER READY” campaign and I was so excited I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Check out the latest video installment from ST in conjunction with the campaign >>> Are you in the mind to print?

The traffic at this year’s show was phenomenal! Our ST Performance and Mobile Series along with our newest release of the ST Workstation Series of desktop thermal printers gained a lot of attention from the crowd including some of retail’s big box players.

PRINTER READY - Source Technologies at NRF

In the above pic, Erin Drury – Marketing Associate, (& it was her first big show might I add) is chatting with one of the attendees about the ST thermal product lines.  And check out that stylish bag in the bottom right corner…so cute! I mean “edgy”.

PRINTER READY - Source Technologies at NRF

Solutions demo’d at the show include:
ST Performance Series | jewelry tags | inventory box labels | small labels | horticulture plant stakes & tags | shipping labels | clothing tags
ST Mobile Series | receipts | inventory labels | redipack labels | nutritional labels
ST Workstation Series | pharmacy labels | shipping labels

Take a look at these beauties.  Superior print quality and registration makes these thermal printers the perfect match for any application. Check out more info on ST thermal barcode printer solutions.

 

Posted in Mobile Printing, Printing Technology, Retail, Thermal Printing, Tradeshows/Events | Leave a comment

Are You In The MIND To Print?

By Jessica Phillips | Published: January 22, 2013

New video from Source Technologies – Thermal, Mobile & MICR “oh my”!!!  Are you in the MIND to print?

PRINTER READY - Source Technologies

PS: when the printer parts fly out of the box, that’s my favorite part :)

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

3D Printing Technology in Healthcare

By Jessica Phillips | Published: December 11, 2012

Here at Source Technologies, we pride ourselves on being the printing experts and that involves staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest printing innovations.  Check out 6 cool health-related things people are making with 3D printers…http://medcitynews.com/2012/10/check-out-what-cool-health-related-things-people-are-making-with-3d-printers/

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

‘Tis The Season to be Mobile! Fa la la la laaaaaa…

By Jessica Phillips | Published: December 7, 2012

Mobile barcodes to drive sales for retailers this holiday season

All signs point to mobile barcodes as the leader-of-the-pack, the Ruldolph to Santa’s sleigh if you will, the ring-leader in driving sales this hoilday season.

Choosing the perfect gift for your loved ones, co-workers, neighbors & favorite ST employee (duh! Me – wink wink) can be hard enough.  Consumers have already hit the aisles for Black Friday followed up by very digital Cyber Monday and there’s no stopping them now as we steam roll into the 2012 holiday season.

Mobile barcodes play a HUGE role in helping savvy shoppers compare prices, choose gifts and shop efficiently.  Scan away on your smartphone as UPC codes inch on up the “Nice List” by providing the following advantages to shoppers:

  • Compare prices to find the best deal on a particular product without breaking the bank.
  • Locate “hot picks” by searching available inventory across multiple retailers at once.
  • Find online reviews of items to help you make the ultimate gift-giving decision.
  • Share with friends the awesome deals you just scored through social media in a snap.

So grab your smartphone or tablet and snuggle up with your trusty credit card and cup of eggnog and hit the stores, physically or virtually, the choice is yours!

For more info on technology solutions for retail check out our industry solution.

Posted in Mobile Printing, Printing Technology, Retail, Thermal Printing | Leave a comment

Barcode Technology Creates Barrier to Medication Error

By Erin Drury | Published: December 5, 2012

Barcode Technology in Pharmaceuticals

Next time you fill a prescription, take a minute to notice the barcode on your medication packaging. It’s a pretty significant part of the administration process assisting in the prevention of up to 86% of prescription errors.

Note the level of distribution error in the medication administration process among the areas listed below, according to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory:

  • Prescribing- 39% of errors occur
  • Transcription- 12% of errors occur
  • Dispensing- 11% of errors occur
  • Administration- 38% of errors occur

These errors can cause doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to misinterpret the correct medicine and dosage to the wrong patient leading to severe side effects.  In extreme cases, fatality. Are you taking full advantage of resources available to reduce medication error?

Click here to learn more about how Source Technologies Thermal Barcode Printers can help minimize error in your environment.

Click here to learn more about the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory

Posted in Healthcare, Printing Technology, Thermal Printing | Leave a comment

Putting It All on the Line- What is MICR, Why Is It Important and How Does It Reduce My Risk of Fraud?

By Shannon Ramsey Gardner | Published: November 19, 2012

MICR line at bottom of check

MICR is an acronym for magnetic ink character recognition, a special toner used to print font at the bottom of checks and other negotiable documents.

It’s important because the Federal Reserve requires that checks be printed with MICR toner for ease of processing.  If printed with regular toner or remanufactured cartridges the risk of check rejection increases, ultimately costing the institution time and money.

Not to mention…check printing takes the lead as the preferred payment of choice in B2B and is still widely used in B2C. But that’s not all…according to the 2012 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey, while 2011 yielded a small decline in check fraud, it in fact remains to be a persistent challenge with check printing, dominating as the number one choice for fraudsters to attack.

Yes, using Source Technologies’ MICR toner and MICR printing solutions can virtually eliminate risk of fraud.

Other benefits of a MICR printing solution include:

  • Eliminate pre-printed check stock
  • Offer a secure and reliable method of on-demand  check printing
  • Reduce rejections
  • Increase customer service

To learn more about MICR technology, click here

Posted in Financial, MICR Printing, Printing Technology | Leave a comment

Extreme Barcodes

By Jessica Phillips | Published: November 15, 2012

In every group of friends there is always one person who “takes it too far”.  Urban Dictionary describes “TTIF” as “a term used for when someone takes a joke that was previously funny, “too far”, to the point where it’s no longer funny and/or awkward.”  I bet you’re thinking of this person right now.  In my circle, sadly, this person is me :(

Read below to see how some people have taken barcodes to the extreme…or “too far”:


Barcode nail art…took it too far.


Barcode home decor…took it too far!


Barcode tattoos…took it wayyyy too far!!!

Although we do not condone any of the above barcoding behaviors – we do find them interesting and wanted to share with our followers.

Have an interesting/extreme/bizarre/way too far example of how barcodes are used???  Email us at marketing@sourcetech.com and you could be featured in a future blog post.

Sources: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=taking+it+too+far
http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/237705686552939516_sABMaJs9.jpg
http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/47006389830907459_wZ7qj88e.jpg
http://weburbanist.com/2009/10/26/crafty-consumerism-15-forms-of-barcode-art/?ref=search&utm_campaign=googimages&utm_source=images&utm_medium=other

Posted in Printing Technology, Thermal Printing | Leave a comment

Quick Serve Restaurants Streamline Operations with Thermal Barcode Solutions

By Erin Drury | Published: November 14, 2012

Quick Serve Restaurants across the nation have adopted a method to help streamline in-store processes in both drive-thru and dine-in environments.  Incorporating mobile thermal printing solutions into these environments empowers restaurants to print a barcode at the bottom of a receipt to track order time, wait time, and fulfillment time. 

Ultimately, a process like this assists management in determining where there is room for improvement.  It has been shown that customers, who choose quick serve restaurants, value the fast pace environment and the attention to swift service. Read more about how restaurants are testing thermal printing to improve the dine-in experience.

According to the 2011 Drive-Thru Study: Average Service Time by QSRmagazine.com, the average amount of time it takes a quick serve restaurant to fill an order is 166.3 seconds!  How does your business measure up?  

Click here to learn how our mobile solutions can benefit your business environment!

Posted in Printing Technology, Thermal Printing, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Inside the Cover!

By Erin Drury | Published: November 14, 2012

Peek inside our Performance Series printer for an in depth view of  interior and exterior features such as:

  • Auto loading
  • Control panel
  • Industry leading touchscreen
  • Powered internal rewinder

Take the Tour!

Posted in Printing Technology, Thermal Printing | Leave a comment

Barcode Birthday Bash

By Jessica Phillips | Published: October 31, 2012

60 is the new 30!

The barcode patent recently turned 60 years-young and UK variable labelling specialists partied down by producing a giant Code 128 linear barcode symbology reading “HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY BARCODE!”.  AC Labels of Derby, UK, created the barcode in machine readable format on a self-adhesive label material, setting the world record for the longest linear barcode self-adhesive label, according to the World Record Academy. (www.worldrecordacademy.com)

“Unusually, it is also one of the few labels to leave our factory without knowingly being verified to ANSI standards, but to be honest, finding a scanning device up to the job has proved somewhat challenging…” said Dr. Adrian Steele, Managing Director of the Mercian Labels Group.

With the grocery industry rapidly growing in the 30s & 40s, Norman Joseph Woodland applied for a patent for his “Classifying Apparatus and Method” in 1949 but the patent was not actually issued until the fall of 1952.  Chew on this: The first product logged in a grocery store by a barcoding system using the modern UPC code was…a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum, on June 26th, 1974, a whopping 22 years after the official patent.

Today, you cannot turn around without seeing a barcode! Heck, we use it to track our goods, our cars, our kids, our dogs, EVERYTHING!

To learn more about the evolution of the barcode click here.

SIDE NOTE: The Guinness world record for the largest QR code is 28,760m squared (309,570ft squared) and was set by Kraay Family Farm, home of the Lacombe Corn Maze, Inc, in Canada.

NEWS AND IMAGE SOURCE
http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/technology/longest_linear_barcode_AC_Labels_sets_world_record_113118.html

Posted in Printing Technology, Thermal Printing | Leave a comment
© 2011 Source Technologies, LLC.
(704) 969.7500 | Media Kit | Careers | Site Map | Privacy Policy