A tag printer is piece of consignment hardware that a consignment store utilizes to print bar codes/tags for inventory. Two tag printers stand out in the consignment industry:
Both of the above printers are direct-thermal printers. This means, they do not use ink to print tags. Instead, a print head in the printer generates heat. Special tags with a reactive coating (thermal tags) are used in conjunction with the above printers. The 2844 is the more popular of the two printers. It is used by UPS, in hospitals and of course, in resale stores.
The 2824 is simply a “lesser” version of the 2844. It can hold the same tags used with the various consignment software programs. It tends to print a little lighter than the 2844 (can be tweaked in the driver), typically doesn’t last as long, etc. If you’re a low-volume store, the 2824 could work out just great! Always check with your software vendor for compatibility though.
Recap:
- Thermal printers do not use ink, rather, heat
- Thermal printers use specialized tags with a heat-sensitive coating
- The LP2844 and LP2824 are the most popular in the consignment industry
Dean
I am a Software Developer, System Administrator, and consignment software specialist. I currently manage hundreds of consignment workstations, point of sale systems, and database servers all across North America and I am the developer of Peeps' Software, Peeps2Go, and Peeps' Consignor Login for iOS and Android. I've been helping consignment & resale store-owners since 2003. I started The Computer Peeps in February of 2010. Peeps' Software launched in 2016 and is now on hundreds of systems all across North America. I have successfully converted dozens of stores from all of the major consignment software systems. After 20 years of working with consignment stores, I understand the unique challenges consignment & resale store-owners face. From electrical issues in old buildings or strip malls, to advocating for them when their old consignment software keeps crashing.