The latest generation of printers from Citizen Systems Europe, the leading manufacturer of label, barcode, portable and POS printers, has been developed to make both DataBar and EAN bar code printing fast, simple and cost effective.

DataBar symbols (formerly called RSS) are being promoted as a replacement for traditional EAN/UPC bar codes found on virtually all items sold in shops and supermarkets. DataBar bar codes have the advantage of being able to store more information than EAN/UPC bar codes, due to their space efficient design. The new format can also contain serial numbers, batch/lot numbers, and expiry dates, enabling traceability and streamlining many manual processes.

With both DataBar and EAN/UPC bar codes needing to be printed to a high quality to be compatible with scanners, Citizen’s 300 dpi printers offer an effective solution. For example, the CLP 631 and the newly launched CL-S703 are ideally suited to printing both bar code types. The 300 dpi print heads can produce crisp, clear results required for the high quality printing of EAN/UPC bar codes and are equally at home printing DataBar bar codes accurately and to specification at 200 dpi resolution.

With the transition from EAN to DataBar likely to be made over the next few years, the Citizen printers allow users to print both types with minimal investment. By enabling DataBar labels to be printed in-house, the printers open up new opportunities for users, including the ability to add batch information to pre-printed packaging, or label irregularly shaped good such as fruit and vegetables to increase the opportunity for self scanning.

The latest Citizen printers make bar code printing simple, due to a number of innovative features. For example, many of the printers feature Citizen’s Hi-Open™ design, providing easy access and simple media loading while maintaining the compact dimensions of the unit, in addition to ARCP™ technology, which has been designed to eliminate ribbon wrinkle. Models such as the CL-S703R printer feature an internal front-loading rewinder, which is perfect for print-and-peel applications where small runs of labels are used to label food and produce.

Unlike conventional machines that typically print DataBar bar codes at 200 dpi using two printer dots per bar code element, Citizen's 300 dpi printers print three dots per bar code element to maintain the correct size and format.