Now that smartphone penetration is approaching 70% in the U.S. market, far more of us than not show up at work each day with remarkably capable computing and communication tools already in our pockets. These are also the mobile computing devices with which we are already most familiar. After all, they’re usually the only devices we use at some point during every waking hour. Given the almost ubiquitous reach of this fully mastered and privately funded resource, it’s no wonder that acceptance of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies is almost as widespread as the smartphones and tablets they embrace. Given the choice, I’d rather not carry two devices, and, given the choice, I’d rather the one device in my pocket be the one I selected to match my personal preferences, not one assigned to me by someone else. How about you?
With growing acceptance of BYOD comes a growing need for compatible enterprise-ready hardware, and Zebra Technologies is ahead of the curve in delivery of mobile device-compatible printing solutions. Indeed, Zebra’s iMZ-series mobile printers support all major mobile operating systems – iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry.
Zebra’s iMZ220 Mobile Printer is especially small and lightweight, but packs a lot of print functionality within its small form. The iMZ220 is truly palm-sized, measuring 3.18 by 5.34 by 2.26 inches and weighing just 0.70 pounds with battery, yet supports a 2-inch print width and is Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Cisco certified. The iMZ-320 Mobile Printer includes all the features of the iMZ-220, but ups the print-width capacity to 3 inches while remaining only larger than the iMZ-220 in its width dimension, at 4.11 inches. It weighs just 0.75 pounds, also including its battery.
Standard features of both mobile printers include:
- Direct thermal printing of barcodes, text and graphics.
- 203 dpi resolution.
- Print speeds to 4 inches per second.
- Resident fixed and scalable fonts.
- A 400-MHz, 32-bit ARM processor with 128-MB RAM.
- A 1.6-Ah Li-Ion battery and built-in battery charger.
- Optical out-of-media sensing.
- Support for both vertical and horizontal printing.
- A clamshell design for easy loading of print media.
- IP42 rating for dust and water resistance (increased to IP54 with optional case), and
- NFC-One touch to pair.
Zebra also offers a comprehensive range of optional accessories that make its iMZ-220 and iMZ-320 printers as easy to carry and use as the personal smart devices with which they can be controlled. Retailers looking to reduce customer checkout time and eliminate customer queues at stationary registers need look no further than the smartphones their sales teams already deploy and Zebra’s diminutive iMZ-220 and iMZ-320 smartphone-ready mobile printers.