At Kiosk Europe Expo 2011 (24 - 26 May 2011, Messe Essen, Germany) Star Micronics, the world's leading installer of packaged and modular specialist kiosk printing solutions will be exhibiting its range of industry-leading products.
Star Micronics has one of the most extensive and intelligent kiosk printer portfolios available today with its printers currently used by a number of worldwide companies from Vodafone to Whitbread’s Premier Inn and international supermarkets such as Coop Switzerland to international courier delivery companies including Schenker.
With over thirty years experience in the kiosk industry Star has the expertise to tailor solutions to meet the individual needs of customers. This experience has resulted in a wide range of both flexible packaged and open frame printing solutions for kiosks. Certain system integrators have typically shied away from incorporating packaged printers into kiosks but this type of printer is now no longer just the realm of the retail outlet as it is increasingly being integrated into low volume, high value kiosk applications.
There are a number of benefits but it is primarily the simplicity and ease of use of this type of printer that is driving its greater use today. Not only is the packaged printer easier to install, service, maintain and replace but it also offers the same level of performance and reliability today as an open frame printer. Beyond this, the packaged printer can offer a wealth of additional features in terms of software tools and it is the advanced functionality of such printers that adds real value to a kiosk.
Building on its established range, Star has recently developed a number of new and interesting hardware and software innovations for the kiosk industry.
Reducing costs and environmental damage are key priorities today for many and Star has responded by offering a range of printers that allow users to achieve both these goals. The new FVP10 from Star, a unique multi-functional drawer-style front-loading “shelf” system providing true ‘Drop-In & Print’ paper loading, offers the following:
• Simple line manipulation allows the length of a receipt to be reduced by up to 25% without reducing the font size.
• Automatic software allows the user to reduce receipts from the standard 80mm width by up to 67% horizontally and 50% vertically so that a receipt can be printed on 58mm paper, while at the same time adjusting length.
Major hotel chains including Premier Inn in the UK are benefiting from features such as a scalable raster driver which is available on both open frame and packaged kiosk printers developed by Star. Whether using standard 80mm wide paper or 112mm wide paper the documents created will be printed exactly as they are displayed making this ideal for printing from any application that is designed for A4 printers, such as Internet output. By replacing an A4 laser printer, significant cost savings in terms of consumable costs can be achieved as well as environmental benefits through reduced CO2 emissions and reduced power consumption.
In terms of customer firmware and software tools, Star has developed a number of solutions. These include:
• Remote firmware update capability - all Star’s latest thermal printers can be sent firmware updates remotely saving customers time and money updating new resident printer features, new barcode types etc.
• Auto recovery after power loss - this is a common issue for kiosks in some environments which is fortunately a thing of the past with Star’s selectable auto recovery feature. This will ensure the printer resumes operation no matter at what point power is lost during the printer cycle.
• Actual print verification / status - Star printers are able to provide accurate status reports that verify when and whether a ticket has actually been printed, taken or retracted. While this may seem a simple tool it is a particularly valuable facility for a wide range of kiosk applications and is not necessarily provided by other kiosk printer manufacturers.
• Star operating platform support - with consistent investment, expertise and relationships developed with industry giants such as Microsoft and Apple as well as the UPOS committee Star drivers support industry standards from Windows 7 to Linux or POS.NET. Furthermore, Star is prepared to share certain source code samples for those kiosk builders who prefer to communicate directly with the printer’s port thus providing flexibility at all levels.
Simon Martin, Director & General Manager, Star Micronics EMEA, comments, “With over thirty years experience in the kiosk industry and an unrivalled reputation for reliability, Star continues to develop high performance kiosk printing solutions. These offer the very latest in POS printer design as well as a wealth of software tools to provide intelligent solutions to suit a wide variety of environments and budgets.”
