PRINTING IN HOSPITALITY
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in areas of security and compliance, as well as service and support. These areas can be critical in helping to protect an organisations reputation. “A comprehensive conversation would also consider scalability and future growth. Understand if your customer has plans for either of these and discuss scalable solutions that can handle increasing printing demands as their business expands.” Mark Lloyd, sales director, Star Micronics EMEA, adds that resellers need to consider the location and application of the printer when talking to customers. “In terms of location, the printer can be affected by kitchen equipment such as microwaves which can interfere with WiFi connectivity,” he says. “If the printer is in a bar or kitchen, it may need a splashproof cover or a printer with a certified IPX2 rating may be required. In certain kitchens, a dot matrix printer may be more suitable than a thermal printer and the printer may need to be wall mounted. In terms of application, the printer may need to receive orders and print orders from multiple devices as in the case of online and/or table ordering.” Sustainability is another issue that resellers should be talking about with customers, Mark adds. “Sustainability is, and will always be, a concern and Star has tools to offer margin reduction to 2mm to reduce paper consumption and we’ve certified some of our latest printers with recyclable papers,” he says. “We have reduced power consumption per print job and when the printer is idle. We also ensure our printers are as versatile as possible, saving the customer money and making the business more sustainable by replacing two or three printers with one printer receiving information from multiple sources. Star’s newest label printer, mC-Label, can print repositionable as well as permanent linerless labels, providing a more sustainable solution with no backing paper.” Jay adds that there are three areas resellers should focus on to help customers to find the right product for their needs: purpose, performance and connectivity. “Resellers need to find out the needs of their customer, as there is no one-size-fits-all with hospitality printing,” he says. “They may require a mixed estate of kitchen, bar, mobile, kiosk and even label printers that either work independently, or as part of a centralised setup. “Likewise with performance – does the customer need high volume, high-quality printing or to print in a certain environment? As
this may affect whether they require an impact printer, thermal printer or mobility printer. “Finally, with many connectivity options available, research needs to be made into a customer’s existing setup and adapt accordingly. Resellers also need to consider the appearance and practicality of the printers, and consider whether they will be on show to customers? If so, they will need to consider minimising cabling and ensure that the POS area is pleasant and uncluttered.”
Mark Lloyd sales director
Future There are likely to be increasing opportunities in the hospitality sector in the future as it continues to evolve, and retailers battle against things like rising prices and minimising wastage. “With the cost of raw ingredients rising at the fastest rate in decades and supply chain shortages continuing to create challenges for restaurant kitchens, staff are under enormous pressure to minimise food wastage,” says Jay. “Staff shortages can also cause problems. A lack of experience combined with staff working different shifts can make it hard to keep track of product usage, leading to unnecessary wastage of fresh items. “Using integrated tablet printers in tandem with a food labelling solution enables kitchen staff to easily keep track of items such as freshly created salads or newly opened jars. In addition to avoiding waste, an effective labelling solution improves stock rotation while also supporting the allergy reporting that is key to comply with legislation such as Natasha’s Law. “Lastly, as sustainability concerns continue to grow, technologies such as linerless labelling continue to increase in popularity for applications such as coffee shops and in fast food outlets. Linerless labelling also removes the need for silicon backing paper, which reduces the volume of waste from printing while offering different adhesive strengths depending on if a label needs to be fixed or removable.”
https://star-emea.com
In terms of location, the printer can be “
affected by kitchen equipment such as microwaves which can interfere with WiFi connectivity... ...If the printer is in a bar or kitchen, it may need a splashproof cover
or a printer with a certified IPX2 rating may be required.
”
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