TSC introduces ME240/ME340 Series small-footprint industrial-class printer

TSC has introduced a new 4-inch-wide-format industrial-class thermal label printer, the ME240/ME340 Series, which features a heavy-duty, small-footprint platform that delivers best-in-class performance at a very affordable price point.

A durable, compact design
The ME240/ME340 Series is designed and built to withstand the toughest production environments. The printer’s heavy-duty print mechanism is constructed of die-cast aluminum and housed in an all-metal frame. Because of its low-profile small-footprint design, the ME240/ME340 fits easily into cramped worked spaces that are too small for larger industrial printers. The print mechanism supports large 450-meter thermal-transfer ribbons and an 8.0 inch OD roll of labels.

Great performance for the price
Priced less than other printers in their class, the ME240/ME340 Series printers are loaded with standard features and come with a selection of options and accessories that significantly expand their capabilities. Standard features include USB and serial connectivity, a 2-button, 3-LED (basic version)/ 6-button LCD (advanced version) control panel, real-time clock, 8MB DRAM memory, 4 MB FLASH memory and an SD card slot that expands FLASH memory up to 4 GB.

The ME240 model prints images up to 4-inches wide, at 203-dpi (8 dots/mm) resolution. The printer’s 6-inch-per-second print speed and large ribbon and media capacities make it perfect for many applications, including manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and medical.

Using the same platform as the ME240, the ME340 model offers 300-dpi (12 dots/mm) resolution, printing at speeds up to 4 inches per second. The ME340 is ideal for producing two-dimensional barcodes, fine text and small-graphics labels.

Like all TSC industrial label printers, the ME240/ME340 Series is backed by an industry-best two-year limited warranty.

Die-cast print mechanism for custom applications
The ME240 printer’s unique design features a heavy-duty die-cast aluminum print mechanism, which TSC will make available as a stand-alone unit to partners who want to design and build their own custom packaging machine or label applicator. The print mechanism includes a ribbon handler and printhead assembly and is designed to hold the electronics main board and power supply. This compact assembly is ideal for resellers who want to develop low-cost customized solutions for packaging, product marking and other applications.

‘Out of the box’ language-emulation support
The ME240/ME340 Series’ powerful TSPL-EZ™ firmware offers TPLZ and TPLE language emulation "right out of the box," making it easy to replace existing label printers without any software modifications. The printer simply translates each label format as it is received.

The printer’s DiagTool configuration software makes it a snap to replace older printers with the high-performance, budget-friendly ME240/ME340 Series.

TSPL-EZ™’s file manager and programming language support standalone and downtime solutions that allow users to print labels without a host computer connection, or, optionally, to continue printing labels during a network failure.