One of the biggest lessons that we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is how important it is to make sure that the technologies we’re using in healthcare are easy to clean. That includes the printers we use to print barcode labels and patient ID wristbands, which need to be designed with easy-to-clean plastics, sealed button interfaces, and materials that are disinfectant-ready or UV-ready, so we can use the right cleaning solutions and protocols to keep them safe.

This is one of the reasons why our printing technology experts at Arrowhead Corporation strongly recommend Zebra’s ZD611-HC 2-inch desktop printers for printing labels, tags, receipts or wristbands in hospital and other healthcare environments.

The ZD611-HC is part of a newer generation of healthcare printing solutions from Zebra, a global leader in printing, data capture and mobile computing technologies for healthcare providers around the world.

In designing the ZD611-HC, Zebra put the safety of users and patients first by building on its previous healthcare-friendly design principles to maximize ease and effectiveness of cleaning. The device features disinfectant-ready, easy-to-clean plastics that can withstand the harshest healthcare-grade cleaning solvents, and the printer’s housing is UV-resistant as well, so it supports UV cleaning protocols.

Additionally, Zebra’s engineers created an enhanced, sealed button interface that eliminates the spaces and crevices where bacteria can potentially thrive and evade cleaning solutions and procedures.

These features create an ideal combination that helps ensure the printer can be quickly and easily sanitized with the best products and methods to help prevent the spread of bacteria and infectious disease.

But Zebra didn’t just focus on cleaning with the ZD611-HC. The printer also delivers extremely fast, high-quality and consistent 2-inch printing of labels, tags, receipts and wristbands. It can print at a speed of up to 8 inches per second and up to 300 dots per inch (dpi), depending on the print width and resolution you choose.

It’s also extremely easy to load or change media with color-coded touch points and a new media-handling design that guides you through changes quickly. You can replace a ribbon intuitively and quickly with less masse, hassle, and training time, plus fewer calls to IT.

The ZD611-HC is also very simple to set up, use and maintain, especially with a 4.3-inch full-color LCD touch display, so you can actually use a touch screen to navigate easy-to-use menus and step-by-step wizards for everything from setup and configuration to simple operation or troubleshooting.

The display also provides at-a-glance status indicators in color, as well as animations that help users understand status or printing issues on-the-spot.

It’s also very easy to connect and integrate Zebra’s newest healthcare printer with networks, apps and other devices. It’s backwards compatible with existing label formats or applications you’re using today, and it can connect to your existing wired and wireless networks or directly to any PC. Each ZD611-HC comes standard with Ethernet, USB 2.0 and USB Host, or you can add optional Serial or dual wireless radio with fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1.

You can send print jobs to the printer from any Windows, Android or iOS device, and you can integrate your ZD611-HC with Zebra’s printer setup mobile app using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). With the included Print Touch tag (NFC), you can also simply tap a compatible mobile device on the ZD611-HC to pair and print—as well as instantly access Zebra’s extensive knowledge base of how-to videos.

On top of all the usability enhancements and features, Zebra has also made managing its printers extremely easy with centralized and remote installation, configuration, and management via its Link-OS® printer operating system. And keeping your device secure is also easier since Zebra has added unmatched printing security, including its PrintSecure tools to configure your printers with secure connections, identify vulnerabilities, block unauthorized access, and much more.

If you need a healthcare-grade printer that delivers outstanding print performance and usability while also ensuring that it can be sanitized and kept clean and secure, we highly recommend the ZD611-HC as arguably the best solution on the market.

To learn more about this device and get details and specialized pricing for your healthcare operation, contact our team at Arrowhead Corp now, and we’ll be glad to help. Contact us now through our website or call us at 1.877.437.3028.