June 2000: Epson Thermal Kiosk Printer

A new thermal kiosk printer offers high reliability with exceptional performance.

With its huge 25cm (10 inch) diameter paper roll, the new Epson EU-T532 kiosk printer from Able Systems can print over 800 metres before the paper needs to be replaced. With a typical coupon length of 8cm, over 10,000 coupons can be printed, offering huge savings in manpower. The maintenance-free aspect of the printer is enhanced by the unique printer mechanism, which has a MCBF of 37 million lines.

Available in various configurations, the printer couples superb reliability with exceptional performance. Utilising thermal line printing technology, the unit achieves a print speed of 150mm per second, leading to a complete 8mm coupon being printed in just half a second, even when printing high-resolution full graphics.

The whole unit is supplied on a strong metal chassis that allows for easy integration into a wide variety of applications, including retail information systems, kiosks, vending machines, ATMs, gaming machines, petrol forecourts, currency exchange equipment and similar products.

For remote terminal use and operation monitoring, the EU-T532 is provided with Epson's Advanced Windows Driver. This allows various monitoring information to be sent to a host system, including information on paper sensors, volume of remaining paper, existence of a cut sheet, and many others. The maintenance counter additionally provides accumulated operator information to monitor performance and reduce unnecessary downtime, even being able to prompt in advance when the paper roll will need renewing.

The EU-T532 additionally features a 'Print Screen' function. Graphics data is automatically compressed such that the same graphics as shown on a display will be printed out on the 80mm wide paper. This feature is ideal for use in kiosk machines, while the automatic compression of data will save development time for the OEM.

Paper handling and maintenance is designed to be simple. A semi-automatic paper loading function ensures easy and fast replacement of paper rolls. In addition, both the printer module and the cut sheet retracting module have an opening mechanism to allow easy access for maintenance.

Standard features include a control board module and combined cut sheet /presenter module. Utilising the loop presenter, receipts from 76mm up to 228mm can be printed and reliably issued. A black mark sensor is available as a factory option to allow for issuing of coupons or tickets on pre-printed paper.

Options include a cut sheet retracting module, which automatically detects when a coupon or receipt has not been withdrawn, and retracts the coupon away from the next customer. As well as having environmental benefits, this feature also reduces the opportunity to disclose sensitive or unique information, while improving the reliability with which following coupons are presented. An integrated paper roll supply module and separate power supply are also available.