Answer:

The internationally recognized ENERGY STAR symbol identifies products that are among the most energy-efficient on the market. Only manufacturers whose products meet the demanding ENERGY STAR criteria can label their products with this symbol. Choosing an ENERGY STAR product over another model could save significant energy costs per year through reduced power consumption.

The use of energy-efficient products also will help the environment. Products that earn the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Answer: The T5000r ENERGY STAR has earned the ENERGY STAR. The T5000r ENERGY STAR also includes Ethernet standard, offers increased memory (64MB DRAM vs. 32MB DRAM, 16MB Flash vs. 8MB Flash), and broader emulations (Zebra, Intermec, TEC, SATO, Datamax, Monarch and IER). In addition, the T5000r ENERGY STAR offers improved gap sensing and microstepping for better vertical resolution control.

Answer: The new Printronix T5000r ENERGY STAR printer is the only industrial thermal bar code printer on the market to qualify for ENERGY STAR. Like its predecessor, it is built to meet the demands of 24/7 operation in the harshest operating environments. The new Printronix T5000r ENERGY STAR printers offer more standard DRAM (64MB) and Flash (16MB), the broadest emulations (Zebra, Intermec, TEC, Sato, Datamax, Monarch and IER) and an integrated Online Data Validation (ODV) system for label verification.

Answer: In a typical printing application, the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers consume more than 33 percent less power (watt-hours) than a non ENERGY STAR printer. In idle mode, the printers consume more than 50 percent less power (watt-hours) than a non-ENERGY STAR printer.

Answer: Yes, the gap sensor design has been enhanced to be compatible with more challenging and broader variety of media. In addition, Printronix has added micro-stepping, which means the vertical print resolution can be fine tuned.

Answer: The increased dynamic range means that the sensor can work in applications in which there is a low contrast between the liner and label. In addition, print registration also is improved as a result of enhanced top-of-form detection.

Answer:

Micro-stepping gives the motor that drives the labels through the printer the ability to be stepped in very fine increments giving the user the option to tune the vertical print resolution for a specific application. Micro-stepping is important for a seamless transition from a competitive printer to the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers. For example, a simple menu
setting adjustment by the user will change the resolution from 300dpi to 305dpi to print exactly the same image size as a competitive printer.

In addition, micro-stepping will help with long pre-printed forms where the tolerances that occur with friction-feed printers can result in the misalignment of text in the form boxes. Print resolution can be adjusted to precisely align the print image in the target box.

Answer: With the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers, the Ethernet interface is now “on-board” the printer’s controller, freeing up one of the two option slots for other uses. For example, you now can support Ethernet, wireless and GPIO all in one configuration of printer.

Answer:

The T5000r ENERGY STAR printer remains field upgradable to RFID and the SL5000r ENERGY STAR printer remains a fully operation RFID printer.

To support ENERGY STAR, the ODV option now includes an additional printed circuit board assembly which is included in the option kit at no additional charge. This board snaps onto the controller and is pre-installed in the printer when ordered from the factory. Installation instructions are included with the field kit.

Answer: The T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers are 100 percent compatible with T5000r and SL5000r printers. While the software in the new ENERGY STAR printers is different, no changes were made that would impact existing applications. This was verified as part of the internal production qualification process.

Answer: The default ‘sleep’ mode timeout for ENERGY STAR printers is five minutes versus fifteen minutes for non ENERGY STAR printers. The sleep mode timeout can be adjusted in the control panel menu. When using ODV, the recovery time from ‘sleep’ mode is a few seconds longer with the ENERGY STAR printer.

Answer: In order to receive ENERGY STAR benefits, users must purchase a new T5000r ENERGY STAR or SL5000r ENERGY STAR model.

Answer: The part numbers have been changed in the smart number ordering system. Resellers will be required to use the new part numbers to order ENERGY STAR models.

Answer: The ENERGY STAR printers will have the ENERGY STAR logo on the front of the printer, a new “SL/T5R” family designation on the back and shipping label identification on the shipping carton.

Answer: Yes, the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers have new manuals. There is one maintenance manual that covers the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers.

Answer: Many spares remain common, including the user-replaceable printhead. In order to meet the ENERGY STAR requirements, the power supply and controller changed. These parts, along with the improved lower gap sensor, are new, and are not backwards or forwards compatible with the older parts they replace. Service providers will be receiving information on the spare part number
changes.

Answer: The existing host interface and media handling options are supported on the T5000r ENERGY STAR and SL5000r ENERGY STAR printers. The only exception is the real-time clock. The realtime clock field kit for ENERGY STAR printers has a new part number. The existing real-time clock field kit (for non-ENERGY STAR printers) and the new real-time clock field kit (for ENERGY STAR printers) are included on the updated price list.

Answer:

New Windows Drivers, PNE Suite and the Setup Wizard are available that identify the ENERGY STAR printer as T5xxxr (ES) and SL5xxxr (ES). These are backwards compatible with the existing T5000r and SL5000r series printers.

For customers that are adding ENERGY STAR T5000r or SL5000r printers to an install base of non-ENERGY STAR T5000r and SL5000r printers, and is using PrintNet Enterprise Suite, we recommend updating to the latest version to ensure that the ENERGY STAR printers are correctly identified. In addition, we recommend using the latest Windows drivers and Setup
Wizard.

Answer: Yes, the P7000 and our new OpenPrint™ line matrix printer family are ENERGY STAR-qualified.