March is National Frozen Food Month and we’d like to celebrate by highlighting some of the products and services available to those that brave the cold storage units all year round.  LXE has a number of computers, scanners, and handheld data capture devices that can withstand frigid temperatures down to -22 degrees.  Heated screens, conformal coated internal electronics, specialized batteries, allow these devices to go where others can’t.

LXE’s robust freezer-rated line-up includes wearable, handheld, and vehicle-mounted products that are built from the ground up to handle freezing conditions.  For more information about LXE’s line of freezer-rated devices, contact RACO Industries at 1-800-446-1991 or visit us at www.racoindustries.com.

At RACO Industries, we pride ourselves on using technology, information, and mobile devices to help save you money.  Now we’ve taken it to another level with  MobileCoupons.com.  With this application, you can access thousands of money-saving coupons on your mobile phone.  It’s a great idea that people are starting to talk about, including many news outlets.  WCPO-TV Reporter Larry Shields stopped by our offices to learn more about MobileCoupons.com and also one of the businesses using MobileCoupons.com to target dead times in their restaurants.

And WCPO isn’t the only one to notice.  News 9 in Oklahoma City also included us in a segment on the mobile coupons trend.  These are just the first of many as MobileCoupons.com is adding more businesses and more deals each and every day.  Consumers can find coupon offers easily on their iPhone, Mobile Web, Internet, and the Android and can even share the savings with social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter.  And for merchants, MobileCoupons.com is a great way to market and promote your business to consumers via specials & coupons.

Find out why MobileCoupons.com is a Phone Full Of Savings by downloading our iPhone app, going to the Android Market, visiting m.mobilecoupons.com on your cell phone, or going to our website http://www.mobilecoupons.com/.

Any business that takes credit cards for payment of goods and services needs to install and maintain a firewall configuration as one of the twelve requirements to be compliant to the Payment Security Card Data Security Standard*.  Whether you have a wireless network or not a business that handles sensitive information, like credit card numbers, needs to protect themselves from hackers who could physically compromise your network.  Protection from hackers is not just bad for business, it is can open you up to legal issues if you manage other sensitive data like healthcare information and patient records. Kari Breseman from Motorola recently stopped by RACO to talk about AirDefense, a security, compliance, and troubleshooting system.  The vendor-agnostic wireless intrusion prevention system monitors your network and lets you know if there’s a rogue device that is transmitting your secure information.  AirDefense provides wireless device inventory, threat index analysis, location tracking, advanced rogue management and automated protection.

With this tool, administrators can perform wireless assessments, security audits, locate and manage rogue access points.  To see if you need AirDefense to protect your business from costly security breaches, contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991. RACO’s Advanced Solutions Group can configure, install, and support AirDefense and has the expertise to assist your company with any wireless network project.

 * The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.

For more information, visit RACO’s PCI Compliance Definition and FAQ page.

Sometimes you find out the hard way you may have underestimated what kind of tool you should get for a job.  You do research to try to match what’s out there with your needs and, more importantly, your budget.  Occasionally, sacrifices are made because there’s just not enough money to get every perk you’d like.  We recently had an email from just such a customer who underestimated their needs and paid dearly for it. 

This particular customer made a large order (from a competitor) of consumer grade equipment.  He soon discovered his mobile employees were a lot rougher on the equipment than he anticipated.  About 35% of the non-ruggedized devices broke in the first 6 months.  The batteries drained too quickly and the workers had difficulty managing two separate devices instead of simply having a scanner with phone capabilities.  The software was confusing to his employees and connecting the Bluetooth scanner was problematic.  It was rapidly becoming apparent that the large order he placed was not right.  Unfortunately, he was now stuck with incompatible and broken equipment that wasn’t getting the job done.

Once the customer came to us, we were able to ensure he had exactly what he needed to meet all of the challenges.  We hooked him up with Intermec products since he was familiar with that quality brand and the Intermec CN50 could handle all aspects of the work.  We also ensured that the devices worked well inside of their pre-existing network and that the mobile workers could easily navigate the software.  Since he switched away from the consumer devices, the customer’s been pleased to report not one unit has broken. 

You’re not saving money if you have to go back and pay more money to fix what you bought the first time.  To make sure you’ve considered every angle before you pull the trigger on your next big order, contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

2009 was considered rough for many businesses but RACO Industries was there for you creating useful and knowledgeable videos all year long.  In case you missed it, here are 9 of the most helpful RACO videos from 2009.

9. Color Us Impressed
            We spent a lot of time with Epson’s SecurColor TM-C3400 Color Label Printer and it has really made an impact on some of us here at RACO Industries.  We came away impressed with the ability device’s ability to handle high quality, high volume color printing.  We’ve even seen it perform well in the field.  Be sure to keep an eye out for that video coming up in 2010.

8. Green Means Go
            We had many opportunities to see Datalogic’s patented Green Spot technology in action.  As you can imagine, the visual indicator is great for noisy places where you can’t hear the sound that would confirm a good read.  The feature is even ideal for quiet environments where traditional beeps would be disruptive.

7. Troubleshooting Tips
            A regular feature of our videos is looking at common issues that cause our customers trouble.  Whether it’s showing how to cold boot a Motoroloa MC9090, loading a price label gun, installing a light beacon for an RFID beacon, or cleaning a Zebra printhead, our technicians have lots of knowledge to pass on that can save you time and money.

6. Funtime RACO
            It’s not all troubleshooting tips and speeds ‘n feeds in our videos.  Sometimes we like to let our hair down and have a little bit of fun, especially when we’re giving away prizes.  Whether we’re configuring a GPS unit, watching basketball, recreating our logo on an Etch-A-Sketch, or playing Wii ping pong, we enjoy sharing a smile with our customers and vendors.

5. Cassida Currency devices.
            Even those who were bringing in the money could be bogged down by counting and verifying the cash coming in.  Between the 3300 Counterfeit Bill Detector, 6600 Currency Counter, Tiger Dollar Bill Counter, and C100 Coin Counter & Wrapper, Cassida have plenty of devices to help you keep track of the actual cash as it comes through.

4. Happy Birthday, Barcode!
            RACO Industries is definitely a big fan of the barcode so we wanted to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the first commercial barcode scan in style.  It occurred on June 23, 1974 right up the highway in Troy, Ohio.  We sat down with the original project coordinator about the first time a grocery store had ever been outfitted with this technology. 

3. Intermec Technology Day
            We love to see our vendors face to face.  It’s even more fun when they have new toys to show us.  Back in the summer, Intermec came to Cincinnati for their Technology Day to show off media products such RFID tags, bar code labels, hang tags, shelf talkers and prescription bottle labels as well as solutions for mobile workers such as the CN4 and CN50.

2. Food Labeling
            Unfortunately, health issues concerning food ingredients made the news often in 2009.  In the middle of these concerns, the folks from Monarch stopped by to reinforce how their Country Of Origin Labelling and freshness label solutions can help improve food safety.

Stay tuned as we have plans for more videos top help you in 2010.  And if you have any subjects you would like us to produce a video of, please let us know at giveaway@racoindustries.com and we will try to help you out.  Your video idea will automatically register you for a chance to win a Flip Video Camcorder.Thanks for staying in touch with RACO Industries and have a prosperous new year.

Retransfer Technology has revolutionized card printing by allowing you to print full color, full bleed images with better quality and less wear and tear on your printer.  The process prints onto a laminate film instead of the card itself.  The old way would have the printhead come into direct contact with the card which would cut down on the printer’s  lifespan.  Instead, the laminate film is thermally bonded to the card so you get photo-quality results all the way to the edge of the card.
Retransfer Technology is ideal for:
• ID and access control cards
• Government-issued driver’s licenses
• National ID and voter registration cards
• ATM, credit, or smart cards
• Personalized gift, membership, and loyalty cards
• Smart cards in travel, gaming, and entertainment
Using Retransfer Technology can save you time and money while consistently producing high quality cards.
Call RACO Card Solutions today at 866-940-7226  to talk to a product specialist to learn more about Retransfer Technology and how it can be applied to your business

If this summer’s cinematic reboot of Star Trek is any indication, then the current hand-held bar code scanner market is taking future-proofing to a whole new level. Apparently, modern barcode technology was used to help make the movie set look futuristic.  Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that the “joysticks” in the captain’s seat of the Starship Enterprise are actually Motorola Cyclone M2000 hand-held scanners.  Sure, the device decodes existing, new, and emerging barcode symbologies instantly.  But I guess the Cyclone was picked for its sleek, stylish look that projects the image that you can boldly go where no one has gone before.

So, if you’re looking to take your business into the 23^rd century, or at least look like it is, we can help you out.  The Motorola Cyclone M2000 barcode scanners are available from RACO Industries. And if you’d like to see the M200 in “action,” check out the Star Trek DVD which is set for release on November 17^th.

So, you just got your new Zebra printer. Do you want to keep it running in tip-top order? All it takes is a little TLC to get the most enjoyment out of your wise investment in a thermal printer from Zebra Technologies. We will make it easy for you. Just follow these five quick and simple instructions compiled from years of experience selling and servicing Zebra printers.  

• Use Zebra approved ribbons and labels in your new printer. Poor quality or mismatched media causes poor print quality and premature printhead wear.       Take care of the printhead – it is the most expensive replacement part of a thermal transfer printer. 
• Be sure to store all unused thermal transfer ribbons and labels in their original shipping material. This eliminates dirt & debris from entering the printer.
• Operate your Zebra printer with all the covers closed to eliminate environmental contaminants from entering the printing system. 
• Make a point at every ribbon change or at a minimum of once a week to clean the thermal printhead mechanism. Use isopropyl alcohol and a lint free rag to wipe the printhead and platen roller clean of dust and adhesive. Use canned air to blow the dust from the media sensor and label path. 
• Rely on Zebra authorized service technicians to perform semi-annual preventative maintenance to replace any worn components, make adjustments and keep your printer operating at maximum performance. 

If you follow these guidelines, your new Zebra printer should lead a nice, long productive life. If there are bumps in the road, however, contact RACO Industries Technical Services at 1-800-446-1991 and press selection 3.

When the first commercial barcode scan in history occurred in the summer of 1974, probably no one expected that barcodes would one day be used not only as an invaluable tool for inventory management, but also to create art. Within the past several years, creative people all over the world have been using barcodes in their work. What was once a ubiquitous symbol for our consumer culture, has become a means of creative expression for anyone from starving artists to modern furniture designers.

Take the most famous person in the field of barcode art, Scott Blake, whose unique portraits of famous and historical figures made entirely out of barcodes have garnered massive attention from the creative community. His works include the portraits of Oprah, Bill Gates, and Ozzy Osbourne.  Many of Blake’s portraits are even constructed from barcodes relating to that person’s life or work. His likeness of Bruce Lee, for example, uses the barcodes from the DVDs of ten different movies starring the late martial artist. Blake even makes flipbooks of his portraits containing an animation that zooms in on the piece, allowing his audience to see the actual barcodes in detail. All of these portraits, among other works, can be found on Scott Blake’s website where prints of his works can be purchased, as well as personalized barcode t-shirts, patches, and even temporary tattoos.

The corporate world is also starting to take advantage of the barcode’s artistic potential. Japanese firm D-Barcode, for example, has been jazzing up grocery store products all over Japan with their interesting and creative new barcode designs, such as the ones pictured below.  As yo can see, the designs are simple in concept, but detailed and charming enough to prompt someone to go product hunting and start a collection.

Even modern Russian architects are realizing the creative possibilities that the barcode presents:

Truly, the appeal of the barcode is so widespread, its applications in the creative field are limitless.  As practical as the concept is to the business world, it is proving to be almost as handy to the art world.