Star Micronics TSP100 and the TSP828 printers selected along with the Honeywell MK9520 scanner from DED for use in all stores

Star Micronics TSP100 and the TSP828 printers selected along with the Honeywell MK9520 scanner from DED for use in all stores

Buying and selling a range of technology and entertainment products such as mobile phones, video games, DVD’s and computers, CEX were founded in 1992 in London and now have stores across the UK as well as in Spain and the US.

Choosing to standardise on receipt and label printers from Star Micronics and barcode scanners from Honeywell across all of their UK stores from DED, CeX are ensuring their hardware stands up to the challenges a busy retail environment provides.

Identifying the need to move forward with a USB-based electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) system, CeX decided to replace its in-store receipt and price label printers. Having previously used the Star Micronics TSP700 and the TSP400, CeX were looking for a ‘drop-in’ replacement for their old printers. Initially looking at the direct replacement for the serial TSP700 they were using, the TSP100 printer was mentioned as a possible option instead. Offering a low purchase cost, low running costs and all accessories in one box, including the power cable, CeX decided it was the best replacement for the TSP700.

Improving on store replacements

Jo Leslie, first line IT support supervisor at CeX, said: “The TSP100 is very popular due to the low running costs and its ability to use the same paper as the TSP700 that we previously used.”

Finding a replacement for the in store price label printer was not quite so straight forward, as the previously used Star Micronics TSP400 had been discontinued, so finding a ‘drop-in’ replacement was unlikely. Initially trialling the TSP800, CeX found it would not work with the specific labels that they used without making alterations to the printer. Moving over to trialling the TSP828 dedicated label printer instead, they found no issues in printing the transmissive labels they needed to use. The TSP828 offered the flexibility they required with no problems – it even turned out to be a more cost effective solution than the discontinued TSP400.

The Honeywell MK9520 barcode scanner was not a new selection for CeX, but due to its simplicity, lack of software configuration required and plug and play ease of use, it was easy to continue to use this handheld scanner as the main point-of-sale barcode reader in-store.