What is a blood bank printer? Digi-Trax has invested the time and financial resources to have our printer manufacturers incorporate additional features in our printers to support blood bank labeling applications. These Digi-Trax Enhanced Printers , the SATO BB-412e and the Zebra Technologies Z4M Plus BB printers have the
biohazard symbol integrated permanently in their internal graphic libraries. Each printer supports a serial transmission
error detection protocol that can be used by the application program and the printer to determine if a transmission error has occurred and inhibits an erroneous label from being printed. All of our printers support
smoothly scalable outline fonts specifically needed to image the ABO-Rh Negative blood groups. All of our printers are
inhibited from printing a duplicate label when the ribbon or label supply has been replenished and the printer is readied after an out of media supply event has occurred on the printer.
Digi-Trax Corporation has been directly involved
in the development of the ISBT 128 blood bank industry standards since
1990. We have participated in virtually every ICCBBA
Working Party on Automation and Data Processing meeting over the last
ten years and has participated as a member of the AABB ISBT-128
Implementation Task Force. Our involvement has been primarily as a
consultant with specific knowledge about thermal label imaging and bar
code scanning technology. We have also been students learning from
our many experiences in developing blood bank applications. We
have applied this knowledge by extending the capabilities of several
printer models manufactured by two of our printer suppliers (SATO
America and Zebra Technologies). Many of these extensions are
exclusively available only in printers manufactured for us by our
suppliers.
Sato America & Zebra Technologies have manufactured two exclusive blood bank printer models with custom firmware for Digi-Trax. This specialized engineering was designed to operate seamlessly with our Hema Trax.LPS™ software. These Digi-Trax enhanced models come with 300 dot per inch (dpi) resolution, transmission error detection capabilities, ABO outline fonts and other important features that are required for on-demand blood bank printing with Hema Trax.LPS™.
Printer
Enhancements Table
Printer Enhancement
Sato BB412e
Zebra Z4M PLUS-BB
NA indicates that the enhancement is Not Available.
Present indicates that the enhancement is normally present on a standard "off the shelf" printer.
Yes indicates that the enhancement has been added exclusively for Digi-Trax Corporation.
Printers that support the enhancements listed above are better suited to address the reliability and quality issues often faced by the blood bank.
These enhancements become requirements when using Digi-Trax's HemaTrax.LPS™ software products. The inclusion of resident fonts and graphics greatly reduces the complexity, time overhead and operational problems that are often caused when software must download the printer with these graphics.
Digi-Trax strongly recommends that all blood bank customers buy label printers that are capable of 300 dot per inch print resolution. The printer industry now supports this standard dot resolution at very affordable prices. The extra resolution produces labels with crisper images and that are more legible than the old 200 dpi technology. For those customers who want to save up to 50% on pre-printed unit number labels, 300 dpi print resolution is required in order to print the ISBT-128 tube bar code labels in the unit identification number sets. All Digi-Trax software is written to drive only 300 dpi printers with the Digi-Trax Enhancements manufactured by either SATO America or Zebra Technologies.
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Disable label repeat
Yes
Present
Head check before print
Yes
NA
Resident scaleable outline fonts
(ISBT-128)
Yes
Yes
Resident biohazard symbol
(ISBT-128)
Yes
Yes
Resident Codabar ABO-Rh
Graphics
Yes
Yes
CRC transmission error detection
Yes
Present
Sato
BB-412e
This Sato printer ships with all the resident graphics needed to support the ISBT 128 standards, including ABO-RH fonts. This model also has CODABAR ABO graphics to facilitate an easy transition to on-demand printing. The printer includes the standard 300 dpi print head that provides better than two times the resolution of a 200 dpi printer. The BB-412e supports a serial transmission error protocol and upon a request from the host computer the BB-412e sends out-of-label and out-of-ribbon status, head open or closed and print head condition (whether any print element has failed). The BB-412e now has internal Ethernet communications available, thus operating in conjunction with the latest version of Hema Trax.LPS™
This turn-key solution allows blood banks to quickly and simply print
the complete range of ISBT-128 labels. Digi-Trax software makes label
formatting easy and Zebra printers produce labeling that will not smudge
or wrinkle, even when subjected to freezing, waterbaths, bleach
disinfecting, and repeated abrasion.
Digi-Trax is an ICCBBA registered manufacturer
(see: www.iccbba.com)
If you are registered, you can utilize the Digi-Trax provided valid
& invalid ISBT 128 bar codes to help with your validation process.
Digi-Trax has invested the time and financial resources to have our printer manufacturers incorporate additional features in our printers to support blood bank labeling applications. These Digi-Trax Enhanced Printers
These enhancements become requirements when using Digi-Trax's HemaTrax.LPS™ software products. The inclusion of resident fonts and graphics greatly reduces the complexity, time overhead and operational problems that are often caused when software must download the printer with these graphics. 
