The San Diego Public Library serves the informational, educational, and recreational interests of San Diego, California residents at 33 branches throughout the city. Needing a way to serve an increasing number of patrons despite staffing shortages, the system sought the assistance of Library Automation Technology, Inc. (LAT) in Somerdale. N.J. LAT is a provider of library patron self-checkout systems for public, school, government, and hospital libraries. The company offers complete system design, manufacturing, and software development along with system installation and support.

Over a period of several months, LAT installed more than 30 of its FLASHSCAN® Self-Checkout systems, plus assorted peripherals, at various branches of the library. The solution is still being deployed in other branches as well as “renewed” at some locations where it has already been implemented, according to LAT President Oleg Boyarsky.

Instead of a traditional, “manned” checkout desk, patrons bring the materials they would like to borrow to the FLASHSCAN unit for self-checkout via a scanner or RFID reader. Using the TSP100ECO printer, they then generate their own slips indicating when the materials are due to be returned.

The TSP100ECO has several attributes that make it a perfect fit for the San Diego Public Library’s self-checkout configuration. A print speed of 28 receipts per minute and a partial cutter keep patrons moving quickly through the checkout process. Advanced  power management  circuitry reduces printer current consumption by up to 75% compared to standard Star printers, which not only makes the unit the most economic printer in its class; it reduces “book slip” printing expenditures as well.

Harney & Sons SoHo sells a wide variety of teas from around the world, as well as tea-related gifts and accessories. The shop also features a tea lounge where guests can sit and enjoy a cup of tea and nibble on scones or other small treats. The operator had previously deployed a point of sale system that ran on both Mac and PC platforms, but management concluded that it was neither sufficiently comprehensive nor easy enough to use, and could not truly support anticipated future growth. A decision was made to migrate to a more “modernized” technology configuration that would, among other features, incorporate a mobile component for enhanced flexibility and customer service.

Digital Reality, Inc., a Star Micronics reseller partner also headquartered in New York City stepped up to the plate with a solution comprised, in addition to the receipt printers, of LightSpeed POS and LightSpeed Mobile for Mac and iOS (including the LightSpeed mobile hardware sled for iPod touch); Apple iMac, Mac Pro, Airport Extreme, and Airport Express hardware; three Metrologic Ms9540 VoyagerCG bar code scanners; four IDTech MiniMag credit card readers; four Vasario Series USB cash drawers from APG Cash Drawer; two Zebra Technologies LP2824 Plus label printers; and three Logic Controls TD3000 tabletop displays.

“Our goals are to educate our customers to the point where they can select the best pair of sunglasses for their needs that also represents the best value for their money,” says Dee Keel, owner. “An informed, educated customer is a satisfied customer that will return and also tell their friends about the intense, personal service they experienced while shopping with us.”

According to Keel, satisfying customers not only means relying on training to ensure that all sunglass frames are professionally fitted to suit individual shoppers’ needs, as it happens at the shop, but it also means providing shoppers with assurance that they are purchasing the items from a reputable establishment. This wasn’t something Keel and her staff had the ability to do—until the retailer installed Star Micronics’ TSP700 thermal printer.

With the printer in place, store personnel can quickly and easily generate receipts that show where, when and at what price shoppers bought their sunglasses and/or accessories. Customers who need subsequent assistance with their purchases or have general questions need only refer to their receipt and bring it to the store for assistance; there is, states Keel, no chance that they are dealing with a merchant that isn’t on the up-and-up. Two-color receipt generation occurs at a high speed of 7.09 inches per second, while such features as “Drop in & Print” paper loading and an easy-to-change, cartridge-type interface minimizes printing delays. A logo storage utility allows logos to be added to receipts without difficulty.

Not long ago, The Sunglass Shop upgraded its point of sale system and needed to install printer drivers in its TSP700 printer so that the two devices would interface with each other. Keel tried to do the job alone, but was unsuccessful. A quick telephone call to Star Micronics’ technical support department solved the problem. Tech support personnel walked Keel through the process, and everything was up and running within minutes.

“Again, we can print receipts on demand with no trouble,” Keel concludes. “That leads to better customer service”—just what The Sunglass Shop on Ocracoke is all about.

Now issuing violations is easier and more efficient with the new technology police officers have at their fingertips: Info-Cop® eTicketing makes law enforcement officers more efficient by reducing the time it takes to produce a summons. Gone are the days of collecting a driver’s personal information, calling it to a dispatcher on a two-way radio…..waiting for a response….and then writing a citation. And if an officer needs to write more than one ticket, without Info-Cop® eTicketing it’s certainly going to be a long wait.

Now, an officer swipes the license through a laptop scanner, Smart Phone or Pocket PC and accesses a wireless computer network that links the officer directly to a motor vehicle database with warrant information and available photo images. Using the central server, Info-Cop® allows officers to query the National Crime Information Center, the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, state criminal records and to interact with their department’s computer-aided dispatch and records management systems.

To issue a ticket, the officer selects the violation and associated legal citation from a drop down menu and prints the ticket. If multiple violations are observed, the officer can continue to select additional violations and print tickets without re-entering driver or vehicle information. As each ticket is issued, a ticket number is automatically generated and received by the court system. Upon issuance, the violations are transmitted for processing at the courts.

 “Info-Cop® eTicketing is proven to make officers more efficient,” said Virginia Bauer, CEO of GTBM Inc. “It reduces the amount of time officers must spend in issuing a summons, allowing for more time to patrol and engage in other law enforcement services for the community.”

Hu’s Asian Bistro did not act alone to achieve its objectives; rather, it turned to Winnipeg-based Ideal POS, LTD, for assistance. The operator had previously worked with another VAR, but wanted to find a reseller on which it could count to provide a more consistent level of service, including the desired point of sale/marketing integration piece. Ideal POS had the experience needed to get the job done, along with the right technology: Star Micronics’ TSP143 thermal receipt printers, plus a hardware/software bundle comprised of PAR point of sale hardware and PixelPoint POS point of sale software from PAR Technologies. Rounding out the list of solution components were loyalTXT for PAR PixelPoint, a PAR-certified integration of the loyalTXT text-based customer loyalty application from Sundrop Mobile; and gift and credit card processing solutions from Mercury Payment Systems.

Four PAR point of sale terminals and four Star Micronics printers were installed at each store. Implementation and training took one week per location. The operator then devoted three months to tweaking the system after it went live.

Bert Adams, M.D., of Riverview Pediatrics in Brewer, Maine, recently sought a remedy for prescription-writing ills caused by these mandates. He wanted a way to increase efficiencies and save time by “printing to tamper-proof paper in a legible fashion”, and by generating prescriptions for controlled substances noted in patients’ electronic medical records (EMR) in the same manner as he did prescriptions for non-controlled substances.

“Hand-writing ‘scripts’ on tamper-proof prescription pads was time-consuming, and there was a margin for error,” Dr. Adams says. “It also caused huge security issues, since I had a habit of leaving prescription pads in the exam rooms.”

The cure came in the form of Star Micronics’ TSP800Rx printer, which uses prescription-writing software to generate prescriptions from EMRs. In addition to being designed specifically for the medical industry, the unit meets Riverview Pediatrics’ need for prescription printing efficiency with an ultra-rapid print speed of 50 lines per second, a “Drop In & Print” paper loading feature, a “disable paper feed” function and a jam-proof cutter—all essential for busy medical offices. In addition to accommodating the necessary tamper-proof paper, the TSP800Rx provides another layer of security via a locking mechanism that deters unauthorized removal of prescription media from the paper chamber.

The company is a division of Scotts Miracle Gro, a manufacturer of fertilizer and other yard care products available worldwide. In addition to lawn and tree care, Scotts LawnService offers pest control services by demand and on a regularly scheduled basis. Until recently, getting these jobs done was not always an easy process. Lawn care crews had no technology in their trucks, forcing them to hand-write records as well as receipts, estimates and other documentation for customers.

Enter Real Green Systems. The Walled Lake, Michigan-based ISV and VAR stepped in with a product bundle comprised of Star Micronics’ TSP847 thermal printers, “netbook” computers, its own Mobile Assistant application and tracking software, and CoPilot navigation software. Project cost totaled $3 million, including the installation of over 1,200 Star Micronics printers.

With the solution in place, automated methods have replaced manual ones. Entirely legible, professional-looking customer estimates, invoices and receipts created on the “netbook” computers are quickly generated by the printers at a speed of 180mm per second. The units utilize 4.4-inch-wide paper, allowing more information to be included on documents shared with customers, while a logo storage capability adds a professional look to each receipt and further minimizes receipt printing time. Other features, such as a heavy-duty cutter and a swappable interface makes changing the interface a snap.

Bob Norman, director of IT at Mankato Clinic, had such challenges in mind as he shopped the aisles of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition three years ago. One of Minnesota’s largest physician-owned, multi-specialty regional group practices, Mankato Clinic operates eight sites in and around Mankato; its staff includes 80 physicians.

At the time of Norman’s visit to the HIMSS meeting, Mankato Clinic management had already decided to migrate from a manual (handwritten) prescription-issuance system to a printer-based one. “We thought it would be better all around in terms of compliance with all regulations, as well as to make the job a little easier for the doctors,” Norman said. Management had also concluded that using dedicated prescription printers, rather than all-purpose laser jet printers fitted with prescription-generating software, would be their best bet because the latter are more expensive and print prescriptions on 8 ½” X 11” paper instead of standard prescription form.

“We didn’t want to pay more for ‘all-purpose’ printers when all we were going to do was to generate prescriptions,” Norman explained. “We also needed very solid, secure dedicated units with a convenient small footprint, and that would even hang on a wall if we wanted them to.”

In perusing the HIMMS exhibits, Norman found exactly what he sought in Star Micronics America’s TSP800Rx thermal printer. “It fit all our criteria,” he noted. In addition to being designed specifically for the medical industry, it offers durability, a small footprint, and a wall-mounting option.” Even more importantly, Norman said, the TSP800Rx is the only printer available for the medical industry to boast a locking mechanism that deters unauthorized removal of prescription media from the paper chamber.

Other attributes of the unit also caught Norman’s eye. These included a Kensington lock slot for added security, plus an ultra-rapid print speed of 50 lines per second, a “ Drop In & Print” paper loading feature, a “disable paper feed” function and a jam-proof cutter--all essential for busy medical offices.

Mankato Clinic currently has 25 TSP800Rx printers in place, all of which operate with Allscripts prescribing software from Allscripts-Misys Heathcare Solutions. The first unit was deployed at one site two years ago. It received such rave reviews that an additional 24 units were rolled out two to three months later, in a span of four to five months. Norman handled the installation himself, a process he described as “very simple, with no problems.”

Aside from the desired ability to generate prescriptions with far more efficiency than in the past while occupying minimal space, the printers deliver on the promise of security. Not long ago, one of Mankato Clinic’s physicians attempted to access a printer at his site without using a key. “He had sent his print job to a different machine, but didn’t realize it and tried to get into this unit because he thought he had the right one and that the paper was just stuck,” Norman said. “He tried a lot of different things to get to the paper mechanism, without success. This goes to show just how secure the TSP800Rx really is.”

What’s more, he added, Mankato Clinic is reaping other benefits from the installation. Notably, all of the facilities are saving paper because there is no need to utilize regular size, 8 ½” X 11” stock. Pharmacies like the solution; there is no longer any worry about deciphering prescriptions that bear the illegible or difficult-to-read handwriting for which physicians are renowned.”