22 HORIZONS
PRINTING IN THE NE M
Star Micronics helps retailers make sense of current mobile printing technology challenges and opportunities available for them over the coming year
obile IT for retailers is exploding around the world and is suffering all the usual problems of
combining new and old technologies into effective, working IT solutions. Retail and hospitality print specialist Star Micronics said the “IT” itself is being introduced from all angles and manufacturers, resellers and end users are yet to understand the full impact and value of this type of use of technology with the result that all those involved in the sale of these solutions must step up and see the bigger picture to take full advantage. The term “Mobile IT” itself has a number
of different meanings depending on the type of retailer and/or application required. As a printer manufacturer, mobile IT printing to Star means “demonstrating versatile print control from mobile devices/cloud computing including HTML5 to both desktop and mobile point-of-sale (PoS) printers using Apple iOS, Windows or Android devices”. The big discussion has been which way the PoS market in particular will go – Apple, Windows or Android? This affects applications as varied as queue busting to store product ticketing to any form of logistics control.
Matching hardware with software High-end retailers favour high profi le products like Apple, while other retail IT departments prefer the philosophies behind Windows and Android devices. With more and more retailers wanting to use mobile devices with desktop and mobile PoS printers, Star is ready to support the customer whichever way they jump. Star’s unique new and intuitive software developer kits (SDKs) are already making Star printers ‘sing and dance’ to retailer’s specifi cations simplifying the whole integration process; reducing time and costs for system builders, software houses and retailers with in-house IT. The Star difference has meant that a greater array of operating systems and languages are supported with organised and integrated fi les
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
and actual code samples, vastly improving on the confusing choice of zipped fi les available from other printer manufacturers. However, the market is moving from using just apps, at which most SDKs have been targeted, and would much prefer to use software with web-based browsers, which benefi t from all the advantages of cloud-based computing, which include lower hardware and software costs and simplifi ed solutions. Star said printing from the internet using cloud-based software has always been diffi cult. The IT world, including a committee of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and manufacturers including Star Micronics, has been working on an international
standard called WS-POS to address these diffi culties by providing the blueprints for cloud PoS and printing solutions (based on UPOS 1 – the current OPOS, JavaPOS etc. in use), but it will not be ready for a while. UPOS 2 is the new version designed to replace UPOS 1 and will include the WS- POS standard.
OEM independent solutions being
worked on include Google Cloud Print, similar to Apple AirPrint, which, although released, are still in development mode for printing output and which Star said are not yet sophisticated enough to fully cope. Key issues are speed, where output is slow and inconsistent due to web browsing and pop-
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