According to research released by VDC in 2011, the mobile worker population exceeded one billion in 2010 and with an increasingly mobile and distributed workforce, is expected to grow by over 10% over the next three years. Zebra addresses this growing workforce with the QLN, the third generation of the QL printer, Zebra’s all-time best selling direct thermal mobile line.

The QLN builds off of the success of over 700,000 QL printers shipped to date by squarely addressing the primary request made by Zebra’s customers: lower the cost of operation. The QLN does this by including the industry’s first Ethernet connection for mobile printers. By enabling remote status collection and better device management, the printer helps reduce service time and maximises printer uptime, delivering a greater return-on-investment.

“Demand for mobile printers continues to scale,” says Tom Wimmer, Director of the Auto ID and Transaction Processing Practice at VDC. “At the same time, total cost of ownership has become a leading purchase consideration for enterprises evaluating mobile devices. Knowledgeable users are increasingly focused on reducing productivity losses associated with hardware failure, and managing spiraling IT support costs. Leading mobile device suppliers like Zebra understand these requirements and are responding with smarter products designed to address them.”

The QLN is also the first printer with Zebra’s new power smart print technology. This new feature delivers faster processing and throughput with lower power drain, giving mobile workers better quality printing and more uptime on the job. Zebra’s ‘smart battery’ technology on the QLN displays charge and overall battery health, which minimizes downtime due to older, poor-performing batteries that don’t last entire shifts.

“Historically the QL printer line has provided our customers with the productivity and durability required to keep their businesses functioning efficiently,” said Scott Lane, product manager, Zebra Technologies. “The innovation and expanded features of the QLN are a result of Zebra’s deep industry understanding. We have worked with our customers to identify their pain points and meet their evolving needs as the mobility market changes.”