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Of all the components that make up an interactive kiosk, probably the most critical choice is concerned with the printing mechanism. Printers are potential sources of many problems because they use consumable materials, are susceptible to mechanical failure, contain components that are not durable, and are subject to heavy use.
Printers in interactive kiosks
According to a study carried out by Summit Research in 2002, only touchscreens are used more often than printers as components of interactive kiosks. Three types of printing mechanism are most commonly used in kiosk applications: dot matrix, thermal, and laser. However in order to reduce the use of consumables and to minimize mechanical problems, thermal printers are most often preferred for use in kiosks because these printers eliminate the need for ribbons and toners. They also greatly reduce the problem of paper feed through the use of rolls, however this raises other issues.
Print and tear off
In this configuration, a printout is presented to the user directly from the roll. The user is expected to tear off the paper by pulling it against a serrated edge in the printout slit.Advantage: Simple, low-cost solution. Disadvantage: This configuration is susceptible to jamming. The paper may rip during the printing process or may be incorrectly torn off. Mechanisms can malfunction and/or suffer damage if users tug on the slip rather than tear it off. Print and cut
In this configuration, the printout is automatically cut off by the printer itself and presented to the user.Advantage: Low-cast, simple design that is easy to install. Disadvantage: Very susceptible to jamming. Users may tear the printout and damage the printing mechanism if they try to take the slip before the printing is completed. Print, cut, and present
In this configuration, the printout is retained inside the printing mechanism until the printing has been completed and the slip has been cut off. Only after the completion of these steps is the slip presented to the user. This essentially eliminates the risks of tearing, tugging, jamming, etc.Advantage: This solution suffers from the fewest problems and risks. Disadvantage: This is a relatively costly solution and it also increases the size of the printing mechanism. Paper control
No matter how big the roll of paper in a printer may be, at some point it is going to have to be replaced.Paper out sensing: In this configuration, the system recognizes when paper has run out and sends out a warning. This approach is most frequently used in kiosk units whose operators are nearby and whose paper supplies can be replenished quickly. While this is a low-cost solution, it means that at some point at least one user will be unable to be given a printout. Paper low sensing: In this configuration, the system recognizes when a roll of paper is nearing the end and sends out a warning. This gives additional time for a replacement roll to be supplied and it helps ensure that users do not have to do without a printout. Printout not taken: Because printouts may contain confidential information, it is important that users take them and not leave them in the printing mechanism. For this reason, kiosk printers need to be able to detect if a user has taken a printout or not and, if he has not, warn him that he should do so. Retrieve printout: In situations where printouts are not taken by their users, they may fall into the hands of someone else. This may be undesirable, particularly if the printout contains information that is personal, confidential, crucial, or otherwise valuable. In such cases, it will be necessary for the printing mechanism to retrieve a printout if it is not taken within a reasonable period of time. Retrieved printouts should be retained within the kiosk pending their final disposition. Sensors and features
Size reduction: Most interactive kiosks nowadays provide access to internet websites whose pages are usually designed so as to be printed on a standard-sized sheet of paper such as A4 or Letter. If a kiosk allows its users to make printouts of pages they visit, this problem needs to be addressed. However it may be undesirable to make full-sized printouts for economic as well as technical reasons. In most cases, a printout reduced to dimensions less than full size will be sufficient for informational purposes. For such applications, the ability of most printers to rescale printouts is important. If a kiosk's printer is set to automatically reduce the dimensions of its printouts by, say, 50%, users will be able to print out pages they want without anything else having to done.Print head heat sensor: Because of the way they operate, it is important to detect and prevent overheating of the print head in thermal printers in order to ensure that the printers function properly and to prolong their useful lifetimes. Top of form sensor: If it is important (because of logos etc) for a printout to begin at a specific place, the printing mechanism needs to have a top-of-form sensor and its controller board needs to be capable of driving it. |
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