No Longer Just a Buzzword

Sustainability has long been a buzzword used by the most forward-thinking companies, but now, it is a “must-have” and not just a “good-to-have”. It’s a critical responsibility that organisations can no longer afford to ignore.

So, why is sustainability important?

Because it’s an opportunity to make a genuine, lasting impact. It’s a chance to align business practices with environmental and social responsibility, demonstrating a commitment to both people and the planet.

Sustainability, with good reporting, can help companies attract environmentally-conscious customers, obtain lower-cost financing and gain better access to capital.

In the last year, we received more requests from customers to provide green certifications for our products. They asked for information on carbon footprint which wasn’t a concern previously.

We believe all businesses have the responsibility of doing their part to protect and maintain our planet.

As such, we regularly evaluate the latest technologies for ways to reduce both our energy usage and our total impact on the environment. This philosophy extends to all aspects of our business as we are constantly adapting our products and procedures in the interest of operating in the most environmentally friendly manner.

PRINTERS

We utilize our engineering expertise and resources to produce the most environmentally responsible ticket printer possible. We have analyzed every aspect of the design process and manufacturing environment in order to implement reductions in both material usage and energy consumption.

Long Life

All BOCA printers are designed to last in excess of ten years. Assuming a minimal amount of occasional maintenance, your printer will last forever. Unlike other products that need periodic replacement, your printer will not require limited landfill space as it continues to work reliably for many years into the future.

Easily Recyclable

In the rare event that your printer outlives your requirement, the enclosure and most of the internal parts are made of easily recyclable aluminum parts.

Reduced Size and Packaging

Over the past five years, we have reduced the average size of the printer by approximately 40% resulting in similar reductions in printed circuit board size, paint usage and cabling. The reduced printer size reduces shipping weight by approximately 30% while affecting a 40% reduction in shipping volume. Both factors significantly decrease the environmental impact of shipping our products throughout the world.

Environmentally Responsible

Our products comply with all applicable ROHS regulations. We have also implemented a number of measures to reduce the energy usage in our manufacturing facilities.

Energy Efficiency

Extensive R&D efforts in power supply design have allowed us to reduce the printer’s idle power requirements by over 50% to under 3 watts. Typical operating power usage has dropped by almost 20% to approximately 22 watts. These improvements reduce both your ongoing cost of using the printer and its impact on the environment, while allowing our printers to earn the ENERGY STAR qualification.

TICKETS

All of our printing plates are manufactured in house with the latest digital, chemical free process. Our plates are laser-etched, thereby, eliminating the hazardous chemical solvents frequently used in the printing plate manufacturing process.

Inks

BOCA uses water-based and UV LED, flexographic inks to minimize the environmental impact.

Paper

We have received both SFI® and FSC® certification, which demonstrates our commitment to environmental responsibility. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are independent environmental organizations that create guidelines to ensure the perpetual growth and harvesting of trees while assuring the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, water and air quality.

Other Considerations

It should be noted that a quality thermal paper requires a very smooth printing surface. The short fiber inherent in recycled paper create a bumpy printing surface. A significant amount of energy is required in order to provide recycled paper with the smoothness necessary for thermal printing. The environmental impact of the added energy overshadows the limited environmental advantage from using recycled paper.

Printing Process

We have upgraded many of our presses to use high speed, compressed air at low temperatures in place of hot air dryers. The lower temperatures reduce the total energy consumption of our printing process. Additionally, we have invested in improved technology and processes to reduce our waste percentages by almost 50% over the past five years. The reduced use of materials (paper, ink, foil) produces a corresponding reduction in the energy needed to produce the tickets.

Recycling

All of our paper-based and synthetic tickets are recyclable. Any waste from these materials is collected and recycled locally.

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When popular artists or superstars go on major tours, there is high demand for seats. Likewise, the same goes for popular tourist attractions, big events and major sport events, where demand is high. People are tempted to look in unusual places for tickets and this has created a perfect situation for scammers.

The scammers take advantage of the fact that physical tickets are being increasingly replaced by digital tickets, which are purchased online, downloaded into a phone app and then presented for scanning at the arena gate.

While digital ticketing makes it easier for fans, it is also a convenience for criminals. Instead of having to print counterfeit tickets and peddle them on a dark street corner, the scammers can sit at home and post ads for non-existent tickets on online marketplaces.

We strongly encourage adding security features to your physical tickets to protect their authenticity.

TICKET SECURITY

BOCA offers a variety of anti-counterfeiting features. These features, used singularly or in combination, act as deterrents to ticket falsification.

Numbering

BOCA can provide sequential numbering on the front or the rear of your ticket. The number can be used for inventory control or for auditing. A report is provided with each shipment that verifies the ticket sequence and identifies any missing numbers.

Coin Rub Ink

A clear ink applied to the rear of the ticket in a specified location and pattern. An image will appear when rubbed with a coin.

Black Light Ink

A clear ink applied to the ticket rear in a specified location and pattern. An image appears when placed under a black light (UV) light source.

Die Cutting

A unique design that is “cut” into the face of the ticket.

Foils or Holograms

A two or three-dimensional polyester film that is applied to the ticket in a specified shape and location.

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 Many customers have asked for guidelines to help with their ticket design. This is to ensure their artwork are usable and prevent any delay in ticket production.

Assuming clear, usable artwork is provided to BOCA and customer approves proof immediately upon receipt, tickets can be ready in 20 business days.

PREPRESS SPECIFICATIONS

Final Artwork

Please send artwork in one of the formats shown in this graphic. (recreate the graphics or use different icons to replace the below)

Text and Line Art Images – Adobe Illustrator

• Vector line art must be referenced to an uncoated Pantone colour
• Embedded pictures must be sent separately
• All fonts used in artwork must be provided
• If a font is unavailable, convert text to outline/curved art before saving 

Pictures and Process Images – Adobe Photoshop

• Create artwork with layers active (do not lock or flatten layers)
• Minimum Image Resolution – TIFF: 300 DPI; EPS: 1200 DPI
• A JPEG picture must be at least 4 times the output size
• No other graphic formats will be accepted

General

• The press can print a maximum of nine colours, which may be divided between the front and rear of the ticket in any combination
• Foils and special coatings will subtract from the number of available colours.
• Placing a screen and a solid on the same plate will reduce both print quality and cost
• Screen percentages will be reduced by 20% when printed on the same plate as a solid
• A screened image under 40% will be placed onto a different plate than the solid image
• No black printing in the path of the black sense mark
• BOCA outputs all plates at 150 LPI

Specifications (Minimum Values):

• Text – 4 point
• Inverted text – 6 point
• Serifed or Four-Colour Process Text – 12 point
• Text screens – 70%
• Line thickness – 0.006 inches (0.50 point)
• Pictures, process images and line art screens – 8%
• Traps – 0.006 inches – will create a small halo effect

Paper Quality

Most thermal paper grades are constructed with a coarse non-thermal side to maximize traction and minimize costs. The coarseness of these papers provides acceptable results when printing text and low resolution images. However, we recommend the use of M7 (or other materials with coated rears) when printing process or other images that require bold, crisp images.

Invisible Plates

There are a number of special conditions where the use of a plate is not visible:

• Black ink on front – requires protective, non-abrasive coating (indicated as Spot Mixing White)
• SKI Materials – require water-resistant coating, when appropriate (indicated as Varnish)
• Foil and hologram – requires primer (indicated as No Wax)

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RFID tags consist of an integrated circuit (IC) attached to an antenna—typically printed or etched conductors on a thin plastic sheet. Data is stored on the IC and transmitted through the antenna. RFID tags are either passive (no battery) or active (self-powered by a battery). Data transmission speed and range depend on the frequency used, antenna size, power output, and interference. Tags can be read-only, read-write, or a combination, in which some data (such as a serial number) is permanently stored, while other memory is left available for later encoding during usage. Information is sent to and read from RFID tags over RF signals. In passive systems, which are the most common, an RFID reader transmits an energy field that ‘wakes up’ the tag and provides power to the chip, enabling it to transmit or store data. Encryption algorithms that ensure security and integrity of the data passing between the tag and reader may protect transmissions.

Applications

RFID provides a quick, flexible, and reliable electronic means to detect, identify, track, and hence manage a variety of items. The technology is well-suited for many operations in all types of industries. As RFID technology uses radio waves, smart tickets can be read through dirt, paint, and many non-metallic objects. RFID smart tickets feature anti-collision technology, which lets you scan and identify several objects simultaneously, such as totes of supplies. Applications include ticketing (sports, concerts, ski lifts, etc), warehouse/logistics, airline baggage tracking, returnable plastic containers/pallets, library book/video check-out, sensitive document tracking, supply chain management, anti-counterfeiting, and pharmaceuticals.

Smart tickets (RFID Tags)

Smart tickets refer to thermal tickets with embedded ultra-thin RFID tags.  Smart tickets are called ‘smart’ because of the flexible capabilities provided by the RFID tag embedded in the ticket. The tag, in most cases, can be programmed and/or updated in the field, so the same ticket can be reused to serve multiple needs and applications. Hence, the ticket is no longer effectively static as is a bar code ticket, but rather is dynamic in its capability when equipped with RFID.

Passive smart ticket RFID systems overcome the limitations of many existing bar code based automatic data capture systems in that they:

• Provide error-free, wireless data transmission that is battery-free and maintenance-free
• Do not require line-of-site scanners for operation
• Allow stored data to be altered during sorting or to capture workflow process information
• Work effectively even in harsh environments with excessive dirt, dust, moisture, and temperature extremes

Warning: Static electricity can damage smart tickets. Be sure to ground yourself properly before handling the ticket stock.

Printing and Encoding Smart Tickets

BOCA’s smart ticket (RFID) printers enable users to create smart tickets on demand and encode them with variable information. The printers use ticket stock that incorporates blank RFID integrated circuits sandwiched between the face stock and the adhesive layer. Thus, the ICs may be invisible to the human eye. Smart ticket printers function as traditional printers when creating bar codes, graphics, and human-readable text. However, they also have an RFID encoder embedded inside the printer. Before the ticket is printed, the RFID data is encoded on the tag. Following encoding, the ticket is then fed forward for printing. An error message prints over the ticket if the tag does not read or its data does not verify, voiding the ticket for use. A NAK will be sent back to the Host indicating an error encoding the ticket. The reason for the error can be requested with a special status command. It is important to note that the printer will not automatically reprint the ticket. The Host must resend the data in order to reprint the ticket. Therefore, it is recommended that there is bi-directional communication between the Host and Printer. We do not recommend a unidirectional parallel interface on an RFID printer.

The encoding and verification process, which can take milliseconds to seconds depending on the amount of data to be stored in the RFID tag, makes smart ticket throughput somewhat slower than comparable bar code printers. In practice, this slower speed has not been a drawback because smart tickets generally are not used for high-volume, high-throughput applications. The tags used in smart tickets are made from flexible material that does not damage the print head. The integrated circuit may create an uneven surface, which can affect print quality, but this problem is easily avoided by using thicker ticket material or by avoiding printing directly over the IC. BOCA’s smart ticket printers are capable of printing and encoding smart tickets embedded with 13.56 MHz RFID tags in a single pass.

Supported Tag Types

BOCA’s RFID printers currently work with six different RFID reader/encoder modules, the M1, M4, Gemini, SL015, SL032 and RT400. The modules differ in the RFID tag types they support.

HF RFID M1 (Obsolete) supports:

• I-Code SLI (SL2) (ISO 15693) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE Ultralight (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz

HF RFID M4 (Replaced by the GEMINI) supports:

• MIFARE Ultralight (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE Ultralight C (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 1K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 4K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz

HF RFID GEMINI supports:

• MIFARE Ultralight (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 1K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 4K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz

HF RFID SL032 supports:

• MIFARE Ultralight (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 1K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz
• MIFARE 4K (ISO 14443A) – 13.56MHz

HF RFID SL015 supports:

• I-Code SLI (SL2) (ISO 15693) – 13.56MHz
• I-Code SLIX (ISO 15693) – 13.56MHz

UHF RFID RT400 supports:

ISO 18000-6C/EPC C1 GEN2 – 840-960MHz

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We have often been asked this question “Why do we need maintenance? Is it really necessary?”

To many business owners or asset management teams, “if it is not broken, don’t fix it”, but relying solely on deferred maintenance leaves you vulnerable to added costs and lost productivity.

Performing routine preventive maintenance ensures your hardware operates efficiently and offers you peace of mind. Let’s look at the benefits.

Asset lifespan

To some, this is the most important benefit of preventive maintenance. Keeping your printers in good condition allow them to have longer life span.

Breakdowns

Another key benefit is lowering the risk of breakdowns. Waiting to perform maintenance until failure puts you at risk for lost productivity and a damaged reputation.

Efficiency

Along with lasting longer, printers that see routine preventive maintenance also run more efficiently.

Unplanned downtime vs planned downtime

Downtime is inevitable when maintenance is being performed. However, it can be significantly reduced by scheduling maintenance in advance with a preventive maintenance plan. In the case of a reactive maintenance repair, the printers’ downtime might be extended by waiting for specialized assistance or shipment time of necessary parts.

When preventive maintenance is performed, you have the opportunity to schedule the procedure at a convenient time for your business, minimizing disruptions in operations and efficiency.

Health and safety

Health and safety are often thought of as primarily a concern in facilities with dangerous equipment, but health and safety are important in every facility– even office buildings and schools.

Routine maintenance can improve the reliability and safety of printers. It helps to uncover any hazard and prevent unsafe working conditions, so you have fewer on-the-job injuries and accidents.

Customer satisfaction

Imagine your customers stuck at the ticketing counter, unable to purchase any tickets as that particular printer has broken down. They have to join the queue at another ticketing counter. All the waiting time and time wastage will lead to unhappy customers.

Ensuring your printers are always running as efficiently as possible helps to create a strong brand image and increase customer satisfaction.

Cost savings

Unplanned maintenance typically costs a few times more than planned maintenance. Emergency reactive maintenance has to accommodate the cost of rushed shipping on necessary parts, compensation for specialized technicians, and lost sales revenue or productivity while the printers cannot be used.

The upfront costs of performing preventive maintenance may seem intimidating at first, especially if you are operating under a tight budget. However, maintaining your printers is an investment in your company’s future.

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