Integrating a printer - build or buy?

I think a key question is how many do you need? What else can you do instead of developing this printer?

Totally depends on how many you're going to build.

Yes. I agree it depends on the volumes. I guess my question is really more about the level of effort involved and the practicality of building from scratch.

Jim Stewart wrote:

(top posting fixed)

I have done this with both thermal and impact mechanisms, it was fairly straightforward. Your main problem may be mechanical, like paper roll holders, access to change paper or ribbon, environmental sealing etc (you said outdoor).

The actual mechanisms can be had for ~$30 in smallish quantities (10-100). The extra electronics is not expensive provided power is already available. Suggest you use thermal rather than impact unless you have very good reason not to.

Hi John, thanks for the reply. Yes, the requirement is for plain paper and not thermal.

Which mechanisms did you have good experiance with?

If I understand correctly, you have to get the mechanism separatly and the control board separatly (i.e. every mechanism needs a control board). Of course there is the PS and then issues of mechanical design as you mentioned. Still, I would say that for a BOM of even ~$100 it is worth it (especially if the enclosure holds other equipment like keypad and display).

By the way, I am looking for an ActiveX for controlling such printers. Any ideas?

John Devereux wrote: