Product guide
Zebra Desktop Series 2844-Z Product Guide
2844-Z product Guide Rev. 2
August 9, 2005
29
Zebra TLP 2844-Z vs. Datamax E4204
Price & Warranty Zebra
Datamax
Model #
TLP 2844-Z E-4204
Retail Price:
$795 $650
Printer Warranty:
1 Year 1 Year
Print Head Warranty: 6 Months 1 Year, or 1,000,000 Inches
Print Features
Printer Type: Direct and Thermal
Transfer
Direct & Thermal Transfer
Print Speed:
4 IPS (101mm/sec.) 4 IPS (101mm/sec.)
Printhead Resolution:
203 DPI (8 dots/mm) 203 DPI (8 dots/mm)
Flash:
4MB 1MB
SRAM:
8MB 2MB
Physical Features
Footprint (D x W x H):
9.75" x 7.9" x 6.8"
(248mm x 201mm x
173mm)
10" x 8.8" x 7.1"
(254mm x 223mm x
179mm)
Weight:
3.2 lbs. (1.4 kg.) 5.2 lbs. (2.4 kg.)
Imaging Features
Rotated (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°):
Y Y
# of Resident Fonts:
10 9
Expandable Vertically & Horizontally:
10x 24x
Smooth Fonts:
Y Y
Media Features
Maximum Media Width:
4.25" (118mm) 4.3" (109mm)
Minimum Media Width:
1.0" (25mm) 1.0" (25mm)
Maximum Media Length:
39" (991mm) 12" (305mm)
Minimum Media Length:
0.38" (9.7mm) 0.25" (6.35mm)
Thickness:
0.003" - 0.007" (0.08mm -
0.18mm)
0.0025" - 0.010"
(0.0635mm - 0.254mm)
Maximum OD (Outside Diameter):
5.0" (127mm) 5.0" (127mm)
Minimum ID (Inner Diameter):
1.0" (25mm) 1.0" (25mm)
Ribbon Length:
2,900" (74M) 361' (110M)
Connectivity
Centronics Parallel:
Y Y
RS-232 C:
110 - 115,200 bps 600 bps - 38,400 bps
USB:
Y N
Options & Accessories
Expandable Memory:
OPT. 8MB Flash = $349 3MB = $195
Black Line sensor:
STD. STD.
Label Taken Sensor:
OPT. = $35 OPT. = $45
Cutter:
OPT. = $300 OPT. = $200 or $495
Rewinder:
OPT. = $395 OPT. = $545
Real Time Clock:
OPT. = $349 w/exp.mem OPT. = $50
Keyboard Display Unit:
N/A OPT. = $295
Network Connectivity(Internal):
OPT. = $249 N/A
Network Connectivity(External):
OPT. = $299 OPT. = $495
Datamax E4204
The E4204 offers only
serial and parallel
interfaces. The 2844-Z
has a broader range of
connectivity choices,
with standard serial,
parallel and USB ports
as well as optional
internal Ethernet
connectivity. The E4204
has no Ethernet option
With a 34% faster time
to first label than the
E4204, the 2844-Z
offers superior
throughput driven by the
32-bit microprocessor.
The E4204 removable
media spindle could be
lost or misplaced. The
2844-Z has rack and
pinion style centered
media holder for drop-in
media loading.
The left-justified print
mechanism on the
E4204 does not
distribute printhead
pressure as evenly as
the center-justified
mechanism on the
2844-Z.
Left justifying
mechanism increases
the risk of improper print
registration based on
media guide not being
located at full left
position.
The E4204 is not as
user-friendly when
compared to the
OpenACCESS design of
the 2844-Z. Access to
the media path is
restricted and media is
hard to load. Both the
upper cover and print
mechanism must be
opened to load media.
The E4204 has a single
walled cover that is not
very robust. The 2844-Z
enclosure is durable and
reinforced with dual
walled construction.
The E4204 print
mechanism is opened
by pressing a green
plastic lever which could
easily break off.