Printing TraCS reports in the field from TraCS Mobile requires a proper portable printer. There are important features that need to be considered for a technology-hostile environment like a law enforcement vehicle. For example, ink versus DTP (direct thermal printing), print quality, speed, connectivity, and of course size and ruggedness are all important when choosing a portable printer to be used with TraCS. One of the most important features to consider when searching for a portable printer is the print type. Some portable printers use ink while others use direct thermal printing. Printers using DTP form text and images when the thermal head of the portable printer heats up and activates a heat-sensitive dye that has been applied to special thermal paper. Printers using ink create their text and images by ejecting ink onto standard paper. For cold weather climates, DTP printers are recommended since standard printer ink has a tendency to freeze The downfall of DTP printers is the thermal paper that must be used. Thermal paper will turn black and illegible if left exposed to the sun (like on a dashboard). It also only has an approximate shelf life of one year which forces agencies that want to archive the paper report to make copies of it onto regular paper before filing.

Two other important features to consider are printer quality and printer speed. When considering print quality be aware that the higher the DPI (Dots Per Inch) number the greater the print quality. The speed feature refers to how many pages can be printed in a minute. The faster the printer speed, the less time the defendant has to be pulled over.

Currently TraCS interfaces well with Brother's portable printer for laptops, the Brother PocketJet3®. The Brother PocketJet3® is a DTP printer. It is compatible with Windows® XP, Vista, Windows® 7 and connects to the TraCS Field Unit using either an RS232 serial port or a USB connection.

In addition the Brother PocketJet3® offers a unique feature that allows rolled thermal paper to be used to print TraCS reports as opposed to having to continually feed individual pieces of paper to the printer manually.

For more information on Brother printers, click here.

TraCS does work well with almost any printer available on the market today from portable to sophisticated laser. The Brother PocketJet3® has proven to be well received by officers using TraCS in the field as a dependable portable solution for TraCS printing needs.