Source Technologies Now Supports System i with MICR Printer

Updated: March 26, 2010

by Alex Woodie

Printer manufacturer Source Technologies recently announced that it has added support for the Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) protocol to the ST9620, one of its newest and most popular magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) multi-function laser printers. The Charlotte, North Carolina, company says that adding IPDS support will make the ST9620, which can print at speeds up to 40 pages per minute, an attractive printer for transactional print jobs at small and remote offices of companies that use the System i.

If you've never heard of Source Technologies, you're probably not alone. For most of its life, the 24-year-old company has kept a relatively low profile in the enterprise printer business, which is dominated by big names like Canon, Hewlett-Packard, InfoPrint Solutions Company (the joint IBM-Ricoh venture), Konica-Minolta, Lexmark, and Xerox, among others.

What you probably didn't know is that, since the early 1990s, Source Technologies has been the exclusive OEM provider for MICR printers to Lexmark, the former IBM possession located just 250 miles over the Appalachian Mountains from Source Technologies in Lexington, Kentucky. Source Technologies has also supported the AS/400 platform with its electronic forms package, called FormsPartner, since 2000.

In January 2009, Source Technologies announced that it was overhauling its image and launching a new corporate brand. The company was no longer content to sit behind the scenes as a value-added distributor, and wanted to make a name for itself as a manufacturer of secure printers and self-service kiosks and a provider of electronic payment services.

At the same time, the company launched the new ST9620 MICR printer, a network-capable monochrome laser printer that supports duplex printing and comes with a 50-sheet feeder. The device is powered by a 466 MHz processor and comes with 64 MB of standard memory, which can be upgraded to 576 MB. The printer, which can be upgraded with an optional paper drawer, features a small LCD screen, and comes with remote management tools. It has an ink fuser that warms up quickly and allows the first page to be printed within 6.5 seconds.

Source Technologies says the ST9620 was needed to fill a dramatically underserved market for midrange MICR printers. The company envisions the printer being used by small offices and branch locations of staffing agencies, insurance offices, and pharmacies, which need the MICR security offered by large and expensive printers, just not the high printing volume or big price tag.

With a duty cycle rating of 80,000 pages per month, the ST9620 sits between the smaller ST9612, which prints at 35 pages per minute and is rated at 50,000 pages per month, and the larger ST9630, which prints at 45 pages per minute and has a duty cycle of 200,000 pages per month. The top-of-the-line ST9650, which features a 600 MHz PowerPC processor, prints at 55 pages per minute and has a duty cycle of 275,000 pages per month.

The ST9620 also offers a midrange price. Standard pricing for the ST9620 is about $1,000. By comparison, the larger and more capable ST9630 is more than $2,000, while the ST9612 features a standard price of about $600.

Both the ST9630 and ST9650 offered out-of-the-box support for IPDS, the advanced two-way communication protocol developed by IBM to send print jobs from AS/400s and S/390s to printers. But based on the widespread adoption of the ST9620, the company decided to offer IPDS support for this machine, too.

This will allow the company's AS/400 customers to adopt the popular printer, according to Sarah Burkhart, director of product marketing for Source Technologies. "Adding IPDS compatibility extends the reach of this powerhouse printer, providing AS/400 system users impressive capabilities to support transaction-printing requirements," Burkhart stated in an announcement.

Pricing for the ST9620 devices with IPDS support was not available. For more information, see www.sourcetechnologies.com.

This article originally stated that the ST9620 with IPDS support had a list price starting at $1,200. Source Technologies contacted IT Jungle to say this price is incorrect, but refused to provide the correct price. {Updated 03/26/2010]

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