Thermal label printer having I/O capabilities

A portable device for receiving information located on packages and for printing data on a print medium for the packages, the device comprising:

• first input means for receiving the information located on the packages;
• memory means for storing the information located on the packages and for storing predetermined package related data;
• a printer for printing the data on the print medium;
• control means connected to the printer, to the first input means and to the memory means for receiving the information from the first input means and for transferring the information to the memory means, for developing data, based on the predetermined package related data and the information contained on the packages, which data is to be printed on the print medium, and for controlling the printer unit means and the memory means to retrieve the data from the memory means and to cause the data to be printed, by the printer on the print medium;
• and
• I/O port means connected to and controlled by the control means and effective for providing bi-directional data communications between the portable device and an external electronic data processing device, the control means being effective to enable the information received by the first input means and the predetermined package related data to be transmitted to the external data processing device and to enable transmission of the package related data from the external data processing device to the memory means of the portable device.