Warranty

9 Months Ended

Oct. 01, 2011

Warranty [Abstract]

Warranty

Note 9 – Warranty

In general, Zebra provides warranty coverage of one year on printers against defects in material and workmanship. Printheads are warranted for nine months and batteries are warranted for twelve months. Battery based products, such as location tags, are covered by a 30-day warranty.A provision for warranty expense is recorded at the time of shipment and adjusted quarterly based on historical warranty experience.

The following table is a summary of Zebra's accrued warranty obligation (in thousands):

	Nine Months Ended
	October 1, 2011			October 2, 2010
Balance at the beginning of the year	$	4,554		$	3,813
Warranty expense		4,051			4,490
Warranty payments		(4,115	)		(4,101	)
Balance at the end of the period	$	4,490		$	4,202