In the past few years, an interesting development has occurred in the label makers industry, with many of these devices going mainstream. Whereas it used to be a gadget used mostly by business owners, the advent of relatively low cost electronic label makers (<$50) has brought forth a wave of everyday consumers who have become adept at labeling just about everything - from personal goods to more creative applications.
Some people like the idea of sticking their label to just about everything they own – which can be useful when one is living in a shared household, quite common in college for example. For others, label makers are weapons of poetic deliverance, useful for sticking their thoughts and ideas all over the place.
Whatever your preference may be (or intended uses), this article will give you an overview of the most common types of electronic label makers currently available on the market.
The standard for electronic label makers; this system relies on heat to mean a kind of “foil” from a special tape, to imprint a custom set of characters into the tape, which then can be stuck to just about any surface… provided it’s dry and reasonably smooth. There are different types of thermal label available in a wide price range, with varying quality and stickiness.
Weatherproof labels
If you need labels that will stay stuck in their designated place even under averse rain, then you have to look for a particular type of waterproof labels. These are usually more expensive than standard labels, but their glue is of superior quality, meaning these labels won’t easily get humid and peel off.
Thermal transfer ribbons
Ribbons are pretty much the evolution of conventional labels; usually made of either pure resin or wax, or a combination of both, they will withstand the most harsh conditions for the most extended amounts of time. These state of the art label makers (as well as the ribbons) tend to be quite expensive, so they’re usually favored only by specific businesses such as shipping companies and such.
Factoring label cost into purchasing decision
If you want to look at some label makers and label sets for sale on-line, See more here. Remember this advice:
When choosing the right label maker for you, keep in mind that thermal labels are quite expensive – sometimes a roll may have as much as 50% the cost of the actual label printer. So, make sure to ask what kind of tapes work with each model you consider purchasing, and make sure you know how much the right labels cost, to factor that into your decision.