Q. I can print on paper with no problems, but 80 gsm labels tend to jam in my printer. Why is this?

A. Self-adhesive labels consist of three layers – the face paper, the adhesive, and the backing – making the total stationery weight about 170 gsm. You should check that your printer can handle this weight. If your printer used to cope well but isn’t doing so any longer, this might simply be the effects of wear.

Q. Why print your own labels?

A. Thermal printing allows for ‘printing on demand’. Some of the benefits include:

labels can be customised with variable information (e.g. they can include your customer information, and  place or date of manufacture.

• reduces the stock of different labels needed; there is  no need to stock numerous specific labels when they can be printed on demand
• reduces waste due to obsolescence; the same labels can be used for each product version, with changes only to the variable information.

Typical applications include:

• compliant labelling (major retailers, UPC barcoding, etc.)
• shipping labels
• inventory tracking labels with barcodes
• retail pricing labels, including  point-of-sale labelling requirements
• ingredient labelling, to keep up with the changes in the list of ingredients.

Q. What do I need to get started?

A. Getting started is easy. Rotech can provide all the hardware, software and technical support necessary, whether you need a light-duty desktop printer or a heavy-duty industrial printer. Whatever the application, the basic components are the same. Here’s what you need:

• A thermal printer
• A PC-compatible computer
• Label creation software
• Cables to connect the printer to the
• Labels
• Thermal transfer ribbons

If you are just getting starting and want to purchase a complete package, give us a call to see what we can offer.

Q. What types of labels can I print?

A. The lowest-cost approach is to use blank white labels in stock sizes. Any size label can be created, but the most affordable option is to use stock sizes. Labels are available for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Another option is to use a custom pre-printed label. Pre-printed labels allow you to use one or more colours on your labels (e.g., you could have your company logo and other company information appear on each label printed in one or more a specific colours).

Using your thermal printer, you would then print any variable information you needed on the labels.

Some applications require tags instead of labels. Tags can be printed, just like labels, to carry your logo, pricing and barcode information.

You can also have labels made in any size you need, and you can choose to the label material characteristics (e.g., chemical resistant, sunlight resistant, security labels, etc.).