If you need to use barcode labels in your business, you always want a few basic things.

You want your label to stick, and you want it to be easily readable and scannable throughout the life of your application.

Those seem like pretty simple requirements, but they can become a lot harder to achieve if you don’t choose the right barcode label for your application. And that means picking the right label based on the environment where you’re applying it, how and where it’s going to be used, and specific challenges these factors might create.

This is why there are thousands of barcode labels to choose from, including many with specialized materials and matching ribbons to make sure your labels stick and remain readable and scannable for as long as you need.

But you can quickly narrow down your choices and find the right label by understanding the following key factors in label selection.

In this quick overview, our label experts at Tri-State Business Systems will walk you through the factors you should keep in mind, and provide some initial tips to help point you in the right direction. And once you have a good idea of what sort of label you might need, we can work with you to help select a specific solution from our selection of over 500+ stock Zebra labels and printing supplies products. Or we’ll connect you with Zebra and help you design a custom solution for your application.

For now, let’s jump into our quick guide to choosing the right barcode label and review the main factors to consider. 

Direct Thermal vs. Thermal Transfer

Direct thermal printing is designed for applications that require a shorter lifespan, such printing labels for office use or shipping.

Direct thermal printing doesn’t use ink, toner or ribbon. It creates the image directly on a paper label. But this means the image has limited durability.

If you need a long-lasting and durable label image and/or protection against temperatures, abrasion or chemicals, you need to use thermal transfer.

Thermal transfer uses a thermal printhead to apply heat to a printer ribbon. This melts ink onto the label, forming a much more durable image.

This process, combined with specialized label materials, can meet demanding application and environmental requirements. But you need to choose the right label and match it with the correct thermal transfer ribbon.

Thermal Transfer Ribbons

Wax Ribbons are for applications with little to no exposure to weak chemicals and/or moderate abrasion.

Wax/Resin Ribbons are for extreme chemical exposure and/or exposure to moderate abrasion, or where UL/cUL approval is required.

Resin Ribbons are for harsh to extreme chemical exposure and/or exposure to excessive abrasion, and UL/cUL approval.

Application Factors

Label Lifespan

If your label only requires readability for a limited time and doesn’t need resistance to chemicals, moisture, and/or abrasion, a direct thermal paper label will meet your needs. Otherwise, a specialty thermal transfer synthetic label is almost certainly required.

Surface

Different materials and adhesives may be required to adhere labels to curved or unusual surfaces.

Extreme Temperatures

Application temperature is the temperature at which you apply your label. Service temperature the range when your label is in use.

Standard label materials perform well when the application temperature is a minimum of 25°F, and service temperature ranges from -65°F to 200°F.

If you’re labeling outside these ranges, you need to use thermal transfer printing and labels, and probably a specialty adhesive.

Abrasion Resistance

If your label needs resistance to rubbing or scratching, use a ribbon with higher resin content.

Applicator Use

If you’ll be using a label applicator, the label must be cut differently so it peels off properly from the liner. Perforations aren’t recommended because they alter label stiffness, making it difficult to release from the liner.

Chemical Resistance

If your label will be exposed to moderate to extreme chemicals, use thermal transfer printing and labels. In the case of harsh and extreme chemicals, a high-durability resin ribbon is also recommended.

Indoor/Outdoor Use

If your label will be regularly exposed to outdoor conditions such as sun, rain or snow, it’s best to use a thermal transfer synthetic label.

Print Speed, Darkness and Dots Per Inch (DPI)

Certain label materials and ribbons will cause printing to be slower or faster, and some combinations will require higher print darkness and/or higher DPI. Synthetic labels may also be needed for proper printing. Keep these factors in mind and ask your label provider what you can expect.

Getting Help with Choosing Your Barcode Label

These guidelines should help you narrow down the barcode labels and printing supplies you’ll need to consider. But if you’d like to get expert advice, contact our team at Tri-State Business Systems to request our Zebra label and supplies selector guide, and get professional guidance.

We’ll walk you through the selection process and make sure you choose the right label, materials, and ribbon for your application.

When we think about using labels in a warehouse, most of us think of using barcode labels for tracking inventory.

That’s certainly the most common use case for warehouse labels. But there are many other warehouse applications where labels can help automate processes, save time, and boost efficiency and accuracy.

At Tri-State Business Systems, we’ve been helping businesses streamline and optimize their operations with labeling solutions for decades. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about where labels can be most effective and where they can help solve common problems that get in the way of warehouse performance.

In this article, we’ll share five ways you can use warehouse labels to improve your operations in:

• Receiving
• Cross-docking
• Rack and bin identification
• Packing
• Shipping

In each of these areas, you can use specialized Zebra labels to implement operational improvements and solve common labeling problems, so you can fulfill orders faster more accurately.

Let’s take a look at these 5 improvements you can make with Zebra labels.

1. Create and Apply Packing Slips in Under 15 Seconds

 Many businesses lose precious time and money at the packing stage by having to fold packing slips multiple times, slide them into a sleeve, remove the liner, and put the sleeve on a box.

This is a time-consuming and inefficient process. In timed studies, it often takes 40 seconds to a full minute to complete.

However, with Zebra’s Z-Slip all-in-one packing slip solution, you can print, peel and apply a packing slip in just 11 seconds. That’s 73% faster than traditional methods.

Z-Slip is a specially prepared packing slip material that combines a packing slip with a built-in label and protector. When paired with a compatible Zebra industrial printer, Z-Slips completely transform your pack slip process, and they also deliver benefits for your shipment recipients.

Unlike traditional packing slip envelopes, which have to be cut open with a knife, Z-Slips can just be quickly peeled away and removed, with no damage to the slip and no risk of injury.

2. Easily Sort and Identify Shipments and Special Handling Requirements

Sorting and properly handling packages is critical to getting the right goods to the right place as safely and efficiently as possible. But all that black-and-white print on shipping and packaging labels makes it difficult to immediately identify shipments visually and know if they need special handling.

To tackle this problem, Zebra developed a breakthrough labeling solution called IQ Color. Zebra’s IQ Color is an innovative invisible ink technology that allows colors to be printed on labels, and in specific locations, to facilitate quick and accurate identification, sorting and handling.

For example, you can print special identifying information or instructions with a color background, add color shapes or icons, or even print reverse-colored text.

You can do it all on demand, using Zebra labels pre-manufactured with invisible ink that adds the colors you need, when you need them, so you can decide when and how to apply color whenever you need it. And you don’t need to order, stock, and switch between different rolls of labels with different colors.

3. Identify Inbound Raw Materials, Parts and Products Faster

Similar to issues with identifying and sorting shipments and packages, it can also be a challenge to quickly identify and put-away inbound raw materials, parts or products arriving in receiving.

Workers often have to read labels to identity items as well as which ones were first-in and first-out. This slows down the process and can also get in the way of prompt and efficient product recalls.

To help speed up identification, sorting and put-away, you can use Zebra’s direct thermal flood coated Z-Perform 2000D paper labels. These labels apply pre-printed color across the entire label, which can be used as an immediate and highly visual indicator of an item’s identity and even its receipt date or other characteristics.

Zebra produces these labels in several world-class ISO:9001 certified label production facilities, where PMS colors are precisely matched from order to order, to ensure you will always be able to identify received materials, parts and products correctly.

4. Error-Proof Your Cross-Docking and Sorting

Mis-shipments are a common problem for many warehouses. And they often occur due to incorrect sorting of packages onto the correct skids during cross-docking operations. Without a way to visibly and more accurately identify and sort packages, warehouse workers often have to manually sort them using a letter and number combination, and this is where human error can occur.

To error-proof your cross-docking and sorting, this is another area where Zebra’s IQ Color labels can completely change the game.

With Zebra’s IQ Color invisible ink technology, you can add color indicators to your labels on demand, using your existing Zebra printer. There’s no need to buy, stock and use different rolls of labels, which take more time to change out.

Instead, you just use one label roll for all your cross-docking and sorting, and you can add color, text, shapes, symbols or background colors to create immediately visible indicators that make packages easier to sort.

5. Improve Your Rack and Bin Identification

Running an organized and efficient warehouse starts with having a good rack and bin identification system in place, so you know where to find inventory and what belongs where at all times.

But rack and bin identification sometimes breaks down when labels become scratched, torn or otherwise damaged and potentially unreadable due to contact with chemicals or other abuses in your environment.

That’s why Zebra created its Z-Ultimate 3000T gloss polyester thermal transfer labels, which are designed to be used with Zebra’s 5095 wax/resin ribbon.

The label materials and ribbon work together to produce incredibly durable and long-lasting labels that remain readable and scannable, even in the toughest environments. The matched label and ribbon set are pre-tested to ensure abrasion, smear, scratch and chemical resistance, and they’re made with a synthetic material that does not tear.

Once you apply these labels to your racks and bins, they will stick, and they’ll withstand just about anything you can hit, scrape, or douse them with.

Want to Learn More About Zebra Warehouse Label Solutions?

Contact Tri-State Business Systems now to learn more about our complete portfolio of Zebra solutions and find out more ways you can use labels to boost efficiency, accuracy and productivity in your warehouse.

Labeling products, components, and other parts of the manufacturing process seems like a pretty simple proposition. But if you’ve ever dealt with UL certification, UDI, labeling small components and parts, or trying to track work in process and track manufacturing assets and tooling in bins or totes, you’ve probably experienced some of the challenges and headaches.

Things aren’t so simple when you’re dealing with specialized labeling requirements like these, and there are some common problems you can end up encountering.

In this article, we take a look at some of those common specialized labeling problems and 6 great solutions from Zebra Technologies to make your tracking and identification a lot easier and more reliable.

1. Electronic, UL Certified and Small Component Product Labeling

When you need to label and identify electronic and UL certified products, including very small components, some common problems occur, especially when labels and printer ribbons aren’t matched correctly, and if you’re not using proper label materials for durability and readability.

Printed barcodes or other information on labels can end up becoming unreadable or unscannable due to abrasion, fading from environment conditions, or rubbing off as a result of the label and printer ribbon being incompatible.

This is why Zebra created its thermal transfer Z-Ultimate 2000T gloss polyester labels with matching 5095 wax/resin ribbon. Zebra matches the label and ribbon and pre-tests them to ensure readability when subjected to abrasion and most moderate-strength chemicals. The labels are certified to meet the UL 969 Labeling Standard as well, and Zebra is authorized to pre-print the UL mark.

2. UDI Product Identification for Medical Devices

In medical device manufacturing, UDI is crucial since it ensures compliant identification and tracking for every labeled device. But many labels fail in UDI applications because they’re not resistant to multiple sterilization cycles, and they don’t withstand cleaning agents used to disinfect medical devices.

To ensure that labels remain scannable and identifiable despite these factors, Zebra recommends using the same Z-Ultimate 2000T gloss polyester label and 5095 wax/resin ribbon that it produces for UL and small component labeling.

The label and ribbon are matched and pre-tested to ensure smear/scratch resistance and withstand exposure to steam autoclave, gamma radiation and ethylene oxide sterilization. Print remains readable and scannable after being wiped down with common hospital cleaning agents for the product’s useful life, and Zebra’s labels are approved for UL969 and UL-IEC 60601-1 use.

3. Automotive Component Labeling

Automotive component labeling is increasingly important, especially to suppliers who must be compliant with manufacturers’ traceability requirements. But labeling components that feature curved surfaces, such as a wire harness, can be difficult. Labels can fall off prior to components being delivered to the manufacturer, or printed barcodes and information can fade after exposure to chemicals once products are in use in vehicles.

To label small, curved components and ensure adhesion and print durability, our team at Tri-State Business Systems recommends Zebra’s thermal transfer PolyPro 300T gloss polypropylene labels with Zebra’s 5095 wax/resin ribbon.

PolyPro 3000T labels are pre-tested on actual surfaces to ensure the label will stay readable and adhered during a component’s complete life cycle. They stay adhered to most small, curved surfaces, and print on these labels is highly durable when subjected to engine oil, diesel fuel, anti-freeze, cleaning solvents and grease.

4. RFID Tote Bin Labeling

RFID tags and labels are becoming an increasingly popular and cost-effective way to identify and track parts in tote bins without having to manually scan or have line-of-sight access to barcodes. But there are a few challenges that come along with this innovative new approach.

Certain RFID label inlays can’t encode a large amount of information, and some tags have encoding issues where there are too many voids. In some applications, manufacturers have problems with being unable to read their RFID tags at any angle, or being unable to read them due to densely packed items.

Zebra’s ZBR4001 inlays put an end to these troubles. The ZBR4001 is a high-memory inlay that enables encoding of a larger amount of information, and it’s optimized to be read from nearly any angle. It also performs well when placed on or near challenging materials such as pallets or freight, and it works great with densely packed items.

ZBR4001 inlays are pre-tested with Zebra’s RFID readers and printers to ensure high-performance, and Zebra follows an ISO:9001 quality procedure to ensure correct placement of inlays to reduce encoding issues.

5. RFID Tooling and Asset Tracking

Identifying tooling in crates and bins is a great way to keep track of manufacturing tooling and make sure it’s available when needed for key production processes. But, similar to tote labeling, there are often problems with trying to use RFID to identify and track tooling due to encoding issues, limitations to RFID reading angles, and an inability to read RFID tags when items are packed densely.

For these applications, our RFID experts at Tri-State recommend Zebra’s ZBR4000 inlays. They have ultra-high sensitivity with read ranges up to 65 feet (20 meters) in free space. But they also perform well when items are densely packed or you’re reading RFID tags on challenging assets.

The ZBR4000 inlay is designed in conjunction with NXP, a leading RFID chip developer, and is certified by the University of Auburn’s ARC Program. It’s also optimized to be read from nearly any angle and pre-tested with Zebra RFID readers and printers for maximum performance.

And, like Zebra’s ZBR4001 inlay, it’s produced with an ISO:9001 manufacturing quality process to ensure correct inlay placement and minimize encoding issues.

6. Work in Process Tagging

Many manufacturers and suppliers are looking to get better at work in process tracking, so they can have real-time or near-real-time visibility into their production. But many don’t have a means to track products through their production processes, so it’s hard to get that visibility and identify bottlenecks.

Barcodes are a great way to automate this process, but there needs to be a way to use and scan them throughout the entire manufacturing process, and it needs to be relatively inexpensive. This is why Zebra developed its thermal transfer Z-Perform 1000T tags with 6000 wax ribbon.

The Z-Perform 1000T is an economical paper tag with wax ribbon, providing durable barcodes and print that can be scanned throughout production without the higher cost of using a specialized label designed to last for many years.

Like all other Zebra labeling and print supply products, it’s pre-tested and produced with stringent quality controls, so you get the best quality and results in a cost-effective solution.

Learn More About Zebra Manufacturing Labeling Solutions

Looking to explore some of these solutions for your production processes? Have questions or need guidance on how to find the right solution for your application?

Contact Tri-State Business Systems now to learn more about our complete portfolio of Zebra barcode labeling solutions and get expert advice to find the right match for your business needs.