If you’ve ever had problems with your labels, you know what a frustrating situation it can be for you and your customer. When businesses use the wrong label supplies, they’ll find labels falling off packages or fading too quickly. Sometimes, the labels are illegible when printed, or your data gets corrupted in the process, and you have to print the entire order again.

When these types of problems occur, they can often be attributed to using the incorrect label for the application. This can happen when businesses use the least expensive printing supplies when it comes to labeling needs.

What you might not realize is there’s a big difference between cheap labels and premium ones. That difference can have a significant impact on your business, including avoiding the situations above, or saving money by having to replace printheads less often.

Tri-State Business Systems recommends Zebra Technologies printing supplies for many reasons. Not only does Zebra produce top-of-the-line printers, but it also invests in creating the best printing supplies on the market. Zebra uses a 23-point inspection process for all of its labels, which are made from high-quality materials. Labels are put through a rigorous and extensive testing process, and no substitute materials are used to make them.

Zebra’s supplies provide optimal performance in its printers. They’ll save you money in the long run because they reduce the wear on your printheads and perform well in any application.

There are multiple combinations of adhesives and face stocks, and each combination has particular features and functions. Here are examples of the types of Zebra’s labels and what applications they are best used for:

Paper Labels:

Z-Perform Paper Labels are standard white labels on smooth white face-stock. They are mid-range labels that are available in thermal transfer and direct thermal. They are suited for most basic applications. However,

Z-Select Paper Labels are premium labels that are bright white, and ultra-smooth. This label is the most rugged of the paper materials. It is resistant to scratches, rubbing, and other disasters that accompany most shipping and packing applications. This label is also available in direct thermal and thermal transfer stock.

IQ Color Paper Labels also use a standard material, white smooth paper face-stock that can print colors on demand in designated areas. These also come in standard and removable adhesives. 

Polysynthetic labels:

If you require a label for a more rugged environment, polysynthetic labels are the best fit. Polysynthetic labels are often used outdoors in nurseries, garden centers, lumber yards, etc. They are also a good fit if you need something to withstand water, wind, snow, sleet, heat, cold, direct sun, and other environmental conditions. 

Polyolefin face-stock will withstand scratches and smearing. It can survive in temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and up to 6 months in the outdoors. You can select from material that is flexible or semi-rigid. It is used on rough surfaces, and the flexible version works well on curved (or any non-flat) surface. This product is only offered in thermal transfer.

Polypropylene is a white face-stock and is considered in the mid-range level of the synthetics.  It has less flexibility for the use of curved surfaces but will withstand scratches, smears, and temperatures up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Polypropylene will last 1-2 years in most outdoor or harsh environments.  Some people refer to it as “Kimdura” or plastic. It comes in a variety of adhesives, standard, high tack (very sticky), and removable.

Zebra’s Polyester labels are called Z-Supreme. They are the highest performing and most expensive of the materials. The labels are composed of polyester material (not paper) and are scratch and smear resistant. Its top feature is that they are very resistant to harsh chemicals making if valuable in chemical manufacturing plants, areas that are frequently wiped down with chemical cleaners or disinfectants. It is also resistant to temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and will last up to 3 years outdoors. It is thermal transfer only and is also available in white, silver material, and clear material. It also offers standard, high tack, and removable adhesives. This is also known as Z-Xtreme in a matte finish.

Next is Z-Ultimate, which, like the Z-Supreme, is also a polyester material.  However, this material has a glossy finish that has the highest scratch and smear resistance of any of the materials. It can withstand washing with mild chemicals and will also last up to 3 years in an outdoor environment. This product is thermal transfer only and is available in white, silver, and clear. It also offers standard, high tack, and removable adhesives.

The final synthetic label is a polyimide which is designed for very high-temperature environments (up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.)  This label is often found in parts of engines due because of its high heat tolerance.  This label is thermal transfer only and is available in a matte finish (white only), or in a glossy finish; white, yellow, blue and green.

Zebra has innovative solutions for every type of labeling need. Contact Tri-State Business Systems at 908-359-8001 www.tri-statebussys.com sales@tri-statebussys.com so we can help you avoid having any problems the next time you need to print labels.

A barcode label is one of the critical parts of any barcoding system, but it’s often overlooked in a rush due to minimizing costs, rather than ensuring the right adhesion, scannability, and durability for each labeling application.

Ironically, this often creates additional costs and wastes time and money. That’s because the wrong labels end up falling off, becoming faded, smudged, damaged or otherwise unreadable, which causes expensive printhead failures.

In the worst cases, the wrong labels can bring an entire labeling operation to a halt, especially if an incorrect label material, ribbon, or adhesive is used.

This is why our team at Tri-State Business Systems strongly recommends following some specific guidelines and choosing high-quality and pre-tested labels and supplies from Zebra Technologies.

Making the right labeling choice starts with understanding the components of your label and working with an R&D team and label manufacturer that has developed and pre-tested hundreds of specialized labels and supplies for virtually any application.

Anatomy of a Proper Barcode Label

The right barcode label begins with the correct label composition, which is critical to ensuring label adhesion, durability, readability, and scannability.

Key components of a label include the release liner and silicone coating, which are crucial if you’re using an applicator to apply a label after being printed from a print engine.

Adhesives are also crucial, since standard adhesives stick well to most items, however specialized adhesives are needed for extreme temperatures and rough surfaces.

The facestock of a label is also important because its sensitivity affects the darkness setting you need to use on your printer. The wrong facestock means having to print too dark to compensate for it.

The topcoat is another key component because it adds further protection to the label.

All of these materials need to work together to ensure proper labeling and scanning as different scanning applications require different combinations.

Key Considerations in Choosing Your Label

In choosing the right label, you may need to take into consideration a number of factors, which can be broken into two categories:

1. Application Requirements

• Surface
• Extreme temperatures
• Abrasion resistance
• Chemical resistance
• Indoor/outdoor use
• Label lifespan

2. Printing Requirements

• Label format
• Print speed
• Print darkness
• Dots per inch
• Use of an applicator

One of the great advantages of Zebra’s labels and supplies is that it has already developed more than 1,000 label combinations to meet almost any combination of requirements. This includes more than 500 stock labels, ribbons, and other printing supplies.

If you need a completely unique and specialized label that isn’t already available, our experts and Zebra’s R&D team can work with you to quickly identify and develop the right solution.

Importantly, Zebra pre-tests all of its labels and supplies, uses consistent materials, and has outstanding quality processes to ensure the highest durability, print quality, and scannability.

This includes testing on Zebra printers and assessment of printhead wear, which enables Zebra to offer the best guarantee in the barcoding industry.

In fact, if you use Zebra barcode label printers and agree to use genuine Zebra supplies exclusively, you get guaranteed protection against unexpected printhead failure. If your printhead ever needs to be replaced prematurely, it will be replaced at no charge.

Finding the Right Label for Your Application

To get more insights on how you can save money with Zebra supplies and request personalized help in finding the right label for your application, contact our experts at Tri-State Business Systems now, visit www.tri-statebussys.com, or call us at 908-359-8001.

When it comes to buying barcode labels, you might think cheaper is better. After all, who wants to spend more for something as simple as barcode labels?

But many companies who think they are saving money on barcodes are later surprised to find out how much “cheaper” labels really cost, especially once they realize how much extra money they end up paying in premature printhead replacements, lost productivity, and workflow disruptions from scanning issues.

Here are the six ways that cheap barcode labels cost more over time and how you can ultimately save money and headaches by investing in better quality supplies.

1. Low-cost labels are usually made of low-quality materials. That makes them cheaper to produce, but cheap labels often have rougher surfaces that damage your printer’s printhead and cause premature wear.

That will cause your printhead elements to fail prematurely, which costs you hundreds or thousands of dollars in early replacements. It can also cause poor print quality and render barcodes and label information unreadable, which means your workers will be wasting time having to reprint and re-scan.

2. Cheap direct thermal labels often have issues with heat sensitivity due to their lower-quality materials. This means ink doesn’t transfer as well to the label, and you may end up having to make constant printer setting adjustments to avoid barcode scanning issues.

3. If you’re using pre-printed colors on your labels, your colors can actually end up transferring to your printhead and causing an ink buildup when you’re using cheaper, lower-quality materials. The buildup slows down your printing and can cause print quality issues, resulting in more wasted time and cost on reprinting and re-scanning.

4. If you choose cheap labels and they’re not made with the right materials to withstand the conditions where you apply and use them, you can easily end up with damaged and unreadable barcodes and information. This is especially important if your labels will be exposed to sunlight, moisture, water, or chemicals.

5. Adhesion is another common problem with low-cost barcode labels because they’re often produced with substandard adhesives that aren’t matched to specific labeling applications. Your labels can end up peeling or falling off, leaving your assets, products, or shipments unidentified and not trackable.

6. If you’re buying cheap labels, they’re probably not matched to your printer ribbon, which can quickly cause print fading and rub-off.

How to Make a Smarter Investment in Barcode Labels

Ultimately, to minimize long-term label, printing, and operational costs, companies should invest in higher quality labels and match the right labels and supplies with their unique application requirements.

Our best recommendation is to invest in Zebra-certified printing supplies, which are manufactured with consistent and ISO-certified processes, so you get the highest quality and performance.

Zebra labels are rigorously pre-tested on Zebra printers and in specific applications to assess printhead wear, print quality, adhesion, durability, and scannability.

Zebra has over 500 stock labels, ribbons, and supplies to choose from, with specialized materials for any application and environment.

Their superior quality means they perform flawlessly, reduce your printhead wear and related costs, reduce your supplies usage, and can save you thousands of dollars in reprinting, wasted labels, re-scanning, printer adjustments, servicing, and printhead replacements.

As an added bonus, if you use Zebra printers and agree to use Zebra supplies exclusively, you get 100% protection against premature printhead failure. If a printhead ever fails prematurely, it will be replaced at no cost.

To learn more about Zebra supplies and get expert advice for your application, visit Tri-State Business Systems, call 908-359-8001, or email us now.