There are specialist printers on the market for printing address labels that are cheap and cheerful, such as the Dymo LabelWriter series.  These printers may start at around the £80 mark, however the labels for these printers are massively expensive.

For example, for 260 labels for a Dymo LabelWriter printer you are looking at an approximate cost of £15.29 However with AM Labels Direct Thermal Labels and Direct Thermal printer such as the Zebra GK420d or Zebra LP2844, you can buy 10,000 labels for £48.60.

Cost per 1000

Dymo – £58.80 (based on 89 x 36mm label)

AM Labels – £4.86 (based on 101mm x 51mm label)

Comparison

AM Labels

Dymo

Pricing valid as of December 2009, please call sales for a quote. Prices exclude VAT

“I have sent out my products to a customer who is selling them in a retail store and I am getting complaints that the print on the labels is fading.”

Just a couple of examples of customers that have bought labels from other companies without being asked what they do and what they are applying the labels to, it makes you sigh with despair.

The questions to ask yourself:

• Are your labels being subjected to sunlight for prolonged amounts of time?
• Are your labels applied to items that are getting regularly moved and marked?

If the answers to the above questions are yes then you have two main options:

Top coated direct thermal labels

You can upgrade to top coated direct thermal labels which have an extra of coating to protect against sunlight and marking.

Top coated direct thermal labels work more effectively than standard direct thermal labels to prevent print fading and label material marking when scuffed.

The main advantage of switching to this material is that if you have a direct thermal only printer (where you don’t use a ribbon) you do not need to purchase a new printer.

Thermal transfer labels

Thermal transfer printing produces a permanent print, which has excellent resistance to fading, even when subjected to direct sunlight.

If you also need a more comprehensive label material then you could look into thermal transfer labels, with choices ranging from paper to synthetic materials such as polyester, card (tag materials) and synthetic card there is an option for most applications.

For more information about direct thermal vs thermal transfer labels read our blog post.

To enquire about labels, call our sales office on 01536 414222 or visit our website www.amlabels.co.uk/