While labels are something that you may not like, businesses need these to thrive. 

You use labels on the daily, such as: 

• Product labels on meats at the store 
• Barcodes on apparel 
• Mobile order stickers on a cup of coffee ordered from your phone 
• Wristbands at concerts 
• Shipping labels for your items that you deliver 

From the packaging labels that you have, to even stickers on clearance, labels are used for propelling the business forward, while also practicing mindfulness, along with sustainability. 

Here, we’ll talk about the different types of labels, and what you should use 

Direct Thermal Vs. Transfer Labels 

Thermal printing is a very easy and quick means to print stuff, with two types. They are known as thermal transfer or direct thermal. 

Direct thermal labels are the easier, lower maintenance ones that are cost effective. This is where the heat gets put on paper that has ink embedded in it to create texts and images. 

This is great because you don’t need toner, ink ribbings, even ink! It’s also better for the environment. They are pressure sensitive, where you apply this either by hand, or by machine, depending on your business. 

Direct thermals are also available in different rolls or folded in fans to create larger amounts, so it saves you money and time. 

While they are lower in cost, there are a few limits to these. 

For one, they’re very easy to scratch compared to other labels. If it’s directly exposed to UV light or higher heat, it also will fade as well. Plus, while the colors are used for direct thermal, it only prints with black ink, so it’s limited in options. They also can’t be used after about 6-8 months, since their effectiveness does fade. 

Thermal labels are the opposite, where you have thermal printing on melted colored wax, or resin. This is used to create thermal ribbon that’s high quality, and you can print both text and images. 

Like direct thermal, thermal transfer is pressure sensitive as well, and it can be used by hand, or by machines. 

They do require a ribbon to print, and you may need to spend more on costs.

But thermal transfers are better, more durable than the others. They can also be printed on other types of media too, such as synthetic polypropylene or paper. They can be waterproof too and are also scratch resistant as well. 

The importance of labels 

Labels are good for a lot of reasons, and we’ll go over them here. 

First, they’re great for conveying information to others in a quick, effective manner.  They can tell people what to do with something, whether it’s a postal worker who receives the package, or a warehouse manager that works directly with customers. 

Hospitals for instance, use these labels on wristbands to scan the information efficiently and quickly. 

Retailers also use these barcodes in order to keep stock of the inventory that they have. 

They also make shipping so much better.  If you’re a store that sends out packages, or a warehouse that constantly has packages, labels are vital for making sure that the shipping process is all the more efficient. 

Thermal transfer types of labels are vital for receiving and shipping, since they can withstand the weather and elements. You can also print out QR and barcodes this way, making scanning much more effective. This is great as well for UPC codes as well, especially if they’re on the label. 

Finally, you need these on everything, so make sure you add them to your packaging now!