I purchased a very expensive (around $1,200) Zebra thermal transfer printer after doing lots of research and after my tech processing staff member complained about his Dymo label fading so quickly.  The thermal transfer printer seems designed primarily for creating barcodes for warehouses.  It's significantly more complicated to use, although my staff are using it, and it was very hard to find small labels for it.  They all seem to be short and wide, like a barcode, instead of tall and narrow like a spine label.  I also could not find any colors except white, and I was hoping to make our children's spine labels a different color to help mitigate shelving errors.  The labels I finally found wrap around the books more than I like, but the bigger problem is that they are shiny and shortly after we began using them, a book was returned with a completely blank spine label!  Although they don't initially rub off easily, over time we discovered that they do.  So we now cover them with tape even though the label itself sticks just fine and doesn't require tape, just the printing requires a tape cover. 

Anyway, good luck to everyone.  I have found this to be a largely unsolvable problem and, although I will continue with my thermal transfer printer, it isn't the surefire answer I hoped it would be.  If anyone has a good (i.e. not shiny) spine label for thermal transfer printers, please do pass it on! 

Deb Hemmye
Library Director
Huntington Woods Public Library
26415 Scotia Road
Huntington Woods, MI 48070
248-543-9720, ext. 686

"But without questions, there can be no knowledge."
From When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill

From: "Michlib" <michlib-l@mcls.org>
To: "Jessica Himstedt" <jessica.himstedt@mcc.edu>, "Michlib" <michlib-l@mcls.org>, "Bosman Jr, Donald" <dbosman@msu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 1:30:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels

We are having the exact same issue and I have not experienced this before.  It is driving me bonkers.  I'm very interested in any solutions.

Amy Nolan
Children's Librarian
Lincoln Township Public Library
2099 W. John Beers Rd., Stevensville, MI 49127
(269) 429-9575 ext. 119
From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> on behalf of Bosman Jr, Donald via Michlib-l <michlib-l@mcls.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 10:30 AM
To: Jessica Himstedt <jessica.himstedt@mcc.edu>; michlib-l@mcls.org <michlib-l@mcls.org>
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels
 

Dymo label printers are thermal printers. They heat the label to make an image. Fast and temporary until heat, age or UV affect the label.

You want thermal transfer printers that use heat to iron on, or heat transfer, resin from a carrier ribbon to polyester or polypropylene label stock.

The question will be, does your catalog program support thermal transfer printers.

 

Don Bosman

Information Technologist

MSU Libraries

366 W. Circle Drive - Rm.W441

East Lansing, MI 48824-1048

517-884-0873

 

 

 

From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> On Behalf Of Jessica Himstedt via Michlib-l
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 8:32 AM
To: michlib-l@mcls.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels

 

Greetings!

 

I am currently using a Dymo Labelwriter 450 for call number labels. They come in a roll. They have been fading terribly fast and I'm wondering if anyone else is having the same issue, and if so, how are you dealing with it? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Jessica Himstedt, MLIS

Librarian - Acquisitions/Cataloging

Secretary - MCC DEI Council - Executive Council 

Secretary - MCC DEI Council - Workforce Partnerships Council

Mott Community College Library

1401 E. Court Street

Flint, MI 48503

810.762.5649

she/her/herself

 

"There is nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for his/her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book." - Jodi Picoult

 

 

The mission of Mott Community College is to provide high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services that cultivate student success and individual development and improve the overall quality of life in a multicultural community.

 


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