In-house Bar Code Printing vs. Pre-Printed
Bar Code Labels -
What You Don't Know Could Cost You
Like many firms today, you may have considered, or may even already be, printing your own pressure sensitive bar code labels in-house. With ever shrinking budgets and staff, on the surface it appears to be a very cost-effective alternative to purchasing pre-printed pressure sensitive bar code labels. You envision the convenience of being able to print them as you need them; no more waiting days or weeks for them to be shipped to you. You control the numbering. You control the design. And it all sounds fantastic. But is it?
If you are a small firm with 100 assets or less, that are all in a mild office environment, it may seem economical to buy bar code printing software for around $200 and print your own labels right off your laser or ink jet printer. Or if you are a mid-size company with up to 500 assets, you might invest in a thermal transfer printer and blank thermal transfer label stock for a cost of around $1100. So how does that compare with pre-printed labels? Well, just as an example, for around the same $200 you spent on the bar code printing software, you could have purchased up to 500 of Metalcraft's "PremiumPoly" Bar Code Labels (1.75 x 0.50" size), saving yourself the cost of buying extra labels and ink for your laser or ink jet printer. And you could have bought just the right amount of labels for your 500 assets for around $900 less than you spent on your thermal transfer printer system. Plus, Metalcraft's labels are guaranteed to scan. You just cannot say that for a label printed in-house; unless you invest even more money in a bar code verifier.
And what happens when your firm grows, adds assets and employees? And those employees become increasingly busier? And your assets are no longer simply office equipment, but manufacturing equipment, tools, or even pagers and laptops that are exposed to abrasion, changing temperatures, and outdoor conditions? All of a sudden, printing your own bar code labels is no longer convenient either; it's an extra task you simply don't have the time for.
Especially when you run into problems, such as the printer not working and running out of ink or ribbon in the middle of printing. Or you find out that the bar code image is wearing off from repeated cleanings, abrasion or exposure to sunlight, making it impossible to scan, rendering the label useless. Or worse yet, the labels are not sticking to those slick plastic surfaces. They are simply peeling off, leaving the asset without an identifying label and more prone to theft. Now you find yourself printing more labels, more often than you'd like, taking time and energy away from your daily job duties. Does that sound cost-effective or convenient to you?
