From counterculture movements to start-up brands, figuring out how to print stickers and how to make vinyl stickers is an important step in establishing a sense of identity. DIY sticker making started to become popular in the late seventies’ music, political and skateboarding scene before becoming an avenue for artistic expression.

Now, printing stickers can be a useful addition to establishing a brand identity, as well as being a bit of fun.

Here, Label Source details how to print stickers, recommends the best printer for stickers, as well as directs you on how to buy sticker paper from us.

What Type of Sticker Paper Do You Need?

The foundation of all good stickers is high-quality sticker paper. Figuring out where to buy the best sticker paper can be difficult, so first you need to decide what type of sticker suits your needs. Broadly-speaking, there are two types of stickers:

• Rolls – Roll stickers, as the name suggests, come on a roll and should be used on printers suitable for accepting that format, namely direct thermal or thermal transfer printers. The former is limited to using thermal papers and tends to be used for packaging labels or till receipts. The latter requires the use of ribbons made of paper, vinyl, or polyester to provide more durable stickers for product or equipment marking.
• Sheets – These tend to be used for laser, inkjet and digital printers, and are usually die cut on the sheet. The most common type of sheet sticker material is self-adhesive paper, although polyester can be used on laser printers to provide waterproof and more robust stickers. Vinyl should not be used on laser printers as the heat of the laser can cause problems during printer operation.

What Printer Should You Use?

In terms of printers, you should opt for a good quality Inkjet printer. While most printers of this type should be fine, sticker aficionados should aim for a device that supports CMYK printing and a resolution of at least 1200 dpi.

How to Print Stickers at Home

Firstly, you’ll need to create your own sticker design with some image editing or production software. It’s possible to do this in a simple programme like Word, but the more professional the programme, the higher the quality the final image will be.

Next, you need to colour match the images to your printer. Almost all printers use CMYK processing. Pantone is another option, which gives a better quality, but at a higher price. Just check the CMYK colour processing is working appropriately before printing the stickers.

Following that, review the designs and ensure the colours are balanced. A lot of black or dark tones will result in a lower-quality image.

To finish, print a test sheet on a normal piece of paper to make sure you’re happy with the designs. Then, load up your desired sticker paper, print and die-cut the images loose. Just make sure the ink is dry!

Do You Have Everything You Need?

Overall, if you want to have good stickers, then you need good quality sticker paper, and Label Source has some of the best in Inkjet suitable sticker paper stocked. Check it out!

For more from the ever-changing world of labels, be sure to follow Label Source on Facebook and Twitter.

Mailing labels are an important part of maintaining the trust of modern mail communications. The answer to “what is a mailing label” is as follows: a recognisable symbol that governs or advises the handling of goods.

A shipping or mailing label could be used simply to detail shipping and return addresses, but there’s a range of others that are advisory. If you’ve ever seen a “handle with care” symbol, for example, that’s an advisory mailing label.

A mailing label prevents a courier or handler from putting themselves in danger, as well as maintaining a fragile product’s condition through storage, handling and transit advice. Below, we list common uses for mailing labels and their advantages.

Uses of Mailing Labels

Mailing labels are used every day in the shipping and mail industry. Broadly, a mailing label falls into one of two categories:

• Shipping labels with delivery information
• Labels and stickers that provide cautionary advice

Shipping labels need to convey certain delivery information. If you’re a business, you need to make sure the mailing labels you use for delivery have the following qualities:

• Roughly A6 in size
• The place of origin i.e. the address the package was shipped from
• The destination of the package
• The package’s weight and dimensions
• A tracking number and barcode
• Shipping class (first-class, expedited, etc.)

Shipping labels can change from courier to courier, but the majority of them have the same structure. The top left of the label will be the destination address, with the weight and dimensions at the top right. Below that will usually be the place of origin, then at the bottom will be coded information such as a barcode, QR code, tracking number, etc. A shipping class will usually be near the top too.

The other type of mailing label provides advice for handling, storage, etc. This is a must for fragile items, as well as those with potentially volatile contents. Label examples include:

• Do not stack
• Do not use blades
• Handle with care
• Open this end
• Keep frozen
• Do not drop
• Mixed pallet/carton/parts/load

This is but a small cross-section of mailing labels. The logos on these labels must satisfy international standards of graphic designs under the ISO 780. ISO, shorthand for the International Organisation for Standardisation, sets standards for worldwide shipping.

The ISO 780 “specifies a set of graphical symbols conventionally used for marking of distribution packages in their physical distribution chain to convey handling instructions.” So, if you’re using mailing labels, ensure they hit these standards.

For more on the modern role mailing labels, you may want to check out our previous blog – How Labels and Signs Help With Food Shipping - for more information.

Advantages of Mailing Labels

Using mailing labels has several major advantages for your business or brand. Namely, the use of proper mailing labels makes a business appear more professional. For example, imagine getting a fragile package with a barely legible shipping label and no fragile warning sticker anywhere on it. If you dropped said package and broke its contents, then the business would be blamed for not providing proper warning, thus evaporating any possibility of the customer returning.

Shipping labels lead to less missed deliveries, too, which can only be a positive for a business. If you’ve suffered from delivery issues recently, then consider changing and updating your mailing label process.

Packaging labels can also simplify and organise the whole shipping process, especially when barcodes are used. In fact, we wrote an in-depth piece about the history of barcodes and their role in shipping, so check it out if you want to know more.

Get With The Times

Label Source stocks a range of self-adhesive mailing labels suitable for a wide variety of businesses. If you want to keep up with the latest industry news or are simply a fellow label fanatic, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

The slippery when wet sign does what it says on the tin: it warns people of wet, dangerous flooring. Whether it’s been cleaned or there’s been a spillage, a “caution slippery when wet” sign is essential to safeguard people from potentially life-changing falls and slips.

The sign has been used so often in modern life that it’s difficult to imagine life without it. How did people survive without the sign, and what are the consequences of refusing or incorrectly using one?

Why Should You Use A “Caution Slippery When Wet” Sign?

Slipping is now the most common form of workplace injury according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), making up 31% of non-lethal accidents. In 2017/18, 3.9 million workdays were lost as a result of non-fatal workplace injuries, meaning slips were responsible for roughly 1.3 million of those. In essence, slipping costs businesses both in lawsuits and lost labour days.

Many accidents can be avoided with proper use of wet floor signs. While slips, trips and falls have a multitude of causes, not properly signposting spillages and wet floors still contributes a significant amount to these accidents. Not only does this leave liability on the property owner, but it can also lead to a demoralised and injured workforce.

How Much Could Improper Use Cost You?

Even to this day, businesses are still making near-fatal mistakes when it comes to slippery when wet signs. Not only must businesses identify when a spillage has occurred, but they must also ensure the sign is set-up and maintained properly.

For example, a casino in Cincinnati had to award a woman $3 million in compensation after she slipped on a flat wet floor sign. An employee of the business had walked past the sign without propping it up before the woman slipped and suffered life-changing injuries.

This was a rare case of the importance of using these signs properly. Signs must be placed in clear view, as well as be placed on a stable footing. As the case above shows, a sign itself can become a danger, costing businesses and lives.

How to Use a Wet Floor Sign

If you want to follow wet floor sign best practice, then you need to hit the following guidelines:

• Ensure there is a wet floor sign available for every entrance, including warehouses, just in case it’s a particularly wet day. These are well suited for icy, and snowy conditions.
• Make sure there is a sign for all bathrooms.
• If your business has a kitchen, then you’ll need signs ready for near the dishwasher and roughly 3 to account for spillages.
• Make sure signs are prominently placed so that employees and customers can see them when walking into wet areas.
• Place signs around both sides of a spill. Triangulating around the spill is also a decent option if you have the spare signs. Alternatively, you could use our barrier tapes.
• If the spill is around the corner, then place one sign in sight beforehand.

Overall, there’s never such thing as playing it too safe when it comes to wet floor signs. Always be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Label Source stocks the best in slippery when wet signs as part of our warning signs range, suitable for a variety of businesses. For more from the ever-changing world of labels, safety and workplace efficiency, be sure to follow Label Source on Facebook and Twitter.

A Dymo printer is an ideal choice for both casual and professional use. The brand has garnered a reputation for providing no-fuss, easy-to-use printing methods for individuals and businesses. While the Dymo printer is relatively easy to get your head around, it can still throw up a few difficulties. Here, we outline how to print with a Dymo label printer and expand on why it may be the best shipping label printer on the market.

How To Set Up A Dymo Label Printer

The first step is the easiest one: simply turn on your Dymo label printer. Next, you’ll have to download the appropriate driver for your computer and Dymo device. This can be found easily on the Dymo website.

Next, you’ll need to configure the printer driver. To do this, just open up your computer’s Control Panel, right-click the Dymo printer and select printer properties. Then, in Preferences, click Advanced and make sure the correct label size is selected and save it as default. 

Once configured, it’s time for a test print. The first step is loading your Dymo printer, so pop open the lid and remove the used core by separating the spool from the locking ring. Place an appropriate label reel on the spool; this label reel needs to be the same size as that configured in the settings. Then lock the ring back on and slide the spool into the top cover cradle.

Finally, insert the label directly into the inside feed slot and shut the cover. After that, all you need to do is press the feed button on the outside of the printer to prepare it for a test print.

How To Print With A Dymo Label Printer

Before printing, though, you need something to print! By downloading Dymo software, you can make labels in Word via an add-in which is comparatively easier for at home use.

Just open Word and select the Dymo button on the toolbar. Click the Dymo button, then type the text and design you want to appear on the label. Following that, a dialogue box will appear with the text which you can then edit. Choose the correct label field from the drop-down list and simply hit print.

It’s as easy as writing in a Word document and hitting print once the software is set up!

The Advantages of a Dymo Label Printer

As the concise guide above shows, the main advantage of a Dymo label printer is its ease of use. The fact the printer does away with the need for ink and ribbons alleviates the headache of managing a printer, plus learning how to use it properly doesn’t take too long.

Cost-efficiency is another big advantage, especially with competitive label paper prices at Label Source. The printer itself is good value for money too, without sacrificing on quality.

Label Source has stocked the best in Dymo printers for a variety of uses. For more from the ever-changing world of labels, be sure to follow Label Source on Facebook and Twitter.

Airborne contaminants are part and parcel of industrial work. Before the advent of health & safety, illness and death from exposure to these particulates were seen as an unavoidable consequence. In modern times, though, a number of measures have been put in place to stagger the effects of damaging inhalation. While safety equipment like masks helps, the most ideal solution is to remove the hazard at the source – this process is known as local exhaust ventilation.

LEV is now commonplace in most industry controls. Below, we answer the question of “what is local exhaust ventilation”, as well as listing its importance and how our LEV labels can help.

What is Local Exhaust Ventilation?

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is defined by the Health and Safety Authority as “an engineering system to protect employees from exposure to hazardous substances by containing or capturing them locally, at the emission point”. By removing the hazard at the source, worker protection is maintained with the added advantage of requiring less air and resources as general ventilation systems.

LEV systems tend to differ on a case-by-case basis, but, generally, they possess the following elements:

• Hood – the place where contaminant air enters the system and is funnelled to the next stage in the system.
• Ducting – designed to funnel the contaminated air to the air cleaner quickly and safely.
• Air cleaner – cleans and filters the air.
• Air mover – a fan which moves the air through the system.
• Discharge – removes air to a safe place, usually externally.

And, of course, this is labelled with an LEV sticker to show test records for their safe and efficient operation.

All areas of the LEV system are equally important to its success, but the hood needs to be perfect. If the hood is poorly designed or is incompatible with the air, then workers will be put in immediate danger.

The most common errors in an LEV system comes from the hood, so it needs to be designed with the type of contaminated air and a focus on facilitating diffusion in mind. Typically, hoods come in three designs:

• Enclosing
• Captor
• Receiving

Each hood type has its own niche within an LEV system. Using an incorrect or ill-fitting type will render the entire process useless.

As with any other industrial system, LEV must be regularly tested with a clear, legible visual test label.

Importance of an LEV System

Air pollution can be a major problem if you’re exposed to it on a regular basis. For example, asthmagens are common in industrial workplaces. These are substances that can make your airways more sensitive and lead to the development of asthma – this is but one example of the life-changing effects poor air ventilation can have on a workforce.

Other knock-on effects have recently been discovered, including the possibility of poor air quality negatively impacting women’s fertility.

The long list of negative effects means lawsuits against employers regarding the issue are not uncommon. For example, in June, a Dorset-based firefighter received compensation after a successful lawsuit against defence company QinetiQ. The firefighter’s existing lung condition was worsened following exposure to diesel fumes at the company’s fire station.

Trucks would drive in and out of the airfield’s garage which was unventilated. The diesel fumes, then, had no way to escape. QintetiQ later installed an LEV system, but since this wasn’t installed since the garage’s construction, the firefighter was awarded compensation. If this was in place, then the firefighter and his fellow employees based in the garage would have been protected.

Therefore, businesses must make every effort to prevent exposure to poor air quality. Exposure routes are defined by the HSE as:

• Breathing fumes, dust, gas or mist.
• Skin contact.
• Injection into skin.
• Swallowing

While LEV cannot help against the last three, it is the best method for protecting against inhalation. That’s why it’s a mainstay in schools, laboratories and workshops.

Stay Safe with LEV Labels

Label Source has stocked the best in local exhaust ventilation labels for verification of safety. For more from the ever-changing world of labels, be sure to follow Label Source on Facebook and Twitter.