Material Guide

Labels printed by Thermal Printers

	Thermal Transfer	Direct Thermal
How is label printed?	Uses ribbon. Ink is transferred from ribbon to label to generate the image.	Uses direct heat to activate chemicals on label to generate the image.
Is a ribbon needed?	YES	NO
Number of colors	Many, depending on color of ribbon.	Black only.
Print image shelf-life	> 6 months	6 months or less. Labels will turn dark and text will be lost after 6 months.
NOTE: To differentiate thermal from direct thermal material, expose material to a heat source such as a lighter and if a black image is created, then the material is direct thermal.

Infra-Red (IR) and Visible Light Non-IR Direct Thermal Material

	Infra-Red (IR) Material	Visible Light Non-IR Material
Material Description	A high sensitivity IR scanable direct thermal material suitable for barcode scanning from the visible light spectrum (633 nm) to the infrared spectrum (up to 1000 nm).	A medium sensitivity direct thermal material suitable for barcode scanning in the visible light spectrum (633 nm).
Environmental stability	Thermal chemicals are more sensitive to light. Recommended that product be stored in dark cool environment.	Thermal chemicals are more stable than IR. Not as susceptible to light degradation.
Printer	Recommended for use in high speed printer	Recommended for use in standard speed printer
Scanner Type	IR scanner	Visible light scanner
Print Quality	Excellent print quality (better than non-IR at same printer setting)	Good print quality (but not as good as IR at same printer setting)
Scannability of clean barcode	Excellent (same as non-IR)	Excellent (same as IR)
Scannability of contaminated barcode	Good	Poor
Cost	Up to twice as much as Non-IR	As much as 50% less than IR

Labels printed by Dot Matrix Printers
(also known as pin-feed or tractor-feed printer)
- Crisp white color for crystal clear image.
- Specially designed to create smudge-free images
when run through Dot Matrix printers.

Example of dot matrix printer material

Labels printed by Laser / Inkjet Printers
- "Lay flat" liner prevents curling and jamming in printer.
- Crisp white color for crystal clear print.
- Will not smudge when run through both laser
and inkjet printers.

Piggyback Material
- This material contains 2 labels, one on top of another.
The top label can be removed from the bottom label
and be applied for another application.
- This material can be used in thermal printers,
dot matrix printers and laser printers.

Synthetic Material
- Material is made of a plastic film poly material.
- Material is waterproof.
- Material is more chemical resistance.

Laboratory Label References

Laboratory Information System (LIS) Printer Labels	Microscope Slide Labels
Pre-printed Labels	Compliance Labels
Blood Labels	Switch to Visible Light Material
Material Guide	Label Specification Guide
Printer Specification Guide	How Labels are Used in the Laboratory
Label Printers Troubleshooting

Pharmacy Label References

ASHP® System Printer Labels	Cerner PharmNet® System Printer Labels
Meditech System Printer Labels	OptiFill® System Printer Labels
VA Hospitals System Printer Labels	General Purpose Thermal Transfer Printer Labels
Pre-Printed Dot Matrix Printer Labels	McKesson HBOC System Printer Labels
BXA/ADAC System Printer Labels	Pharmacon System Printer Labels
Mediware System Printer Labels	General Purpose Dot Matrix Printer Labels
General Purpose Direct Thermal Printer Labels	Unit Dose (Single Dose) Blister Cup Labeling System
TPN Labels	Pre-printed Labels
Paper Label Combination Form Sheet for Laser Printer	HIPAA Compliance Labels
Joint Commission Compliance Labels	Pyxis® & OmniCell® Paper

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Laboratory Label References

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