Inkjet or plastic labels for plants

[MC]

Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
the source and info?

[Dwight Sipler]

MC wrote:
>
> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
> the source and info?



I don't know of any, but most inkjet inks are water-soluble, so they
will soon become illegible. Make sure the ink you are using will
withstand watering. Also, prolonged exposure to sunlight will fade most
inks, particularly the greens, leaving you with discolored purple images
(assuming you want color images on your tags). Laser printers do not
share the water solubility problem as far as I know, but they share the
fading problem. The commercially produced tags are much more resistant
to fading than any of the printer inks I've come across (although I
haven't been specifically looking for fade-resistant inks).

If you are looking for a large quantity, there are manufacturers who
will make custom labels. If you are looking for a few houseplant labels,
you can try putting clear tape over the image to protect it from water.
If it fades you can make a new one. (You might make two or three tags of
each one and store the spares in a dark place so they won't fade). I
find that the tape method is labor-intensive and not 100% reliable (more
like 70% over a month or so [very rough estimate]), but for only a few
labels you can probably live with it.

[MC]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 11:34:01 -0500, Dwight Sipler wrote:

> MC wrote:
>>
>> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
>> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
>> the source and info?
>
>
>
> I don't know of any, but most inkjet inks are water-soluble, so they
> will soon become illegible. Make sure the ink you are using will
> withstand watering. Also, prolonged exposure to sunlight will fade most
> inks, particularly the greens, leaving you with discolored purple images
> (assuming you want color images on your tags). Laser printers do not
> share the water solubility problem as far as I know, but they share the
> fading problem. The commercially produced tags are much more resistant
> to fading than any of the printer inks I've come across (although I
> haven't been specifically looking for fade-resistant inks).
>
> If you are looking for a large quantity, there are manufacturers who
> will make custom labels. If you are looking for a few houseplant labels,
> you can try putting clear tape over the image to protect it from water.
> If it fades you can make a new one. (You might make two or three tags of
> each one and store the spares in a dark place so they won't fade). I
> find that the tape method is labor-intensive and not 100% reliable (more
> like 70% over a month or so [very rough estimate]), but for only a few
> labels you can probably live with it.


Thanks. There are also waterproof labels I could use and then affix to
plastic plant markers. I'm trying to label things for market.

[Cheryl Isaak]

On 2/25/04 12:33 PM, in article ,
"MC" > wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 11:34:01 -0500, Dwight Sipler wrote:
>
>> MC wrote:
>>>
>>> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
>>> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
>>> the source and info?
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't know of any, but most inkjet inks are water-soluble, so they
>> will soon become illegible. Make sure the ink you are using will
>> withstand watering. Also, prolonged exposure to sunlight will fade most
>> inks, particularly the greens, leaving you with discolored purple images
>> (assuming you want color images on your tags). Laser printers do not
>> share the water solubility problem as far as I know, but they share the
>> fading problem. The commercially produced tags are much more resistant
>> to fading than any of the printer inks I've come across (although I
>> haven't been specifically looking for fade-resistant inks).
>>
>> If you are looking for a large quantity, there are manufacturers who
>> will make custom labels. If you are looking for a few houseplant labels,
>> you can try putting clear tape over the image to protect it from water.
>> If it fades you can make a new one. (You might make two or three tags of
>> each one and store the spares in a dark place so they won't fade). I
>> find that the tape method is labor-intensive and not 100% reliable (more
>> like 70% over a month or so [very rough estimate]), but for only a few
>> labels you can probably live with it.
>
>
> Thanks. There are also waterproof labels I could use and then affix to
> plastic plant markers. I'm trying to label things for market.

If you do a little searching, I do know I've seen people using laser jet
printer on Avery clear labels with good luck.

Cheryl

[Cheryl Isaak]

On 2/25/04 12:33 PM, in article ,
"MC" > wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 11:34:01 -0500, Dwight Sipler wrote:
>
>> MC wrote:
>>>
>>> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
>>> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
>>> the source and info?
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't know of any, but most inkjet inks are water-soluble, so they
>> will soon become illegible. Make sure the ink you are using will
>> withstand watering. Also, prolonged exposure to sunlight will fade most
>> inks, particularly the greens, leaving you with discolored purple images
>> (assuming you want color images on your tags). Laser printers do not
>> share the water solubility problem as far as I know, but they share the
>> fading problem. The commercially produced tags are much more resistant
>> to fading than any of the printer inks I've come across (although I
>> haven't been specifically looking for fade-resistant inks).
>>
>> If you are looking for a large quantity, there are manufacturers who
>> will make custom labels. If you are looking for a few houseplant labels,
>> you can try putting clear tape over the image to protect it from water.
>> If it fades you can make a new one. (You might make two or three tags of
>> each one and store the spares in a dark place so they won't fade). I
>> find that the tape method is labor-intensive and not 100% reliable (more
>> like 70% over a month or so [very rough estimate]), but for only a few
>> labels you can probably live with it.
>
>
> Thanks. There are also waterproof labels I could use and then affix to
> plastic plant markers. I'm trying to label things for market.

If you do a little searching, I do know I've seen people using laser jet
printer on Avery clear labels with good luck.

Cheryl

[Tom J]

"MC" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
> the source and info?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=waterproof+printers&btnG=Google+Search

:-o)

Tom J

[Tom J]

"MC" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
> the source and info?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=waterproof+printers&btnG=Google+Search

:-o)

Tom J

[Kay Lancaster]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 07:22:58 -0600, MC > wrote:
> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
> the source and info?

Only ones I've seen recently advertized:
http://www.gardenmarker.com/computer.htm

[MC]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:42:07 +0000, Kay Lancaster wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 07:22:58 -0600, MC > wrote:
>> Does anyone make sheets of blank plastic labels compatible with inkjet
>> printers and suitable for labeling potted plants? If so, care to share
>> the source and info?
>
> Only ones I've seen recently advertized:
> http://www.gardenmarker.com/computer.htm


Thanks. I don't like the price unfortunately.