For writing on labels, pencil outlasts pen (Sharpie), but the
Sakura "Identi-Pen" runs about $3, and lasts forever. It's archival
quality, and are pretty easy to find in the right art supply stores. Best
of all, they last for darned near forever- I have one going on three years
now. Writes on glass, too.

However- back to labels. First off, I've never used them to print
labels, but barcode printers will make neat, tidy labels with ease.
Top-of-the-line Datamax printers are available as used units on eBay for a
few hundred dollars, and the printheads routinely perform through 400,000+
labels before giving out. I bought two Datamax 'Prodigy' printers, which
run off serial cables (no USB retrofit available, so nobody wants 'em
anymore). They each have 20,000 print inches on them, which is about 2%
of their usable life (!).

Anyway- when used in combination with a chemical/UV resistant
label, thermal transfer printers (NOT direct thermal- you'll need thermal
transfer) do a wonderful job at putting together long-lived labels that
can be adhesed to the pot or the plastic label stuck into the pot. If you
were patient, a system with ~3,000 labels would probably run you about
$500 and a little banging your head against the wall. New, it would run
you $3500 and be seamless.

Just a plug for Datamax here- even though I made it perfectly
clear that I bought a used, out-of-warranty printer, and didn't have funds
to buy a new one, they were exceedingly helpful in terms of tech support.
I wouldn't have a problem buying a new one (they're top-of-the-line),
either.

Anyway- I can't remember the name of the company that sold me the
labels I purchased. They were pricey (about $350 for 3,000 labels), but I
soaked 'em in bleach for 24 hours, soaked them in alcohol for 24 hours,
and tried to scrape off the barcodes with a blunt metal object. Although
you *could* damage them with a penny, it took a lot of effort- enough that
any label would have been defaced. The "chemical resistant" claims were
true.

One tip for the label-frustrated: very valuable plants should have
TWO labels, one of which is deposited in the bottom of the pot during
repotting- never to see the light of day- and the other in the "usual"
place. This way, if the one in the side is lost, the one at the bottom
should always be there.

E-mail address in the header doesn't work. Please post here for a
supposedly cogent reply.

-AJHicks
Chandler, AZ