I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

Dave,

I'm right out there in "the hunt" with you.

Best I can tell, unless you have a need for a $700 - $1000 tag printer,
you're stuck with the more tedious alternatives. I suppose you could go
with a dot-matrix printer with a permanent-ink ribbon, but that's still
quite an expense.

I buy First Rays labels for the tractor feed of a dot matrix printer, but
have broken them down into sheets about 11" long. They can be fed through
some laser or inkjet printers. If you go with the latter, overspray with
clear acrylic and they about as permanent as it gets.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:JIgXa.41254$Oz4.11185@rwcrnsc54...
I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled
orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might
be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

Thanks Ray, I think. I was afraid of the fact that the $700-$1000 items
were about it. I did look. I thought someone here might have something of
which I was unaware. - Dave
"Ray" wrote in message
...
Dave,

I'm right out there in "the hunt" with you.

Best I can tell, unless you have a need for a $700 - $1000 tag printer,
you're stuck with the more tedious alternatives. I suppose you could go
with a dot-matrix printer with a permanent-ink ribbon, but that's still
quite an expense.

I buy First Rays labels for the tractor feed of a dot matrix printer, but
have broken them down into sheets about 11" long. They can be fed through
some laser or inkjet printers. If you go with the latter, overspray with
clear acrylic and they about as permanent as it gets.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

. . . . . . . . . . .
"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:JIgXa.41254$Oz4.11185@rwcrnsc54...
I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled
orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable
over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my
labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels
like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is
tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might
be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

Dave,

I have been using the Brother P-touch label maker for over a year now. You
can buy different color tapes for the machine for different color
backgrounds.

I use the clear or the white label tapes. Once you type in the name of the
plant you can make multiple copies. The tapes do not fade or peel off the
labels if they are applied to clean dry plant labels.

I agree it is tedious pulling the backing off the tape. If you are doing a
few labels I find this a great investment. I guess you could print off the
30-50 labels you want and sit in front of TV at night preparing the labels
for next day's potting activity.


Good growing,
Gene



"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:JIgXa.41254$Oz4.11185@rwcrnsc54...
I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled
orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might
be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

That's what I'm using these days - if I have the time or can talk my
daughter into sticking them to the tags!

It looks great and seems to last forever.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
arthlink.net...
Dave,

I have been using the Brother P-touch label maker for over a year now.
You
can buy different color tapes for the machine for different color
backgrounds.

I use the clear or the white label tapes. Once you type in the name of
the
plant you can make multiple copies. The tapes do not fade or peel off the
labels if they are applied to clean dry plant labels.

I agree it is tedious pulling the backing off the tape. If you are doing
a
few labels I find this a great investment. I guess you could print off
the
30-50 labels you want and sit in front of TV at night preparing the labels
for next day's potting activity.


Good growing,
Gene



"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:JIgXa.41254$Oz4.11185@rwcrnsc54...
I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled
orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable
over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my
labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels
like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is
tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might
be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

I want my labels readable and incase something happens to my greenhouse and
the plants get blown out with pots separating from plants and tags, I use a
metal tag and a vibrating engraver to put the name on it. After I complete
them I attach them to the plant with a wire. They don't fade or get
misplaced.
"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message
news:JIgXa.41254$Oz4.11185@rwcrnsc54...
I have a question that may be obvious... In as much as an unlabelled
orchid
is pretty but of little value to anyone I have tried to be very careful
about labeling my plants and making sure they don't become unreadable over
time (#2 pencil seems the most effective). I would like to make my labels
more attractive and more readable. Is there a system to print labels like
nurserymen use? I've tried using a tape label machine but that is tedious
even for a single upgrading of a compot. Is there a printing system
suitable for making 30-50 labels at a time? If not, I think there might
be
a market for such an item. Thanks - Dave

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

On Mon, 04 Aug 2003 16:54:25 GMT, "Dave"
wrote:

I want my labels readable and incase something happens to my greenhouse and
the plants get blown out with pots separating from plants and tags, I use a
metal tag and a vibrating engraver to put the name on it. After I complete
them I attach them to the plant with a wire. They don't fade or get
misplaced.
"Dave Lockwood" wrote in message

I have seen people use just a dry ballpoint pen and a padded
surface to write on strips of aluminum. Recyclers can cut these
from soda cans, the rest of us use garden tags or hobby aluminum
strips to make the tags.

One simple trick to help prevent lost labels is the bury a label
when you pot the plant. Then when some idiot pulls one out and
forgets to put it back or it cracks off from old age, you have
the safety of knowing there is another in the pot.

Wiring tags to the plants like they do roses has always gotten
me in trouble. On the roses I cut my hands up trying to get
them. Sometimes they cut into the new growth. Sometimes they
get cut off with a back bulb.

Good luck.

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php