We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:57:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

Last year I treated myself to a Brother tape label machine from Lidl
(a printing type not the embossing type) for about a tenner and stuck
the "printouts" onto ordinary plastic labels. The tapes aren't cheap
but they're quite long and the labels I made last year are still plain
to see and those outside haven't come unstuck. As I tend to grow
masses of the same varieties of bedding plants each year, the bedding
labels have been reused this year and seem likely to last at least
into next year so I think reasonable value overall.

A local garden centre also got fed up of written labels fading and so
invested in a new labelling system, with accompanying computer and all
that. Trouble is that their system is "thermal" so all the labels fade
even quicker than written ones!

On 15/04/2011 20:57, Dave Hill wrote:
We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

My latest method works fine. I too got fed up of labels fading or simply
going missing or the dog wandering off with them. I've got a big bag
full of wooden lolly sticks which I got dirt cheap from one of those £1
shop type places. I write on both sides (in opposite directions) using a
black indelible marker pen. With seed trays I put them in at the edge
almost completely on their side so barely any is above the surface for
the dog to pull out. Then when I plant seedlings in the garden I put the
wooden label inside a white plastic milk bottle fasten on the cap and
bury it in the ground next to the seedlings with only the bottom of the
bottle showing. This has worked well - I've overwintered four different
varieties of cabbage and wanted to see which did the best. The labels
remain in perfect condition. They can't be lost either due to the size
of the bottle they are safely kept in!

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Apr 15, 10:58*pm, Janet wrote:
In article 94f7b283-74c6-4df2-abad-384bcc5b67e9
@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com, says...



We have been going on about fading labels *for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

* *Years ago I saw some black coated labels you marked by scratching, and
the scratch showed white.

* * For permanent plantings I use aluminium labels marked with an electric
etcher. For veg garden and seed trays *I use white plastic labels and a
black waterproof pen (lasts long enough for a season)

* *Janet

I use around 3000 labels a year, last year I planted out close to 5000
dahlias, I need something easy, cheap and reliable, hence the idea of
white on black labels

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 Janet wrote:

But I like the sound of
your electric etcher. Can you tell me the make, and/or where you got
it, please?

oops its an engraver not etcher... Handy Engraver from Record Power Ltd
Sheffield.. I've had it 20 years but this looks almost identical

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...-professional-
engraver-kit/path/home-security

That looks interesting. How easy is it to use?

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 10:13:37 +0100, Janet wrote:

But I like the sound of
your electric etcher. Can you tell me the make, and/or where you got
it, please?

oops its an engraver not etcher... Handy Engraver from Record Power Ltd
Sheffield.. I've had it 20 years but this looks almost identical

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...-professional-
engraver-kit/path/home-security

http://tinyurl.com/66wpmz5

J made me a worktop gripper-plate thingy to hold the labels still
while working.


Thanks for that. I also found this
http://www.essentialscompany.co.uk/metal_labels.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales


Do they do a right handed one too ;-)

Mike

--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

Dave Hill wrote in news:94f7b283-74c6-4df2-
:

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?


It seems that nobody beleives me that a pencil works on many surfaces.
Simple as it sounds.

Baz

On Apr 16, 1:26*pm, Baz wrote:
Dave Hill wrote in news:94f7b283-74c6-4df2-
:

We have been going on about fading labels *for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

It seems that nobody beleives me that a pencil works on many surfaces.
Simple as it sounds.

Baz

Dont worry about it Baz, I've been using pencil for years, but I find
some of the plastic labels dont hold it as well as other makes,
sometimes even the same make, different batch varies.
For those with just a few to name then the choice is massive, hand
paint onto pebbles and leave by the plant, Sea shells also look good.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 07:23:06 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

On Apr 16, 1:26*pm, Baz wrote:

some of the plastic labels dont hold it as well as other makes,
sometimes even the same make, different batch varies.

Could not agree more, even tried 'roughing' up with sandpaper, no
good. Will stick to the Brother P200 labeler.
www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

My tip, I always put my labels in upside down with the point sticking up in the air, that means that the written on bit is under the compost and the writing lasts ages as its the sun that bleaches out the writing !! try it, it does work !!
Lannerman

On Apr 16, 6:37*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-04-15 23:21:18 +0100, Dave Hill said:





On Apr 15, 10:58*pm, Janet wrote:
In article 94f7b283-74c6-4df2-abad-384bcc5b67e9
@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com, says...

We have been going on about fading labels *for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

* *Years ago I saw some black coated labels you marked by scratching,
*and
the scratch showed white.

* * For permanent plantings I use aluminium labels marked with an ele
ctric
etcher. For veg garden and seed trays *I use white plastic labels and a
black waterproof pen (lasts long enough for a season)

* *Janet

I use around 3000 labels a year, last year I planted out close to 5000
dahlias, I need something easy, cheap and reliable, hence the idea of
white on black labels

Dave, we get our labels from Longcombe Labels (I'm going to check that)
and have a label printer which works from Matthew's computer. *Would
that be any good to you? *It prints a row of four labels across at a
time and you can select tie-ons or stick-ins etc. *If you want to know
more about it I'll get some info from Matthew. *We've had this printer
quite a while so others may have come out that are even faster but it
does whiz through them terribly quickly.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Have a label printer but every time I load the varieties onto the
computer it crashed, so I havn't used it, but so many labels are one
off that hand writing is easier, Pricked out 400 dahlia seedlings
yesterday and have about the same again to do today, and when taking
dahlia cuttings I can be taking one of a variety or 40 so with around
300 varieties it gets to complicated to have to print them off,
differeny for plants going to customers, I'll have to try again with
the printer, after all it's a lot of money doing nothing.
David

On 17/04/2011 10:52, Dave Hill wrote:
On Apr 16, 6:37 pm, wrote:
On 2011-04-15 23:21:18 +0100, Dave said:





On Apr 15, 10:58 pm, wrote:
In article94f7b283-74c6-4df2-abad-384bcc5b67e9
@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com, says...

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

Years ago I saw some black coated labels you marked by scratching,
and
the scratch showed white.

For permanent plantings I use aluminium labels marked with an ele
ctric
etcher. For veg garden and seed trays I use white plastic labels and a
black waterproof pen (lasts long enough for a season)

Janet

I use around 3000 labels a year, last year I planted out close to 5000
dahlias, I need something easy, cheap and reliable, hence the idea of
white on black labels

Dave, we get our labels from Longcombe Labels (I'm going to check that)
and have a label printer which works from Matthew's computer. Would
that be any good to you? It prints a row of four labels across at a
time and you can select tie-ons or stick-ins etc. If you want to know
more about it I'll get some info from Matthew. We've had this printer
quite a while so others may have come out that are even faster but it
does whiz through them terribly quickly.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Have a label printer but every time I load the varieties onto the
computer it crashed, so I havn't used it, but so many labels are one
off that hand writing is easier, Pricked out 400 dahlia seedlings
yesterday and have about the same again to do today, and when taking
dahlia cuttings I can be taking one of a variety or 40 so with around
300 varieties it gets to complicated to have to print them off,
differeny for plants going to customers, I'll have to try again with
the printer, after all it's a lot of money doing nothing.
David

Do you use special none-water based ink? Whenever I've got any printouts
even damp the ink just spreads and becomes unreadable.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In message , David in
Normandy writes
On 17/04/2011 10:52, Dave Hill wrote:
On Apr 16, 6:37 pm, wrote:
On 2011-04-15 23:21:18 +0100, Dave said:





On Apr 15, 10:58 pm, wrote:
In article94f7b283-74c6-4df2-abad-384bcc5b67e9
@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com, says...

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

Years ago I saw some black coated labels you marked by scratching,
and
the scratch showed white.

For permanent plantings I use aluminium labels marked with an ele
ctric
etcher. For veg garden and seed trays I use white plastic labels and a
black waterproof pen (lasts long enough for a season)

Janet

I use around 3000 labels a year, last year I planted out close to 5000
dahlias, I need something easy, cheap and reliable, hence the idea of
white on black labels

Dave, we get our labels from Longcombe Labels (I'm going to check that)
and have a label printer which works from Matthew's computer. Would
that be any good to you? It prints a row of four labels across at a
time and you can select tie-ons or stick-ins etc.


Have a label printer but every time I load the varieties onto the
computer it crashed, so I havn't used it, but so many labels are one
off that hand writing is easier,

Do you use special none-water based ink? Whenever I've got any
printouts even damp the ink just spreads and becomes unreadable.


Inkjet printouts presumably? The output from laser printers isn't water
soluble so doesn't have this problem.

but the sorts of label printers I've seen use some sort of thermal
process (technically, I guess lasers are a thermal process as well). Not
the old fax type thing that fades :-) but either direct onto the label ,
or using a printer ink ribbon
--
Chris French

On Apr 20, 3:03*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-04-17 09:52:56 +0100, Dave Hill said:





On Apr 16, 6:37 pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-04-15 23:21:18 +0100, Dave Hill sa
id:

On Apr 15, 10:58 pm, Janet wrote:
In article 94f7b283-74c6-4df2-abad-384bcc5b67e9
@r4g2000prm.googlegroups.com, says...

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?

Years ago I saw some black coated labels you marked by scratchi
ng,
and
the scratch showed white.

For permanent plantings I use aluminium labels marked with an
ele
ctric
etcher. For veg garden and seed trays I use white plastic labels an
d a
black waterproof pen (lasts long enough for a season)

Janet

I use around 3000 labels a year, last year I planted out close to 5000
dahlias, I need something easy, cheap and reliable, hence the idea of
white on black labels

Dave, we get our labels from Longcombe Labels (I'm going to check that)
and have a label printer which works from Matthew's computer. Would
that be any good to you? It prints a row of four labels across at a
time and you can select tie-ons or stick-ins etc. If you want to know
more about it I'll get some info from Matthew. We've had this printer
quite a while so others may have come out that are even faster but it
does whiz through them terribly quickly.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Have a label printer but every time I load the varieties onto the
computer it crashed, so I havn't used it, but so many labels are one
off that hand writing is easier, Pricked out 400 dahlia seedlings
yesterday and have about the same again to do today, and when taking
dahlia cuttings I can be taking one of a variety or 40 so with around
300 varieties it gets to complicated to have to print them off,
differeny for plants going to customers, I'll have to try again with
the printer, after all it's a lot of money doing nothing.
David

Okay, I finally remembered to look at the Nursery computer. *The
program is HLS Pro made by a company called Greenfield Software Ltd.
and the label printer is a Toshiba TEC. *I can't see a model number on
it.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thats what I have Sacha.
Got 1000dark green labels and 100 black bed labels yesterday so I will
be trying them with white ink against the normal white with black ink.

"Baz" wrote in message
...
Dave Hill wrote in news:94f7b283-74c6-4df2-
:

We have been going on about fading labels for a long time.
How about some lateral thinking.
How about dark or blach labels and white ink?


It seems that nobody beleives me that a pencil works on many surfaces.
Simple as it sounds.

Baz

Chinograph pencils may be better.

Bill