[Michlib-l] Fading Labels

[Deb Hemmye]

I purchased a very expensive (around $1,200) Zebra thermal transfer printer after doing lots of research and after my tech processing staff member complained about his Dymo label fading so quickly. The thermal transfer printer seems designed primarily for creating barcodes for warehouses. It's significantly more complicated to use, although my staff are using it, and it was very hard to find small labels for it. They all seem to be short and wide, like a barcode, instead of tall and narrow like a spine label. I also could not find any colors except white, and I was hoping to make our children's spine labels a different color to help mitigate shelving errors. The labels I finally found wrap around the books more than I like, but the bigger problem is that they are shiny and shortly after we began using them, a book was returned with a completely blank spine label! Although they don't initially rub off easily, over time we discovered that they do. So we now cover them with tape even though the label itself sticks just fine and doesn't require tape, just the printing requires a tape cover. 

Anyway, good luck to everyone. I have found this to be a largely unsolvable problem and, although I will continue with my thermal transfer printer, it isn't the surefire answer I hoped it would be. If anyone has a good (i.e. not shiny) spine label for thermal transfer printers, please do pass it on! 

Deb Hemmye 
Library Director 
Huntington Woods Public Library 
26415 Scotia Road 
Huntington Woods, MI 48070 
248-543-9720, ext. 686 

"But without questions, there can be no knowledge." 
>From When Women Were Dragons , by Kelly Barnhill 


From: "Michlib" <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
To: "Jessica Himstedt" <jessica.himstedt at mcc.edu>, "Michlib" <michlib-l at mcls.org>, "Bosman Jr, Donald" <dbosman at msu.edu> 
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 1:30:42 PM 
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels 

We are having the exact same issue and I have not experienced this before. It is driving me bonkers. I'm very interested in any solutions. 

Amy Nolan 
Children's Librarian 
Lincoln Township Public Library 
2099 W. John Beers Rd., Stevensville, MI 49127 
(269) 429-9575 ext. 119 

From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org> on behalf of Bosman Jr, Donald via Michlib-l <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 10:30 AM 
To: Jessica Himstedt <jessica.himstedt at mcc.edu>; michlib-l at mcls.org <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels 


Dymo label printers are thermal printers. They heat the label to make an image. Fast and temporary until heat, age or UV affect the label. 

You want thermal transfer printers that use heat to iron on, or heat transfer, resin from a carrier ribbon to polyester or polypropylene label stock. 

The question will be, does your catalog program support thermal transfer printers. 



Don Bosman 

Information Technologist 

MSU Libraries 

366 W. Circle Drive - Rm.W441 

East Lansing, MI 48824-1048 

517-884-0873 








From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org> On Behalf Of Jessica Himstedt via Michlib-l 
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 8:32 AM 
To: michlib-l at mcls.org 
Subject: [Michlib-l] Fading Labels 





Greetings! 





I am currently using a Dymo Labelwriter 450 for call number labels. They come in a roll. They have been fading terribly fast and I'm wondering if anyone else is having the same issue, and if so, how are you dealing with it? Any info would be greatly appreciated. 








Thanks! 





Jessica Himstedt, MLIS 


Librarian - Acquisitions/Cataloging 


Secretary - MCC DEI Council - Executive Council 


Secretary - MCC DEI Council - Workforce Partnerships Council 


Mott Community College Library 


1401 E. Court Street 


Flint, MI 48503 


810.762.5649 


[ mailto:jessica.himstedt at mcc.edu | jessica.himst ] [ mailto:jessica.himstedt at mcc.edu | edt at mcc.edu ] 


she/her/herself 





"There is nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for his/her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book." - Jodi Picoult 














The mission of Mott Community College is to provide high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services that cultivate student success and individual development and improve the overall quality of life in a multicultural community. 




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