Begin by asking yourself a few basic questions to help you decide what type of labeling system you need.
1. Will the information on the bin labels be changed frequently?
a. No = may determine what type of label stock to use, i.e., label or tag, synthetic or paper
b. Yes = insert tags and sleeves may be a good answer, over labeling may also be okay depending on how the over labeling is done.
2. To help determine what type of adhesives to use on the label:
a. What are the temperature ranges in your warehouse?
b. Does condensation form on the steel bins where you will be placing the labels?
3. What is the environment like in your warehouse? This answer affect the type of label, i.e., paper or synthetic.
a. Clean
b. Dusty/dirty/oily
4. Label sizes:
a. How far away from the bin do you want humans and/or scanners to be able to read the information on the labels 5 feet - 20 feet – 40 feet?
b. What is the height of the surface in the area that the label will adhered to?
c. How much information will you require on the label
5. What type of printer will you use to print the label?
a. Thermal Transfer
b. Laser
c. Inkjet
d. Dot Matrix
6. Will the bin labels and labels be cleaned? If so, what will you use to clean them? Some inks, used to print label information, can be damaged by cleaning agents.
7. How many bins do you need to identify?
I hope this helps.
Bill
wkelley@intellitech-intl.com