he production of lab labels has much advanced in the past few years. Even today handwriting on lab labels is still a practice in some labs, though it’s becoming very rare. Handwritten information is often difficult to read, it gets smeared or discolored easily, and is the most common way to get samples mixed up or inaccurately identified.
That is why most lab labels are printed right on the spot, either on small portable printers or on industrial printers. Sometimes it is necessary to label a specimen immediately, so the lab technicians have printers ready at hand.
For labels with barcodes, thermal transfer printers are the best choice. Thermal transfer labels are the most durable, smear-resistant and can be scanned multiple times. Digital printers are also very common types of lab label printers. Aside from thermal transfer and digital, lab labels can be printed in dot matrix or flexo technology.
Lab labels are often pre-printed with some sort of constant information, for example:
Other information is printed on the spot on lab label printers, or using applicators that are specially designed for application on straws, vials, tubes, etc.
Before you choose what kind of pre-printed lab label you want, it is advisable to check what kind of printers your lab uses.
