[Nhcoll-l] Labeling Systems for Fluid Preserved Specimens

Sun Oct 30 05:36:01 EDT 2022

Hello all,

I`ve been following these discussions for several years.

Actually, labels from classic laser printers could also be suitable. The
black toner is chemically harmless and resistant to
aging. The problem, however, is that the toner is only on the surface of
the paper and the letters may dissolute off the paper
after some time. One way to improve this situation is to run the paper
through the printer a second time (like printing a blank
page) or to re-fix the labels with an iron. My tests have shown no
problems with such labels (in tests, the labels were shaken in
bottles of Et-OH for two weeks - with lab-shakers).

A promising alternative could be the use of synthetic "paper" - paper of
synthetic high-density polyethylene fibers or poyethylene
film. 
Meanwhile, such polyethylene paper is available in age-resistant quality
(European archive standard ISO 9706).
At this "paper", the toner apparently bonds insolubly to the surface. It
is resistant to a variety of solvents (including alcohol
and additives such as butanone and denatonium).

I'm running some tests on it right now.

Many greetings
Joachim

--  
Joachim Haendel

Center of Natural Sciences Collections
of the Martin Luther University
- Entomological Collection -

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone:  +49 345 - 55 26 447
Fax:  +49 345 - 55 27 248

Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de

>>> "Lazo-Wasem, Eric" <eric.lazo-wasem at yale.edu> 28.10.2022, 18:11 >>>

I too have used multiple versions of the Datamax printers (six or seven
units), particularly the I-Class versions for about 20
years, all purchased from Alpha Systems.  My assessment:

PRINT HEAD CONDITION IS KEY.  Once they wear out, about all you can do
is shift your printing to a different side if feasible. 
For example, we mainly print one 2” x 3” label on 4” wide preservation
tag, and various variants smaller.  When a print head wore
excessively on the left, we shifted the label template (all in Word) to
print farther to the right; this bought us another year or
two.  One workhorse printed 50K 1” x 3” microscope tray labels (fit
directly under the slide with full data) in less than three
years, so the units really last.  Finding a cutter is very important to
reduce waste.  If you can find a unit that has not been
used beyond normal service life (we generally would by a new unit to
phase in after about 6 years or so) and use settings trickery
and the label shift I described above, I am sure you can get good
quality labels with a used unit.

I have used 180, 300, and 600 dpi versions. I bought one 600 dpi version
and do not like it nearly as much as the 300 dpi; for our
purposes print quality was actually better.  For our 0.75” x 1.75”
labels (go into 2 dram vial) we use 6 point type and find that
600 dpi makes the letters too fine and hard to read.  With 300 dpi,
Franklin Gothic Medium produces crisp, non-embellished text. 
For the 600 dpi we had to switch to a bolder font and now the labels are
acceptable.

I have no experience with the CAB Squid printers and hope to retire
before I have to switch to something new!

Eric

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Bentley,
Andrew Charles
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2022 10:21 AM
To: Andrews, Tom <Tom_Andrews1 at baylor.edu>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Labeling Systems for Fluid Preserved Specimens

Hi Tom

I think the correct brand for these printers is Datamax which was taken
over by Honeywell.  We have been using Datamax printers
for over 15 years here at KU and have had no issues with the two models
we have used – Prodigy Max and the I-Class Mark II.  They
were both very reliable with little to no down time or need for repairs.
We are still using the I-Class Mark II and it has been
going strong for over 10 years now servicing multiple divisions at the
museum through a network connectiHoneywell are nowhere near as reliable and have numerous
issues.  The company that supplied our Datamax printers, Alpha Systems,
has since stopped recommending these printers and moved
over to CAB Squib printers instead (see attached), that are supposed to
be much more reliable and user friendly.  Their pricing
and recommendations are also attached.

I have not heard of anyone buying a used Datamax printer, but, if
treated correctly, Datamax printers can last a long time and as
such, if you are able to get your hands on a second hand Datamax
I-series printer (the Prodigy Max is very outdated now) and funds
are scarce, I would suggest that you go for it (from a quick search it
looks like they run about $1000-1300 on eBay and other
sites).  It also looks like new ones are still to be had at a discount
like here:
https://www.barcodediscount.com/catalog/datamax-o-neil/part-i13-00-43000007.htm
[https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barcodediscount.com%2Fcatalog%2Fdatamax-o-neil%2Fpart-i13-00-43000007.htm&data=05%7C01%7Ceal5%40connect.yale.edu%7C759642a7118c45a8ca4e08dab8efbc93%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638025637231181236%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zZEBgRckscTdz3Yn3WwHDeMyfoyyIjlfIlzQ95S28SE%3D&reserved=0].
Just a heads up that network cards and optional cutters may not be
included but can probably be found as aftermarket add ons. 
Also, I would suggest that you purchase a 300 dpi or higher (model
I-4310 or I-4606) to get the best quality print.  Also make
sure that you are buying one that predates the Honeywell takeover. 
However, if you can afford the attached, I would suggest going
with a new CAB printer and save the hassle of not knowing the condition
of a second hand printer.  The print head is the most
important part of the printer and the most expensive to replace.  If
this has been damaged or over used in any way, the printer
may be useless.  It is important to keep the print head free from dust
or other contaminants in order to ensure good printing
quality but other than that, the printer requires very little if any
maintenance.  They can be a little tricky to set up initially
and to get the settings just right for ideal print quality but there are
lots of people in the museum community using them now so
that should not be a problem.  Ribbon and media can be ordered through
Alpha System regardless of whether you buy a printer from
them.

Hope that helps

Andy

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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute

Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard [x-apple-data-detectors://9/]
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 [x-apple-data-detectors://9/]
USA [x-apple-data-detectors://9/]

Tel: (785) 864-3863 [tel:%28785%29%20864-3863]
Fax: (785) 864-5335 [tel:%28785%29%20864-5335] 
Email: abentley at ku.edu [abentley at ku.edu]  

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258
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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]> On Behalf Of Andrews, Tom
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2022 11:27 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu [nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu]
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Labeling Systems for Fluid Preserved Specimens

Hello Colleagues,

We have a fairly sizable backlog of fluid preserved specimens that we
need to make labels for. (Vast majority are in a 55%
solution of IPA) In the past, we had used a typewriter that was proven
to give good results even after decades in fluid (many
labels made on this machine dating back to the 1960’s still look as good
as when they were made) but at some point it was
discovered that modern ribbons are of a different spec and no longer
stand up well in fluid. As a result, we have handwritten our
labels for several years but now need to come up with something more
manageable for labelling several hundred specimens.

In reading through past messages here and other literature on the topic,
it appears that Thermal Transfer printers are the way to
go, but it seems that the Duramax which are usually recommended are no
longer produced and the Honeywell printers appear to be a
not totally satisfactory replacement. A quick search shows that the
Duramax printers are readily available second-hand. My idea
was to try to acquire one of these since they are a known quantity and
as an added bonus much less costly than the new printers.

My question is, has anyone gone this route before and to those who have
used the Duramax over the years, is it feasible to
maintain them without outside assistance?

Kind regards,

Tom Andrews

Collections Assistant

Tom_Andrews1 at baylor.edu [Tom_Andrews1 at baylor.edu]

254-710-1194

Mayborn Museum Complex

Baylor University

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