[Nhcoll-l] Tissue storage inventory, organization and labelling

Fri Sep 19 02:57:42 EDT 2025

Dear Lucy,

I would like to add a few points to this discussion, as I recently carried out research in Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Genève (Switzerland) on the challenges of cryogenic labelling in scientific collections.

One of the main difficulties is that cryogenic tubes are generally made of polypropylene, a polymer with a very low surface energy, which means that very few adhesives can bond to it reliably. In addition, the adhesive must retain its properties at very low temperatures.

This is also why some suppliers ask whether the labels will be applied to tubes that are already frozen: this determines the choice of adhesive, as it must be able to adhere even in the presence of a thin film of water or frost on the plastic surface at the time of application.

More broadly, my personal goal is always to prioritize the long-term preservation of collections. For this reason, I am usually reluctant to use plastics, as their long-term stability remains uncertain and I prefer to use more stable materials such as paper or cardboard whenever possible.
However, in this specific context, the labels must be extremely durable and we fortunately benefit from extensive experience in the medical field and tissue banks, where this type of material is widely used.

In those fields, thermal transfer printing is commonly used: it fuses resin-based ink onto a plasticized surface. There are mainly two types of ribbons:

  *   polyester-based ribbons,
  *   PVC-based ribbons (polyvinyl chloride).

From a preventive conservation perspective, it is advisable to avoid PVC, as it contains chlorine, a very reactive element, and instead to use polyester-based ribbons.

The type of printer should also be chosen according to your needs: “desktop”, “semi-industrial” and “industrial” models mainly differ in terms of their capacity and durability, depending on the number of labels you plan to print per year. It is also important to note that these printers do not print A4 sheets but individual labels.

Finally, if you plan to link the label editing platform to your databases, this can range from very simple systems to highly complex solutions. Some companies offer this integration as part of their services, but not all do, so it is essential to involve your IT department as early as possible in the project. They will be able to advise you and support the technical implementation. There are also simpler systems available, working like mail merge with an Excel file, where you can define the fields and layout.

I hope this information helps you in your project. Please feel free to contact me directly if you would like to discuss this further.

Best regards,
Marion Billot

De : Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> De la part de Mariel Campbell
Envoyé : jeudi, 18 septembre 2025 23:00
À : Juan Munoz <juan at eiminc.com>
Cc : nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Objet : Re: [Nhcoll-l] Tissue storage inventory, organization and labelling

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Lucy, I second what Juan suggests. We use label material that can be applied to cold vials (-80C and even -194C), and will adhere in liquid nitrogen. We also use barcodes for object tracking as well as separate labels with human readable text printed on this material. I'd be happy to provide additional information if you wish to reach out personally.
Sincerely,

Mariel Campbell   (she/her)
Collection Manager, Division of Genomic Resources
Museum of Southwestern  Biology
1 University of New Mexico
MSC03 2020
Albuquerque, NM 87131
campmlc at unm.edu<mailto:campmlc at unm.edu>

On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 2:13 PM Juan Munoz <juan at eiminc.com<mailto:juan at eiminc.com>> wrote:
Hi Lucy,

As a representative of a label supplier to the cryogenic storage space, I will keep my response ethical in this forum (avoiding solicitation) and only speak about what to consider when choosing a label material.

  *   Will you and your team be labeling tubes that are already frozen? If so, you may want to choose a label that performs far lower than -80°C (and even those can have a difficult time bonding to a frozen surface that’s building frost during the relabeling process)
  *   What type of printer will you be using? Thermal transfer is popular as they are able to print small barcodes. The thermal ribbon would need to be compatible with the label’s face-stock and with the right combination, the print is highly durable and can resist most preservation fluids.

Those two items are the biggest things to consider. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Juan Munoz
Director of Technical Solutions | Electronic Imaging Materials, Inc.
barcode-labels.com<http://www.barcode-labels.com/> | 20 Forge St. | Keene, NH  03431 | 603.283.9638

[cid:image001.png at 01DC2943.749BAFA0]

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Lucy Smith
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2025 3:47 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Tissue storage inventory, organization and labelling

Hello,

I am currently embarking on the task of undertaking a complete inventory of the New Brunswick Museum’s zoology tissue and DNA extraction collection stored at -80°C. The end goal of this will be to get every sample correctly and reliably labelled, and to incorporate a barcode-ready organization system.

For the labels, we have tried several brands of marker and label sticker options and have yet to find anything that does not eventually peel or wipe off when exposed to condensation or preservation solution. Ideally, we want to move away from hand-writing our labels to printing. We have historically sought out cold-storage options as opposed to true cryopreservation labels which offer a far lower freezing point. Are these worth the cost for those with experience, or are self-laminating labels a better option?

I am currently finding an overwhelming amount of information to sift through preparing for this project and at this point would appreciate any guidance to help direct my research. If anyone has undertaken a similar project, or dealt with the same label issues, I would welcome tips, resources, or links to any standards of practice I might not be aware of.

Thank you!

Cheers,

Lucy L. Smith
Curatorial Assistant, Invertebrates
Imaging Lab Technician
Department of Natural History
New Brunswick Museum | Musée du Nouveau Brunswick
(506) 607-5241

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Marion BILLOT
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Invertébrés

T. +41 22 418 6459
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Muséum d'histoire naturelle (MHN)
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