The primary purpose of any label is to communicate information. The most common listing is for price. Additionally, labels can relay brand names, expiration dates, sell by dates, manufacturing dates, or product codes. More than this logistical data, however, the shape, size, and color of price tags can express discounts, deals, or specials. When you use these features in conjunction with the actual information displayed on the label, you are automatically adding more to the message.

Shape

The standard shape of labels is rectangular or square. For labels with a bit more dash than the practical straight-edge varieties, store owners may want to take a look at the Meto and Towa label applicator brands. Meto labels have a distinct wave on the vertical sides of the rectangle. The effect is significantly more dramatic than many other labels, thus that much more eye-catching. Towa offers a bit of a compromise between the standard shapes and the winged Meto. Towa labels have holes punched out at the top and bottom of the tag, created as a result of the gun’s alignment system. Regardless, the result is a classic looking tag that is neither standard nor extreme.

Size

If the product you’re selling is a food or beverage, you may have more information to convey than, say, for a garment. In that case, a larger or multi-lined tag would be appropriate for listing data, such as the sell by date. Aside from the space needed for including essential information, the size of the label can help draw attention to the price. If you are tagging a new price, a larger tag covering the older price completely will make the decrease clear to customers.

Color

Color is the most obvious indicator of a special sale event. A fluorescent color will be immediately apparent where a white tag may go unnoticed without a deliberate search for it. If there is a special event, particularly for a clearance sale, maximizing your use of color with a bright neon green or a bold orange could help you reduce your inventory faster.

If you have an event in which prices are marked down at different rates (maybe some items at a 15% discount and others at 25%), using tags or stickers of different colors are ideal for marking which items are being discounted at which rate. That way your clients can take in this information at a glance, thereby eliminating confusion.

When you’re in the middle of pricing hundreds of items on the shelves of your store, the last thing you want to worry about is a sudden problem with your price gun. Here is a quick list of tips to help prevent issues from developing while you use your price gun.

Jamming

• Use branded labels rather than imitations. Imitation labels use lower quality adhesives and backing paper that may gum up or jam the tool.
• Be sure to read the directions of how to load the labels properly.

Alignment

• While some price guns will align automatically, older ones may need to be manually aligned. Before you start pricing, make sure the printed text is in the proper place, and if it’s not, adjust it.  The various models differ in exactly where the manual adjustment is located.  Please refer to your user manual.

Ink Rollers

• Some ink rollers fasten directly into the gun while others are held in place with an extra piece that snaps into the price gun. If your tool has such a piece, DO NOT throw it away when you are changing ink rollers.
• Unless you don’t mind large ink stains on your fingers, wear gloves when changing ink rollers. Also, don’t let the new or used ink rollers touch anything.
• When your ink begins to fade, you should replace the ink roller immediately. Rollers are usually good for up to 20,000 impressions, but this will also depend on the model.
• Use price guns consistently for the best results. When they are left for long periods of time unused, the ink will dry out and only produce a faded impression.
• Do not try to re-ink a spent roller. Replace it, instead.

Print Bands

• Clean the print bands with a soft brush. Using solvents will melt the bands.
• If a print band is broken, it should be professionally repaired.

Pimp My Price Gun

If you work with a price gun every day in your job, the excitement you start with may fade over time as the hundreds of baked bean cans pass through your hands. Here’s a fun project to keep yourself engaged, give yourself a creative outlet, and maybe even draw a little attention. If the label gun isn’t yours, though, make sure you clear any project with a supervisor. You don’t want to end up being blamed for defacing company property, after all.

Ink Sketching

If you have a cool design in mind, grab a pen and sketch it onto the handle or body of the price gun. A graceful vine of ivy could wind its way over everything or you could stamp the Transformers icon to the side of the barrel. You could also go with the company name or logo for something a little safer.

Stickers

Grab any decal, sticker, postage stamp, etc. that you like and smack it on. To protect your creation and preserve its magnificence, paint a coat of clear acrylic finish over the stickers. This will both keep the pictures clean and prevent edges from curling up and snagging.

Painting

Like ink sketching, if you have an image in mind, flesh it out onto the gun and then color it in with the right paints. It’s a bit more involved, but will have a more striking effect. Just make sure that you allow for drying time before you use it again. You could also use spray paint for solid coats of color. In either case, it may be a good idea to apply more than one coat. For an extra measure of safety, apply tape to the areas you don’t want painted and simply remove it afterward. You may be able to take apart some price guns for greater manipulation of each part, but make sure you can put it back together again!

Bedazzling

A few rhinestones and some glue can get your price gun to sparkle. You could have a couple around the mouth, in a line along the top, in a pattern you make yourself, spelling out the store’s name, or just covering whole sections of the gun in thick, shiny bands.

Engraving

Get a hold of an engraving kit and carve the store’s name, the address and phone number, your name, the logo, etc. onto the body.

Covering

Pick out some fabric and trace the shape you want onto a piece of paper. After cutting out the shape, apply a line of hot glue to the price gun body and carefully fit the fabric over it. As with painting, if there are areas you want to protect against the glue, put tape over them or disassemble the gun to work on each part separately.
Adding an extra something special to the tools you work with every day is one of the easiest ways to liven things up. Take your time planning something out and you’ll enjoy every moment you use your price gun.

Identifying the prep and pull dates and times on food has always been a challenge.  Restaurant and catering owners must train employees to properly mark containers with the necessary date and time in order to meet health and safety standards.  Without a labeling system of some kind, hand writing each label is the only option.  Hand writing the date and time on food containers is time consuming, not uniform, and sometimes all together illegible.  As health inspectors become increasingly concerned about food prep standards and identification, the pressure to have a food labeling system in place is more important than ever.

Using a label gun is one of the most economical ways for restaurants to tackle the challenge of dating food.  These hand held guns are very portable, quick to work with, and provide a very clear print on the label.  Your employees are able to change the date with a simple turn of a dial knob.  A container can be marked every second, saving you significant time.

Using a Monarch 1131 label gun will allow the printing of just a single date an time stamp.  With a Monarch 1136-04, you can print two different date and time codes on one label.  This is useful when both a pack and pull date is necessary.

If you are a restaurant manager looking for an efficient way to label food containers, call B&B Supply today and we’ll not only help get your prep area operating more efficiently, but get the inspector off your back as well.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching you can be sure that guys of all ages will be purchasing gifts for their sweeties in the coming weeks.  The last thing that a man was to hassle with is adhesive residue left on the gift from a pricing tag.  This can be avoided if a removable grade adhesive sticker is used.  A Monarch 1131 is a great choice for such an application.  It can be ordered in a variety of print options and the labels can have a general purpose or removable glue.

If you feel more comfortable with the general purpose glue, we have 1131 price stickers in many fluorescent color options.  Now that red box of candy, black jewelry box, and yellow vase can all have different color Monarch 1131 labels that will stand out and help grab the customer’s attention.  Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all!