Laser Labels Remain Hot Sellers

Distributors can profit from end-user mailing and product identification needs.

What's not to love about laser labels? The adhesive-oozing, printer-jamming and label-curling snafus have, essentially, been eliminated, the technology is more affordable than ever, and customers find them indispensable products for a variety of home and office uses.

Although emerging technologies can wreak havoc on some traditional product lines, for the foreseeable future, suppliers such as Continental Datalabel, Elgin, Ill., and North Mankato, Minnesota-based Label Works expect laser labels to hold their own. "They are definitely a valuable product line for us," noted Katherine Bjorndahl, marketing coordinator for Label Works. "Sales remain steady, and we have seen growth."

Bjorndahl explained that stock products—available blank or printed with senders' information—feature a variety of pre-printed color border designs and come as 31⁄3x4˝ mailing labels printed six up on 81⁄2x11˝ sheets. "As simple as it may seem, designs that specify 'to' and 'from' are among the most popular," she added. "We also get more requests for border designs printed in red and blue."

In addition, Label Works offers 26 configurations for its custom laser label products, including media storage applications for CD-ROMs, diskettes, videos and audio cassettes. Many are compatible with today's most popular label software packages.

Said Melinda Fulton, marketing manager at Continental DataLabel, "Anyone who would use a label is a potential customer." The company provides stock and custom products for distributors, as well as other printers, and address and shipping labels make up the bulk of the orders—including legal-sized laser sheets measuring 81⁄2x14˝ containing two 41⁄4x13˝ labels that are perfect for corner wrapping applications. The labels may be separated at a perf to produce two 41⁄4x61⁄2˝ labels.

"There are many other applications for laser labels," Fulton continued. "For instance, we're doing a custom label for a group of libraries using a special polyester laser material. There are 64 labels on an 81⁄2x11˝ sheet that end-users will bar code on laser printers and use to track the books. We also offer laser transcription labels, which are available in 8x1˝ and 8x2˝ designs," she said. "They have perforations every inch or every two inches, and are used to conceal data on various medical documents and to add information."