Easy Systainer Labels

[Packard]

Take heed! The adhesive is insanely difficult to remove from those vinyl drafting table covers.

3M does market a solvent for that. I would not know where to find it though. Leaving vegetable oil on the surface overnight will allow you to remove the adhesive with soapy water. But the oil will be runnny. Mayonnaise is about 80% vegetable oil and does not run, and is a viable choice.

But, yes (and I mentioned it in my post) the 3M adhesive transfer tape will be difficult to clean off.

 

[Cheese]

I'll try to touch on many of the points described here with an example of what I use to label Systainers.
The white, printable PVC cards that fit the Systainers are nominally 86mm x 54mm. The matte Festool label covers, 497855, are labeled as 85mm x 55mm, yet when measured with a dial caliper they are actually 86mm x 54mm go figure?
I use Bodno white PVC cards purchased on Amazon. Photo 1
I use Online Labels OL5030WJ white, matte, weather proof labels for an inkjet printer. https://www.onlinelabels.com/templates/blank/ol5030
Online Labels offer 6 different templates to aid in designing the labels. I prefer to use Maestro Label Designer.
Each label is designed separately and can then be added to the template for printing. I'll usually print 8 labels (1 sheet) at a time. Each label is scored on 4 sides for easy removal. Photos 2 - 4.
Finished result photo 5
These labels can be removed in 1-piece from the PVC card or from the Systainer. If any adhesive remains, it can be removed with a quick wipe of Goo Gone on a paper towel.

 

[Packard]

I use Online Labels OL5030WJ white, matte, weather proof labels for an inkjet printer.

I printed some short run business cards using a laser printer and had them in my wallet for a while and they were fine.

I did the same with an ink jet printer (for which Avery specifies a laser printer), put them in my wallet and the ink smeared.

Of course you are not putting a Systainer in your wallet, but have you had any problems with smearing?

 

[hdv]

My experience is similar: inkjet printed label are not durable, laser printer printed ones have stood the test of time.

 

[peter halle]

I perhaps am a printer snob and after having the early inkjet printers I went color laser and am so glad. When we used to use a lot of toner I went to off brands. That mistake was cured after a leakage inside the printer. Now only genuine Brother toners for the black and white printer and HP for the color.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

I printed some short run business cards using a laser printer and had them in my wallet for a while and they were fine.

I did the same with an ink jet printer (for which Avery specifies a laser printer), put them in my wallet and the ink smeared.

Of course you are not putting a Systainer in your wallet, but have you had any problems with smearing?

Nope, not at all, actually I'm very surprised at how well they're holding up because I had to clean a couple of Systainer labels last year and they cleaned up very nicely.

I found an extra couple of labels this morning so I thoroughly wetted a piece of paper towel with some water and scrubbed across the surface 50 times, photo 1 is the result.
I then rotated the paper towel 180º and scrubbed across the surface of the same label an additional 50 times and photo 2 is the result.
Photo 3 just shows the wet paper towel and the label before scrubbing.

I may try this again using Windex with ammonia and see what happens.

 

[Packard]

On the subject of making labels, someone had a gift to wrap but ran out of scotch tape:

 

[Crazyraceguy]

On the subject of making labels, someone had a gift to wrap but ran out of scotch tape:

It even identifies as tape.

 

[peter halle]

Cute. Could have used NOT TAPE and then had to answer the questions.

Peter

 

[Packard]

It made me chuckle. By writing “TAPE” (or any 4 letter all caps word) the tape dispenser would feed out a fixed amount of “TAPE”. I’m not sure how the Brother unit would dispense a fixed amount of tape otherwise.

When I was in college, someone stapled 8-1/2” x 11” printed signs on all the trees surrounding the quadrangle that said “Tree”. That also made me chuckle.

And when I retired, I printed business cards that simply said “Packard” (but actually said my IRL first name) and nothing else. Some people chuckle, but more that that think it is just stupid. (But sometimes my first name is all the information I care to give out.). When the situation calls for it I will hand write additional information.

 

[Cheese]

I may try this again using Windex with ammonia and see what happens.

For the doubters out there, tonight I tried the same test on the weather proof labels with Windex + ammonia.
1. Paper towel soaked in Windex + ammonia as a control
2. Windex soaked paper towel after 50 cleaning strokes
3. Windex soaked paper towel rotated 180º and then used for an additional 50 cleaning strokes
4. Comparison between the H₂O soaked paper towel and the Windex soaked paper towel. They appear to be for all practical purposes the same, with the interesting thing being the first 50 passes seems to remove more ink material from the label while the last 50 passes removes less material in both cases.

A great World Series game is going on by the way.

 

[onocoffee]

but more that that think it is just stupid.

These are the simple methods to determine who to associate with. They think it's "stupid" - then they are the ones who are no fun at the club.

 

[Packard]

Nope, not at all, actually I'm very surprised at how well they're holding up because I had to clean a couple of Systainer labels last year and they cleaned up very nicely.

I found an extra couple of labels this morning so I thoroughly wetted a piece of paper towel with some water and scrubbed across the surface 50 times, photo 1 is the result.
I then rotated the paper towel 180º and scrubbed across the surface of the same label an additional 50 times and photo 2 is the result.
Photo 3 just shows the wet paper towel and the label before scrubbing.

I may try this again using Windex with ammonia and see what happens.

I see that Avery is now marketing specially formulated business card blanks for inkjet printers. That was either not the case 5 years ago, or perhaps Staples never carried the inkjet formulated cards.

I suspect that the pressure of being in a wallet, the slight movement of cards against cards, and the slightly humid environment of a pocket due to sweat, made the cards smear.

Either Avery changed the surface texture for the inkjet cards, or they specify how the cards must be stored, or (likely) there has been an improvement in inkjet technology.

The next time I print cards I will test them with inkjet.

Addendum: Since retiring, I rarely print anything and inkjet printers do not like to be left idle. It seemed that I had to take remedial steps to clear the inkjets each time I used it and I just remembered that I bought a laser printer to replace it. I still have the inkjet printer, but it has been idle for over a year, so I will not be testing the newly formulated cards.

 

[Allano]

I see that Avery is now marketing specially formulated business card blanks for inkjet printers.

Given that dedicated label printers for almost credit card sized labels are so cheap, I see no reason for keeping an inkjet printers around for this purpose. Unless one wants colors.

 

[hdv]

I promised to look up what labels I use for my laser printer.

They are Avery L7911

Here's a photo of my first aid kit with these labels on them. I estimate they must be at least 7 years in use now. I admit they are not exposed to heavy wear and tear, but there is no fading or peeling at all. I am quite satisfied with them.

 

[COBill]

On the subject of making labels, someone had a gift to wrap but ran out of scotch tape:

I like to wrap gifts with shipping cling wrap.

 

[Packard]

I like to wrap gifts with shipping cling wrap.

I used to wrap gifts using the colored funny section in the weekend newspaper. Colorful and free (if you are going to buy the newspaper anyway). It always made the birthday person smile. A good sign.

Do newspapers still have colored funny section?

 

[PaulMarcel]

I used to wrap gifts using the colored funny section in the weekend newspaper. Colorful and free (if you are going to buy the newspaper anyway). It always made the birthday person smile. A good sign.

Do newspapers still have colored funny section?

I had forgotten about printed newspapers, let alone the printed colored funny section where I'd transfer Snoopy to a pad of Silly Putty then stretch his nose to be that of an Afghan Hound