Labels

[Phil]

I bought a bunch of zinc labels, the kind with 2 wire legs, and wrote on them with a Sharpie, but they are already fading. I've seen references to using address labels printed with a computer as a more lasting solution. Does anyone do that?

[rockNhostas]

I have a Brother PT-1290 and you can get laminated label tape for it. Worth the investment.

[JoshS]

I printed on clear Avery labels with my laser printer in June and they are still looking like new. You must use a laser printer and laser labels. I used the wrong labels once and they were gone in a week.

[redcrx]

Try Wal-mart in their "art" section. Elmer's Painters - Opaque Paint Markers. It's like a Sharpie but with paint. I still testing them to see how long it lasts.

Point of interest - I have picked up plants with pencil on the tag. I know they are over 4 years old and still easily readable. The problem is the plastic weakens and breaks - pencil marks are stronger than plastic.

[isadora]

I use a grease pencil on my labels, zinc and otherwise. It doesn't fade but you can scrub it off if you need to. I buy them at the local office supply.

Sandy

[Phil]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't know you needed a laser printer, I only have an ink jet. I'll look into the other suggestions, thanks!

[thy]

Phil, try to do a serch, the Brother have been mentioned in other topics and there might be ideass for you.

Got a prof. paint marker ten years ago and it is still visible, lost it and have bought several new ones... but none of them have lasted for more than a few years
But you have give them more strenght by giving them a layer with a laque.. spray it on or... but do not know itf it will turn yellow in the sun

[Pieter]

I had heard for a number of years of people using Brother P-Touch labelers. When a local computer dealer had a seemingly very good deal on a model QL-570 I purchased one, only to find out it's NOT what most folks seem to use. I SHOULD have checked older posts to see what the favored model was, I just assumed the P-Touch designation was sufficient, my own fault. I kept the unit, even if it may not serve it's original intended purpose too well. It's a thermal printer and I have generated a fair number of labels with it now, both on tape as well as on paper, which I stick onto pieces of window blinds. Being thermal means the text won't smudge with rain or watering, the paper labels MAY have issues with adhesion once they become moist, time will tell, it's early days. There MAY prove to be a problem with text fading under prolonged direct sun exposure -too much heat-, but I have my doubts as most of my labels are for potted plants and those labels are typically well out of direct sun. Some of the supplies come as continuous material and allow you to change the size to suit your purpose. I'm going to experiment with sticking some slightly larger paper labels on the front of pots with a description of the plant, size, flower color etc. for use as a sales-aid for my driveway sales. I'll post a follow-up some time next year, along with some picture samples.

[Hosta_la_vista_baby]

Like rockNhosta, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Brother P-touch (different model than rockNhosta though -- got a PT2710) a few years ago. Brother has tapes that hold up very well for outdoor application; I use TZ-S135 for my plant markers. And I've found reasonable prices for the tape online.

Before I bought the P-touch, I used plastic knives... write the plant's name on the blade with a Sharpie, stick the blade in the ground and you will be able to read it for years to come! The upside of this is that it's really cost effective - I bought a box of white plastic knives at my local warehouse store for a very reasonable price; you can also pick them up at your local dollar store. The downside is that you obviously need to pull the knife out of the ground to ID the plant if you don't recognize it.

[boops]

I have been using plastic tags and write on them with Sharpie-has lasted all summer thru rain and sun. I have some of those with the metal stands and they look like they are fading, but have rubbed them with a rag and the writing appears darker after cleaning them off. But thats a pain, so now only use the plastic ones. The cheap white plastic ones written on with a pencil seem to last for years, may not look as nice, but at least you can read them clearly. I also now bury the tags that come with the plant (the ones with the pictures on them and description) very deep with only the very tops above ground as a secondary id in case the above ground ones get lost. I refuse to have any more Noids in my gardens.

[chohio]

I use the Brother P-Touch also. Went to their site and bought a reconditioned one cheap. Love it and it does nicely on all my labels.
Cher

[Tigger]

Ditto the info on P-touch: make sure the printer you buy can take the laminated tape.

If you have a laser printer, the Avery weatherproof address labels work very well, and fit on the usual zinc label platform. Their big advantage for me was allowing me to set up my database (Excel workbook) of plant names, with species or registration date or whatever as appropriate, and running a mail merge in Word to output multi-line formatted labels. We ran over 200 labels this year for a garden tour, a task I couldn't imagine doing with a P-touch in the timeframe we had.

David

[peggy_hosta]

Sharpies fade REAL fast. Not uv resistant at all. I've had good luck with a marker called 'The Garden Marker". Usually get 2 years of legibility with it. Others use a uv resistant label tape by Brother.
Peggy

[rosemarie]

Last year I started printing on plastic t-labels with P-touch clear tape w/black print.# TZe-151. I ran one through the washing machine,( not on purpose of course) and it came out great.We will see haw they go over this winter.I love the clear tape and I do it on my computer.

[Phil]

I think I'm going to try a Sharpie Paint Marker before investing in label capability.

[thy]

If you have a map of the garden with the names on it, nothing can go really bad. Just find the paper or file... be sure to hide it different places, it is not fun when you can not find the paper any more.
Birds love to play with plant labels during the winther.

[Schattenfreude]

I also used Avery #15661 clear labels (1" x 4") with my laser printer and they still look new 2 years later. If you don't have a laser printer, simply take your Excel file on a flash drive to Kinkos or FedEx and use their printers for a small fee. The uniformity of all your markers really looks classy. And like David mentioned, you can print off a hundred in seconds...

hosta tag.jpg (29.65 KiB) Viewed 2398 times

Kevin in KC

[Phil]

I finally went "all in" with the labels.



WHY ISN'T IT SPRING YET?????

[kHT]

This looks like a great idea, I used markers on my metal stakes but the writing is all gone and the squirrels love taking off with the metal.

[rosemarie]

I use my Ptouch printer, black -on-clear tape on plastic tags and so far they seem to be working! In fact one of my labels accidntely went thru' the wash and came out great, but time will tell. But printing with the Ptouch is so easy, I really like it, that plus my printing and handwritiing are so awful, half the time I can't even read them. Also my Ptouch is hooked up to my computer which makes it even easier.