EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: Circlotron on September 15, 2015, 05:52:41 am
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Looking for white self-adhesive labels approx 15mm x 4mm to stick on 20 pin DIP micros to show software rev number. Looked all over the place. Does anyone know where to buy these?
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For pretty much the same application we used a sticky plastic foil that is on a non adhesive paper you can get in any better office supplies place, plus a cutting plotter. You print out the pattern you want, then run it through the cutting plotter and you have whatever shape and size you want.
For real bulk applications you want a label printer, for which you can get a specific tape with precut shapes and sizes. You pick your printer and then consult the manufacturer.
Also, after a quick google search, this company looks to offer what you want:
http://www.onlinelabels.com/material_white_matte_labels.htm (http://www.onlinelabels.com/material_white_matte_labels.htm)
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I use Avery L6008 Heavy Duty Silver Labels (http://www.averyproducts.com.au/avery/en_au/Products/Labels/Industrial-%26-Heavy-Duty-Labels/Durable-Metallic-Heavy-Duty-Labels-L6008-3780-Pack-25.4-x-10-mm_959200.htm?N=4294962982&Ns=Rank|0||Product Number|1&refchannel=fa76b5cb923d2310VgnVCM100000a1210c0aRCRD).
Not sure if they come in white versions, but they are very strong and reliable. Once stuck on, they won't come off (although they are removable with a some effort). They fit perfectly on EEPROMs; not sure if they are a little too long for your purposes. As with all Avery products, the templates come included in Microsoft Word. The metallic ones are great for covering the UV windows on EPROMs.
Attached is a photo I just took...
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I will also add that if you're looking to buy laser or inkjet printable labels, you probably won't find any smaller than 10mm across one edge. The labels still need enough area to be able to bend around the printer rollers and not lift off the page and bugger up your printer.
If you need small labels, you might look at just getting yourself one of those hand-held label printers (like Dymo or Brother products). They have tape widths down to 6mm and they can be as long or as short as you like depending on the font size. The other obvious advantage of using rolls of labels instead of sheets is that you won't waste an entire sheet if you just want to print one or a couple of labels at a time (you're not supposed to feed sheets through printers multiple times).
I have a Dymo LabelManager 280 which works as a standalone printer but also has a USB port so you can design, save and print labels on your computer. It has a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. The only downside I found was you cannot charge or power the printer from the USB port if the battery is dead, you must use the included DC plug pack which I thought was a bit stupid (so don't loose the plug pack!)