From the sample testing being conducted to the valuable equipment being used, labs have many reasons to integrate barcoding control processes and to protect and manage assets. The ease of scanning a barcode to instantly collect data is critical to efficiency and effectiveness with the precision that is essential in a lab.
But labs present a tough environment for barcode labels. Marking samples on a wide variety of materials and packages presents a challenge. Small slides, vials, and test tubes are difficult surfaces for some labels, and chemicals, moisture, and extreme temperatures put a lab label to the test.
At IntelliTech International, we’ve found that custom labels present an effective solution for laboratory barcoding. There’s a wide range of ways to customize your labels for the unique needs of a lab environment. Preprinted labels can be used for identifying the lab, adding warning information, and providing a tracking system. And a custom label can be manufactured with the facestock, adhesive, liner, and specific information that provide a durable, scannable barcode for virtually any lab labeling needs.
• Security. Protect the integrity of your critical lab work, documents, and equipment with barcode labels that prevent or identify tampering. Print your custom label on tamper-proof facestock, or customize your barcode label with a unique shape, making it more difficult for someone to duplicate or counterfeit the label. For a tamper-evident barcode label, we have adhesives that leave behind a “VOID” message when removed.
• 2D barcode labels. Handwritten labels have been proven to have an error on one out of every 200. A one-dimensional barcode label has a mistake on about one out of every two million scans. But the next generation of barcodes of two-dimensional (or 2D) barcodes, has dramatically reduced the error rate to one in 10 million scans. With such a high rate of accuracy, more labs are adopting 2D barcoding. A preprinted 2D custom label makes it easy to utilize the latest technology to mark samples with sequentially numbered labels.
• Color-coded asset tags. Protect equipment, supplies, and documents by applying a custom label to each. Preprinting a series of color-coded labels can help labs to visually identify materials and equipment according to department, date, use, or other criteria. Sequential barcode numbering adds a tracking feature.
• Stain-resistant labels. Make it quick, easy, and effective to accurately mark slides and paraffin cassettes. A custom label can be formulated to resist stains from the chemicals in the lab environment and still maintain a crisp, clear, readable barcode at even this tiny size.
• Cryogenic labels. Labs that use cryogenic storage have the option to utilize barcoding without the fear of losing critical identifiers. IntelliTech International uses facestock and adhesives that are formulated to withstand extreme temperatures for long periods, even when frozen, thawed, and refrozen repeatedly. A custom label makes it easy to use this tracking technology by preprinting key information and barcodes.
The precision of laboratory work commands the accuracy of barcoding. With a custom label, labs improve the ease and quality of their asset tracking systems. If you want to learn more about expanding and improving your lab’s barcoding efficiency, talk to us, or take a few minutes to complete our on-line Custom Label Request for Quote.
