Across the healthcare industry, printing has always played a vital role in patient identification and medication labelling, but with groundbreaking innovations in mobile printing technology, healthcare providers and caregivers have embraced a new breed of portable printers for faster, safer, and more accurate labelling where they are needed – whether it is at a hospital, laboratory, pharmacy, or outfield.
With today’s healthcare providers and government agencies facing ever-changing patient needs in the face of a global pandemic, let’s take a closer look at what this new generation of mobile labelling solutions has to offer and how they are being used across the industry.
Accurate and robust labels on-demand
The unprecedented challenges brought about by COVID-19 saw the need for testing centres and vaccine distribution locations to be rapidly deployed across community centres, worker dormitories, and hospitals, and when it comes to patient safety, it is vital that all their information is always clearly and accurately labelled across every stage of this process.
With today’s advanced and compact mobile printers, healthcare professionals can readily print barcode labels vaccination receipts, patient ID wristbands, community identification labels, specimen collection labels, and more, to ensure that everyone receives their specific dosage and documentation. This meant that not only would they require a mobile printing solution that could be rapidly deployed across hundreds of vaccination points across the region, but that each printer must be easy to set up and robust enough to withstand hundreds of prints each day.
Faster, safer swab testing on wheels
One of the critical components in helping contain the pandemic is testing, and in its efforts to track and combat the spread of the virus, governments have converted vehicles into mobile testing stations, allowing swab teams to be quickly deployed to perform swab operations safely. This enables tests to be carried out on at-risk locations rather than requiring potentially infected patients to commute to a fixed test site.
On such mobile testing stations, patient details and identification can be captured via an app and immediately sent to on-board mobile label printers to print labels that are applied to the various swab test request forms, swab sample vials, and swab sample manifest lists. This automated process not only requires less contact between patients and the healthcare professionals, but more importantly, ensures the accurate and timely documentation of all testing conducted across large groups.
The future of labelling for healthcare
As the pandemic continues to impact the healthcare sector and beyond, mobile label printers will continue to play an essential role in workplace safety around the world. These solutions can be set-up at a moment’s notice, and seamlessly integrated with existing technology to swiftly and effectively test, identify and document large volumes of samples – wherever you may require them.
E-commerce is an industry born out of our desire for the best price and fast product delivery.
Sellers in online stores such as Ebay, Amazon and Etsy have been active for over a decade to provide the myriad of options for buyers but poor quality labels are still common and can have significant impacts on ongoing profitability and customer service.
So, what’s the link between a great labelling processes and e-commerce success, and how can you tick all the right boxes? In this article, we explain the essential considerations to refine your labelling process.
Shipping labels need to be standardised and legible.
How to refine your labelling process
Just like any aspect of a business, you want to have your labelling process down to a T so that you invest minimum time and see maximum results. Here are some tips to make that happen:
1. Avoid wastage
Wasted labels and paper are more than a nuisance for businesses that rely on ecommerce; they’re actively reducing your profit margins. If your printer is firing out misprints galore, this is a red flag that your e-commerce operation isn’t as smooth as it could be.
Worse still, if you don’t catch these misprinted labels before they go out for delivery, there’s a good chance your customers will experience delays in receiving their goods or might not receive them at all. It’s often, therefore, worth investing a little more in a machine that produces higher quality labels, so that yours are always properly centered, sufficiently adhesive and feature clean text with no streaking
2. Ensure compatibility with delivery companies
The most professional looking labels on the planet are no good if they’re not compatible with the demands of delivery organisations such as Australia Post or Parcel Post. It’s worth noting, however, that even if some models aren’t compatible with your chosen shipper out of the box, you may well be able to edit your label to achieve the desired result.
3. Look for a speedy setup
If you’re upgrading the printer you use for your e-commerce labels, a slow setup can mean a bottleneck in orders and slow delivery to customers. When researching your options, read consumer reviews – these will often highlight setup issues, or recommend products that were quick and easy to get up and running.
Talking of speed, you also should investigate the printing rate of your chosen model, so you have an idea of how your investment will impact the speed of your entire process.
4. Seek out portability
Large industrial label printers may be the norm in huge warehouses, but they’re often not the best option for online sellers. Having portable label printers can help with on-the-go printing and will save you space.
In addition, choosing a wireless model also stops your office getting cluttered with cables, and also means you can print directly from your phone or other mobile devices.
How to create the perfect label
Now that you’ve got streamlined your labelling process, let’s look at how you can improve the labels themselves. This may seem so easy you can ignore it, however failing this last little step can make all the difference to whether your service is completed.
Print your labels: First time e-commerce sellers may feel they have adequate time to quickly handwrite their labels – but beware the problems that come from this manual task. Writing your labels will quickly become very time consuming which can limit the speed of your production line. Furthermore, writing is not always 100% legible and is prone to smudging in transit. Do yourself a favour and invest in a high-quality label printer early on – it’s fast, efficient and accurate
Invest in quality: Labels need to be clearly laid out, very adhesive and most importantly fully legible. High quality print labels ensure all of these factors and are much less likely to break off, tear or smudge in transit.
Ensure correct sizing: Some printers are able to automatically detect the size of the label tape you’re using, adjusting the onscreen template accordingly so you can check that everything is as it should be. This is particularly useful if you use different shipping companies for different products or destinations
The multiple stages involved in e-commerce means that accurate and legible labelling is essential.
Easy labelling mistakes to avoid
Having discussed what you should do, it’s always a good idea to discuss some easy mistakes that can be equally simple to avoid.
Sticking your labels over corners or seams: Your package will be scanned at every checkpoint along its journey. Barcodes that aren’t easily scannable are only going to slow things down or make delivery impossible altogether. Ensure that your label is on a level, flat section of packaging without any structural interruptions
Consider your paper choices: Printing your shipping labels onto standard paper may seem like a cheap and easy option, but it creates a less-than-professional look. This can make your customers reconsider the quality and legitimacy of your business
Avoid removable labels: Easily removable labels may be a blessing once the customer is in possession of their product, but in transit they can be a nightmare. Don’t risk having your labels lost
Reusing old boxes: Even for the most green minded among us, reusing old tatty cardboard boxes is a no no. Not only do they look unprofessional, they can also break in transit, and the presence of old labels can be confusing for carriers. New boxes are a must – but try and find a producer who manufactures from recycled materials to minimise your carbon footprint
Label printing made easy
Label printing needn’t be a hassle. With Brother’s agile labeling systems it is simple to both keep track of your inventory and get accurate delivery. Taking advantage of advanced portable printing solutions will make for a smoother, more accurate process. For example, our portable wireless print solutions can deliver fast reliable printing by utilising Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, AirPrint®, and MFi.
For more information on how to improve your labelling process, get in touch with the team at Brother today.
With many of us now settling in to our new work from home lifestyles, we’re still looking for ways to make our new-found workspaces more functional, easy to use and ultimately a space that encourages productivity. An essential way to encourage productivity in your new workspace is to get organised! When everything has its place and is easy to find, completing your work tasks at home becomes less stressful and time consuming. With our range of labels and label printers, organising your workspace and around the home has never been so easy.
Your work from home setup
Did you know that labelling your supplies and belongings can prevent them from being misplaced or accidentally disappearing off your desk? Although you may not have to ward off your colleagues from stealing your favourite pen at home (maybe instead it’s a family member, house mate, partner, curious cat…), labelling your office space or your desk can give you that sense of fulfilment from being organised, and in turn enhance and support your productivity. A Brother P-Touch machine will make itself right at home – with its durable, laminated tapes you can easily label your folders, books, pens and computer cables – the possibilities are endless!
Your kitchen/pantry
It only takes a few quick scrolls through Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to see how creative people are getting with organising their pantries and kitchens into organisational masterpieces. Why waste time trying to figure out if it’s plain or self-raising flour in that container? How many times have you heard your partner/children/house mate exclaim “I don’t know where that goes” in a bid to get out of washing up or unstacking the dishwasher? Although aesthetically pleasing, having a well organised kitchen and pantry is hugely beneficial to help keep your kitchen clean, tidy and save you time doing chores when you’d rather be doing something else.
Kids’ stuff
With isolation restrictions beginning to ease in most areas, children are beginning to return to school – which means that you’ve likely spent a small fortune on a long list of things to get them ready for the new school term…90% of which is probably going to go missing before the term is over. Although by no means a new concept, labelling you child’s belongings such as back packs, clothes, stationery… anything you can stick a label on…in a bid to prevent their belongings being lost is a huge advantage to having them returned to you. Our TZe laminated labels come in a range of colours and designs and have been tested to the extreme so you know that these fun, personalised labels not only look great, but are made to last.
Your bathroom
When you have to share a bathroom with a number of people, the morning rush can be particularly chaotic. Minimise the chaos by labelling a caddy in the bathroom with your name and put all of your products in there so you can be more efficient in the mornings. By giving everyone their own caddy for their products and accessories, you’ll no longer experience that overwhelming sense of frustration that comes from rummaging through the cupboard while looking for what you need – save the time, mess and stress! It may also stop others from pinching some of your expensive cleanser you’re not willing to share too.
Your shed
If you don’t have a shed full of stuff that you’re not sure what to do with, half-finished projects, and tools laying around all over the place – you probably know someone that does. Getting your shed organised in a way that allows you to find what you’re looking for not only saves you time (so you can finish off that cubby house you’ve been putting off for months…) but also money. Ensuring that everything has its place means that you don’t accidentally purchase the same tools twice, and you know where to find them when you need them. Having a well labelled area for your tools also helps you store them safely and can prevent any accidental injuries due to improper storage.
So, if you’re working from home and feeling unmotivated or disorganised in your surroundings, take a little break from your desk, grab a P-Touch label printer, your favourite TZe labels and accessorise, personalise and organise a space around your home today.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia.
