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In-house Service Bureaus

In addition to streamlining internal operations, thermal-transfer printers can play a special role in a label converter's product offering. Many converters offer their customers in-house service bureau capabilities, where the converters will manufacture their customers' labels and then imprint their variable information using stand-alone systems.

Thermal-transfer printers are a natural selection for service bureau operations due to their high-resolution technology and rapid throughput.

This is a smart service to offer customers whose own operations do not benefit from an on-site system, such as those with very low-volume runs, extremely high-volume runs or operations requiring finished labels to be sent to multiple locations. Some service bureaus offer short-runs using multi-color-capable thermal-transfer printers.

Tangible Benefits

The benefits bar codes bring to a manufacturing environment are very real. In addition to using bar codes to track inventory and comply with customer requirements, converters can accurately determine setup and press run times to better track production costs. They also can reduce errors and simplify procedures by replacing manual data entry with bar code laser scanners. The ability to track finished products back to raw material vendors for quality accountability is inherent with these systems.

In an industry where the cost of a final product is sometimes counted in fractions of cents, bar codes can make a business more cost-effective and, in turn, more profitable.

To get started in bar coding, converters need to get in touch with a qualified vendor that will be able to help them find the right labeling system to tie together every aspect of their business. Because of the complementary product line, many converters may already have relationships with vendors that provide such products and services.

Look to them first, and then look to yourself for the best thermal-transfer pressure-sensitive labels you can buy.