LabelValue Label Blog

Bar code technology celebrates 35 years

You know it well, though you've probably never given much thought to it. The rectangle of black and white bars present on millions of merchandise, which now has dozens of applications outside the grocery store, is turning 35 years old.

It helps you zip though the line at the grocery store. Helps small business owners track inventory with relative ease. It tells suppliers to order more stock. Not to mention it can eliminate nearly 99 percent of human-made data entry error.

Why we love them:

• Bar codes add value to small business owners - inventory, data entry, point of sale
• You can print bar codes to get started streamlining your business
• They help people with diabetes calibrate their meters
• They are used to board airplanes
• Track our shipments

What's your favorite use for a bar code?

A little bar code history:

• First used to read price of a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit on June 26, 1974
• Bar codes are scanned more than 10 billion times a day around the world
  

Made in America: Patriotic Labels Communicate Pride in time for Fourth of July

Label Value introduced its new Lady Liberty patriotic labels this month, featuring a clean, modern design created by one of our very own. 

We though you might like it. You see, for us it symbolizes what we love about our country and what we want to encourage. It represents the way millions have moved here without a penny to their names, yet succeeded in building their lives from scratch. The way each person realizes his or her own American Dream.  The way we encourage change and support innovation created at home.

Whether you're a small business owner whose own products and services are made in America or just someone with a desire to honor your country, we hope you enjoy these labels as much as we do. And, of course, they're made in USA.

Click here for more information or call 1-800-750-7764

We also scoured the Web for some more of our favorite pieces of Americana:

     

Setting up Shop: Skip the fax machine when furnishing your new office

Skip the fax? Yup. If you're working from home or just got a new office space, there are plenty of office gadgets you need but some you don't. The fax is one of them.

P.E. (pre e-mail) faxes were a fast and cheap way to send communications to vendors, clients and the like. But e-mail changed that. Why send a fax when you can e-mail a PDF? It would be a waste of space and waste of precious resources for a fledging business to drop cash on an archaic machine.

Here's what we do like:

Laptops - If you're a one person operation, this is a must. Customers and clients demand accessibility and a laptop will allow you to run your business literally from anywhere in the world. It's a matter of choosing the best laptop for your needs.

Blackberry/iPhone/Take your pick - If you're flying solo, you'll have the world at your fingertips.

Take it or Leave it:

Label Printers - If your business involves direct mail, mass mailing, and detailed correspondence with clients we say go for a Dymo LabelWriter that meets your needs.

Phone System - Operate with phone orders? Have a customer service hotline? You might look in to a phone system. Make sure it supports voicemail, though.

Ditch flabby marketing for refined, cost-conscious branding in lean times

Toyota. Harley. WWF. You probably recognize most of these logos. They're sleek and evoke perceptions of a brand well beyond the name of a company.

Disney=family fun. Starbucks=jolt of caffeine. WWF=saving the planet.

While most of these organizations can afford to spend millions on fancy marketing campaigns, we realize you're  trying to stay afloat during less-than-stellar financial times.

The good news? You don't need to be a multinational corporation to have a sleek logo and a smart marketing and branding campaign. Small business owners need to think smarter, not more expensive, while getting more bang for their marketing buck.

Recession-friendly marketing tips:

Logo - Don't have a graphic design department? No problem. Put your design work up for bid with freelancers. Open communication will ensure that the designer sees your vision as clearly as you do. Set clear goals and expectations up front to avoid wasting time.

Marketing Collateral - That can also be outsourced. You can research local printing companies to get the best price or look to larger online outlets.

Tip: When communicating your logo and branding message, remember the details. Label Value prints Custom Labels to your specifications--which means spreading your corporate identity on custom mailings and product shipments throughout the world.

Web site - When strapped for cash, think free first. Where can you publish your message and communicate with customers for free? A blog.  Some blogging platforms (think WordPress) are free at its most basic offering and come with themes for you to choose from. You can upgrade for a fee and use your new-found negotiating ad/or bid system to have a designer custom code your site.

Building blocks for a reliable inventory tracking system

If you were a cookie distributor whose death by chocolate chunk confections were flying off of the shelves, there's no doubt you'd be up to date on inventory. Your scrumptious business depends on it.

The same applies to all businesses buying, selling and trading tangible goods.  Do you know where your products are? Where they're headed? What's in stock? It's often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of fast-growth businesses--even in established companies. Here's why you need to make your move.

Inventory Tracking Benefits:

• Tells you what's in stock, what's on order, when it will arrive, and where it's going

• Buy new stock with research to back up and justify your order (can't you smell savings already?)

• Alert you to slow-moving products so you can plan promotions and move product from your distribution center to new customers

Types of Systems:

• Dollor Control Systems - Show cost and gross profit margins on individual inventory items

• Manual Tag - Remove price tags from products at point of purchase and compare with physical inventory you have sold

• Unit Control Systems - Physical inventory checklists

Inventory Solutions: Bar Code Labels

Dymo package deals

Summer is for the beach--for families and quality vacation time, not necessarily spending extra hours at the office.

While we understand the need to work hard in order to play hard, we think you'll like our Dymo Shipping Label Starter Kit to help take you from your office to the beach.

Check out our summer savings.

Top 5 reasons why we're in love with Dymo Stamps

Dymo stamps are often touted for their convenience. Well, that applies to personal use too. Here are the top 10 reasons why we love Dymo Stamps.

1. You don't have to keep making runs to the grocery store or post office to buy a book  of stamps

2. There's no monthly fee for the service--which is recession-friendly

3. You can print one postage label at a time or dozens if you needed to

4. Can print postage for First Class, Priority Mail, Express Mail, International Mail
                        

5. Prints conveniently from your Dymo LabelWriter 400 series printers

LabelWriter 450 series vs. 400 series

It's like comparing new generation of iPods to the old ones--some great new features appear, and some things never change. Dymo recently unveiled the new LabelWriter 450, LabelWriter 450 Turbo and LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo, but what’s beyond the hype of one of our favorite product families? 

Unlike Dell, who has been moving toward bright colors — think vibrant like Skittles — allowing their notebook users to express their style and personality, the LabelWriter 450 printers have a new color that falls flat in the style department and keeps with the herd of boring desktop office equipment available on the market.

Don’t get upset, we love the little guys. We just want them to stand out on the desk more than they do. The outer style changed, but what about inside?

Inside, the printer hosts a number of changes which you will love.

What we love: 

• It looks darn near impossible for labels to wander or jam 
• The guide works in conjunction with the spool and adjusts to fit each and every label roll width ideally.
• An automatic power conservation or sleep mode
  
• SPEED. The LabelWriter now boasts a print speed of 71 address labels per minute.
• Longevity. Dymo has updated their longevity estimates and suggests that given proper maintenance and when using proper spec labels the LabelWriter is capable of printing 490,000 labels or more. This translates to roughly 30 miles or 50 kilometers of labels.

Any questions? Our knowledge team is happy to help. Please call 800-750-7764 or click here now.

Small business buzz: Streamlining processes saves you money

It's cliche. Time is money, right? If that's true, what are you doing to make sure your business cuts the lag time and stops moving like the Tin Man in desperate need of an oil squirt? 

It's difficult, especially for entrepreneurs, to take a step back from the nitty-gritty details to look at the big picture. Here are some tips to evaluate the efficiency of your enterprise.

Go green to make more green - This might not be at the top of your list, but how energy efficient is your operation? Starting green initiatives at your office (whether you work from your family room or just moved into new corporate digs) it can make a major impact on the bottom line.

Stay wired - We're not talking about gobbling down caffeine. If you're a small business, chances are your focused on growing sales. If your employees are meeting with potential clients all day, they need you to help them stay connected. Think VPNs, PDAs and the like.

Stay put once in a while - If you eliminate unnecessary travel, you'll save a small fortune. Video conferencing done well can put the entire world at your fingertips.

Don't waste time at your desk - If you've decided to sit down at your desk and get some work done, be fully committed to actually working. Keep the desk ornaments to a minimum and surround yourself with tools that will save you time.

Desktop Resources: Pelouze Postal Scale

                              Dymo LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo

Jewelry labels help you make the sale

You might not be selling plastic rings from candy machines, but if you're interested in selling some jewelry in a community garage sale, use jewelry labels to look polished and professional.

Dymo 30299 compatible jewelry labels:

• LabelValue Brand
• compare to Dymo 30299
• 1500 labels per roll(One roll per box)
• Color = White
• Thermal Film (not paper) 
• Label dimensions 7/16" x 2 1/8"