Growth is great, and sometimes, it can introduce new challenges across your organization, including your company’s labeling process. The labeling process can sometimes be overlooked during future planning, despite it being mission critical to your business. If your company has the labeling goal of being ready for future growth, read on to discover key TEKLYNX recommendations. Remember, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!
To aid your company in its future planning process, TEKLYNX has identified three labeling best practices for setting your company up for labeling success and removing roadblocks as your company grows. For starters, ask yourself if your company is using the most efficient and cost-effective software licensing structure; the answer to this question leads into the first labeling best practice.
Labeling Best Practice #1 – Utilize multi-user network licensing
If there are more than two users on your network working at the same time with your labeling software, consider obtaining a network license for your labeling software instead of multiple single user licenses. A network license is more cost effective, because it has a lower cost per user while simplifying license management. A network license is installed on one server, making it available to your networked label design workstations and users. This approach removes the need to install and update each license, one by one, on each individual work station. Network licenses make IT maintenance and license management easier, which sets your organization up for growth by preparing your labeling software environment for future success through network license management.
Network licenses allow for growth on the software side, and the next labeling best practice allows for growth on the printing side.
Labeling Best Practice #2 – Print documents and labels from the same application
If you use the same data for your documents (like order receipts, bills of materials, or packing lists) and labels, moving document printing into your label design software makes sense logistically. TEKLYNX label design software CODESOFT enables label and document printing standardization by allowing multiple database records to be incorporated into one label or document, allowing you to save time by printing from one application.
By consolidating your printing processes for documents and labels into one application, you start saving time instead of wasting it. However, if the technology in your labeling environment is unsupported, the previous two best practices may become an insurmountable obstacle, making the final best practice critical when growing your business with your labeling process.
Labeling Best Practice #3 – Stay up to date across the board
Keeping your operating system, hardware, and software up to date helps your company to continue to function effectively. A bit of advice that goes with this best practice is when you update one part of your solution, operating system or hardware or software, it affects the overall technical solution. Using a labeling software that was developed for Windows 10 may not work as well (or at all) on a machine that’s running Windows XP. As far as labels are concerned, keep your printers maintained and up to date to ensure your labels are as high quality as possible.
Whether you’re adding new product lines, expanding to new locations, or entering new markets, TEKLYNX is here to support your company’s labeling needs as you grow. The best practices in this article, along with other strategies to help your company label better, can be found in TEKLYNX’ Best Practices for Barcode Labeling ebook. By following the best practices of utilizing multi-user network licenses, printing documents and labels from the same location, and staying up to date, your company will be positioned for success by planning for the future of your labeling process.
Source: TEKLYNX Americas
