Home > Pharmacy
|
|
| ||||||
|
Labels for the Pharmacy
In recent times, the range of labels used by pharmacies has increased dramatically. Traditionally the main use for labels was for both price marking and dispensing labels. Today however, the range is much more varied and while price marking and dispensing are still used extensively, the addition of gold coated gift labels, prescription reminder labels and promotion / special offer labels have all increased the usage of self adhesive labels through out the pharmacy sector.
Dispensing Prescription Labels:
The dot-matrix printer i.e. The OKI and Citizen while still in vogue are being rapidly replaced by the thermal direct and thermal transfer printers. The advantages these bring are many, with less noise, ease of use and superior printing quality being the main benefits.
(1) Thermal Printed Label: Information and instructions can be printed directly on to the label via a thermal printer. Through the use of a heated printhead the printer prints directly onto thermal coated paper. The advantage here is that no ribbon is required. The one down side to this is that the printed instructions may fade after several months or if exposed to direct sunlight.
(2) Thermal Transfer Labels: This system works best for pharmacies whereby the printed instructions are printed onto the label via a thermal ribbon which in turn produces an almost indelible print onto the label. This method tends to have more clarity, will stand the test of time and is not susceptible to deterioration from sunlight or scuffing. The only disadvantage is the use of ribbons, but this is far out weighed by the many benefits. In general this process is more reliable and poses little or no problems. The fact that ribbon is used acts to prolong substantially the life of the thermal printhead which can significantly reduce costs, as print heads are expensive to replace.
(3) Price Marking Labels: Price marking labels are still extensively used in pharmacy labeling and while the purpose is obvious i.e. showing the selling price, they do fulfill other functions as well such as pricing and coding, price code and date, reduced and special offer labels as well as PRF. Unit pricing per Liter and Kg are now mandatory for certain pharmacy products. For sample layouts please refer to the price marking / coding section on our website.
(4) Gift Labels: Pharmacies that sell a range of gift items and perfumes tend to use a quality label bearing their name / logo and address. These are generally gold or as specified by the customer.
(5) Reminder Labels: These labels are used as a reminder to “renew your prescription” and have become very popular in recent times.