How to Create Equipment (Fixed Asset) Labels
Attaching company-specific equipment labels to devices, which include information such as equipment name, purchase date, and user, is an effective way to manage equipment. It not only improves company equipment management but also enhances the company's image. So, how can we conveniently and quickly print equipment labels? The best solution is to integrate the printing function into the company's equipment management system. If needed, please contact our business team. In this article, we will introduce a simple solution to accomplish this task using the ready-made tools provided by PrintSpirit.
In this article, we assume that you use Excel to manage the company's equipment, or that the company's equipment management system can export Excel (csv) files, which include the following fields: equipment name, equipment number, purchase date, and user. We will then discuss step by step how to use this data to batch print equipment labels.
I. Requirements for Equipment (Fixed Asset) Labels
- Labels generally include information such as equipment name, asset number, user, and activation date. The asset number should be consistent with the financial records.
- The asset number is best printed as a barcode to facilitate future computer scanning for physical inventory.
- The label material should be waterproof, moisture-proof, wear-resistant, and have a certain temperature resistance, ensuring long-term preservation, resistance to wear, and fading.
- Labels should come with self-adhesive backing for easy attachment.
- They should not be too large, for example, 5 cm x 3 cm, to facilitate attachment to smaller devices. They should look something like this.
This label can be used directly
To modify and edit, please click here To print using this label template, please click here
II. Choosing a Printer
There are three choices for printers: laser printers, inkjet printers, and dedicated label printers. In principle, all three types can be used, but each has its own issues.
Laser Printers
Laser printers have high resolution, generally up to 600 DPI, which is very high for printing barcodes, especially small barcodes.
The problem with laser printers is that they have significant paper limitations. Common laser printers only support A4 paper, so it is necessary to use printing software with layout functions. Otherwise, only one label can be printed on an A4 sheet, which is too wasteful. PrintSpirit's printing tools support layout, so this is not a problem.
Some laser printers support thick paper mode and can use A4 paper with adhesive backing, which is convenient for direct attachment after printing. For printers that do not support thick paper mode, do not force the use of adhesive-backed paper, as it can cause paper jams and even damage the printer.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are similar to laser printers, with slightly lower resolution, but still up to 300 DPI, which is sufficient. The advantage is that they have a wider range of paper adaptability, and printing on adhesive paper is not a problem. They can also use special papers, such as PP synthetic paper, which is waterproof and very effective for making labels.
If the company already has an inkjet printer, it is worth using. The price of inkjet printers is very low, and even buying one specifically for printing equipment labels is very cost-effective. The downside of inkjet printers is that the consumables are expensive, but if you only occasionally print equipment labels, this is not a problem.
Dedicated Label Printers
Dedicated label printers are the best choice for label printing, with fast speed, no need for cutting, and can come with adhesive backing. However, there are many types of label printers, and many cheap portable label printers on Taobao are thermal printers, which should never be used because the printed labels will fade in a few months. You must use thermal transfer printers with carbon ribbons, which have high print quality and durability, but are more expensive. For occasional label printing, it is not very worthwhile.
Another issue with dedicated label printers is that they generally cannot be directly driven by Windows and require specialized printing software. Of course, choosing PrintSpirit is also not a problem.
III. Printing Process
The printing process is divided into two steps: label template design and batch printing. The label template design uses PrintSpirit's SpiritDesigner tool. Although the label is small, it is fully functional, with logos, text, lines, and barcodes. Without specialized label software, it can be quite troublesome. Using SpiritDesigner is very simple; by dragging and dropping, you can intuitively design labels with both images and text. Batch printing uses PrintSpirit's LPTSpirit, which, in conjunction with SpiritDesigner, can directly open Excel files, import equipment data, and batch print labels.
Designing Labels
Open PrintSpirit's label designer: https://www.printspirit.cn/designer
The designer is very simple to operate and self-explanatory. The only thing that needs explanation is the label variables. We need to organize the variable fields that need to be printed on the labels in advance. For equipment labels, these include: equipment name (name), purchase date (date), user (user), equipment number (.cardno), etc. Then modify the text properties to template printing, input the field name, such as {{.cardno}}
Batch Printing
Open PrintSpirit's label printing tool: https://www.printspirit.cn/print-tools
It is very simple to use, just follow the prompts to perform the following steps: select a template, input data, and execute printing.
Step 1: Select a Label.
You can choose a pre-designed label, create a new one, or select a cloud label shared by other users. Here, we choose the label designed earlier.
Step 2: Input Data.
The software will automatically summarize the template fields (called template variables) in the label and generate an Excel-like web table. Each row in the table corresponds to a label, and each column corresponds to a template field. Please input the printing content here.
PrintSpirit supports batch importing of Excel data. During import, template variables will automatically bind to Excel fields with the same name. If no field with the same name is found, you need to click the header to manually bind it. Therefore, it is recommended to modify the Excel header (first row) before importing, such as changing the equipment name to .name, etc., to reduce the trouble of binding variables later.
Step 3: Execute Printing
In the third step, the following dialog box will appear. Please follow the prompts to select the printer, paper, paper orientation, etc. If automatic layout is needed, please set the number of label rows per page, and select the number of label columns per page as automatic. The system will calculate and layout based on the label size and paper size.
"Print First" only prints the first row of data in the Excel table, "Print All" continuously prints all the data in the Excel table.
The first time you use this tool, the third step requires the installation of the "PrintSpirit" printing control. Please follow the prompts to download and install.
IV. Printing Effect
Here, we use an inkjet printer and A4 paper with adhesive backing for printing. Since the equipment labels are small, one A4 sheet can print 4 labels per row x 9 rows = 36 labels. There are cutting lines in the middle of the labels, which can be cut along these lines with a cutter, and the exquisite fixed asset (equipment) cards are completed. Since it is adhesive paper, it can be directly attached to the equipment.
The printing effect is as follows:
