Inkjet printers for labels

The design of the inkjet printer requires a water-soluble ink. This means that the label printing will smear easily, even after completely "dry". Some brands of "inkjet" inks are better than others, but all exhibit this characteristic to some extent. The problem can be largely avoided by spraying the labels with a transparent lacquer after printing them, and preferably before application to the bottle (as the lacquer overspray is difficult to remove from the glass).

The type of paper you use makes a big difference as well. Smearing is greatly reduced with special (and relatively expensive) "Inkjet paper".

Other than the potential for smearing upon contact (e.g.) with moist hands, the ink seems durable. I have inkjet documents that are over 20 years old, and which show no sign of deterioration. Of course, they have been in a file folder, and not exposed to moisture or sunlight.

This is true with one exception. Epson printers that use pigment (instead of dye) based "Dura-Brite" inks are essentially waterproof, even on plain paper. For a long time I used to print labels on an HP inkjet, then spray them with a clear lacquer like you suggest. Now I use an Epson with Dura-Brite inks, on standard labels and I can soak a bottle in an ice bucket without the label bleeding or smearing.

Regards,

John

Depending on your cost of ink, and whether or not you have colour, it might be cheaper to get (colour) photocopies or print-outs from a kinkos type store.

I use an Epson C82 Stylus Inkjet Printer and the colours are totally fast. I can soak off the labels from the bottles in water and there is no "leaching" or any other deterioration at all. This is, of course, using genuine Epson colour cartridges. If "compatible" cartridges are used then you will find the leeching is quite pronounced.

Ditto on that; I have the same printer. I went to the store, printed a test page, brought it home, wet it a stuck it in the refridgerator. It never bleed at all.

I then bought the printer and have been using it for two years. The ink is pricey, but you get what you pay for... Regards, Joe

Thanks for the comments everyone. I use an Epson Stylus 740 and brand name ink. Is there a particular lacqeur spray to recommend or will my handy Home Depot man be able to find me the right product?

Are you sure it bleeds? Wet it first to make sure you even need to do this.

Datakote is the brand used to cover labels applied to electronic equipment, but any matte finish should work as long as you try not to saturate the paper, (dry spraying). I would stay about a foot from the paper and move fast until there were a few spritz marks the first time I did it. Then you can figure out what rate you can get away with as you do more. Regards, Joe

Would labels printed on laser be more resistant to water and therefore last longer?

Yes