How to Load Labels into an Inkjet Printer

Printing labels can be a wholly different task from printing on normal paper. We know that many label printer users find printing labels baffling and confusing. They learn things the hard way. But it doesn’t have to be that way at all. Loading labels into an inkjet printer is pretty straightforward.

Read our step-by-step guide and you’ll be on your way to loading labels like a pro. There is, however, a marginal learning curve. Suffice it to say that a little hands-on practice is warranted to truly become adept at loading labels into inkjet printers.

Without further ado, let’s see how to do it effectively and without problems.

Get your prerequisites

Let’s see what the prerequisites and the considerations are related to them.

1. You need good quality labels. Cheaper labels can easily peel off during printing and that’s something you want to avoid at all costs. Go to a business stationery store or an office supply store to choose from a wide range of high-quality labels.
2. The printer needs to be set up properly. Make sure of this by going to the printer properties on your computer. Set the type to Plain Papers or Normal in the Paper Options section. The DPI should either be 300 or 600 depending on your requirements. Also, make sure there’s plenty of ink.
3. You also need normal blank paper for the first print to test the layout. Print the labels on the blank sheet. Now hold this printed paper on top of your labels and see if the layout is correct. Put them up against a light source to see through more clearly.
4. Now it’s time to load the label.

Load the labels into the printer

There are a couple of considerations here.

• Make sure that your labels are not clumped together or stuck. Fan them out to ensure this. This is very important if you are loading a stack of labels. Do this carefully as you don’t want the corners to be bent or peeled off.
• Test whether you should be placing them facing down or up. Printing a marked test paper can help you quickly determine the facing to go for with your label.

Now, it’s time to actually load the labels into the inkjet printer.

Let’s do it step-by-step.

1. Add some 20-25 normal sheets of plain paper to support the label stack. How many labels you enter in the tray depends on the quantity you’re aiming to print.
2. Use the width lever to fit the labels better. The correct way to use the width lever is to make it barely touch the label. If you fit it too tightly, the labels can buckle. On the other hand, if it’s too loose, the labels won’t print straight.
3. Initiate the printing. Once the label is out, let it dry before removing otherwise there’s a risk of some smudging.

What to Know When Loading Labels into an Inkjet Printer

Printing stickers on labels is a fairly different process and one with additional nuances in contrast to typical paper printing. Consequently, there are certain pointers to keep in mind specific to loading label stock into printers.

Let’s See What These are so you can Avoid any Nasty Surprises.

First of all, there are different types of labels. Round, oval, square, and rectangular predominantly. The loading process isn’t the same across the board. For example, the width level has to be adjusted according to which type of label stock you’re entering.

In the case of round and oval labels, it’s hard to get a good fit with the lever alone. Supplementary pages to fit these labels the right way are highly recommended. On their own, they might not be sufficient to enable consistent printing.

Then there are color-specific nuances. Primary among these are concerns for color reproduction in lighter shades. CMYK is inefficient in bringing out the vibrance in lighter shades. In most cases, the bottom 10% of the shades (the lightest ones) don’t translate accurately, if at all.

This is even more true for printing stickers. The material of the labels is different from the standard page. And therefore, suitable adjustments and calibration are required before you can print stickers that have lighter hues.

If you’re printing on vinyl-based label stock, then you should try to avoid lighter shades altogether as they don’t have the ink depth one is used to while printing on plain paper.

Also, you should try to avoid large areas of solid color. If you’re going with Pantone and are okay with the expensiveness, then it might be sufficient to get a good color throughout. However, it’s still a good practice to break colors up into segments.

The thickness of the label paper is also a critical factor. Not all printers are designed for handling all types of thicknesses. It’s generally a good idea to know the limits of your inkjet printer before you order or buy label stock.

Certain slightly thicker labels might not be appropriate for printing with your inkjet. This isn’t a problem at all if you’re using label printers specifically, which are costlier but achieve better color reproduction, make printing labels and stickers more economical, and can accept a large variety of shapes and thicknesses.

You should also let thicker label papers dry for longer. 15-20 minutes is good for very thick papers because ink takes longer to set on such media.

Last but not the least, the media type is also an important consideration. You need to match the printer settings with the suitable type of media – which can be luster, semi-gloss, gloss, matte photo paper, glossy photo paper, or varying grades of normal glossy papers.

If this setting isn’t aligned depending on the quality you desire and the material type of your label stock, then you can say goodbye to a hassle-free and smooth printing process that provides the expected result, especially in terms of the ink color.