Finally, I have a plant label solution that works!
They don’t fade in the sun or smudge in the rain.
It only took me decades of gardening and great technological advances to get to this point.
And look at that neat printing. Obviously, I didn’t do that by hand. But how do I make them, you ask?
I print them with an Epson LW-C410 label printer, using 1/2-inch vinyl tape. (I bought my printer directly from Epson because I didn’t like the ratings of the sellers on Amazon.)
You print using an app downloaded to your smartphone, which connects to the printer via bluetooth.
You can make the font as big or as little as you want. I’ve done some with two lines too.
You can also get extra fancy with various frames around the printing, little pictures and symbols, and even different fonts, but I went with just plain lettering.
I stick the labels on white plastic plant labels, and so far, not a single one has curled up and fallen off. They seem to be on there pretty tight. And best of all, no fading or smudging.
Because they will last so long, I’m saving them to re-use next year.
And I’m avoiding the temptation to make labels for every single plant in my garden and house because they are kind of nice, don’t you think?
(Thanks to Dee for prompting me to write this post!)
Look out, now you are going to start labeling everything and every box in your house. Trust me!!
Lin, I trust you. I’ve experienced it! I re-labeled some of my file folders with my new label printer… and doesn’t everything need a label??
I created labels though I don’t know if they were from an Epson Printer. But my problem was that the plastic plant label sticks cracked and crumbled after a year. Maybe yours are a better quality.
June, the ones I have are pretty sturdy. I have noticed that the thinner pre-printed labels that are stuck in pots of flowers you buy usually break off or crack after a season in the garden.
Please, just don’t tell us about the printer and great labels without giving the link to what you used or the specific brand/name/size or Item # of the labels you used. It’s so frustrating to not have this info, especially for us Gardener’s. Thanks!
I provided a link to the printer in the blog post. It is an Epsom label printer. For the labels, I just use those plastic labels you can buy at most garden centers. Look for them around the seed racks. I pulled a bunch out of the garden this fall and I’ll re-use them next year. If you have more questions, let me know!