Hidden Costs That Drain Thousands of Dollars in Barcode Label Printing

Inflation pressures and rising business costs are driving every company to look for ways to save on their day-to-day operating expenditures. But one of the easiest wins is often hiding in plain sight -in your barcode label printing and tracking processes.

Most companies overlook how much they’re spending to replace the printheads on their barcode label printers. These replacements often happen far too frequently because they’re using cheap barcode labels.

Replacing printheads can be a significant expense, particularly across multiple devices. And in many cases, premature wear can be traced back to the labels and printing supplies being used.

Let’s take a look at how these hidden costs are created and how one simple improvement can help reduce expenses and disruptions in your labeling and tracking processes.

The 7 Key Hidden Costs of Cheap Barcode Labels

If you’re like most companies, you probably try to keep your barcode label and printing supply costs to a minimum. Many buyers assume that choosing cheaper labels is the best way to reduce upfront expenses.

But the true cost of barcode labeling is a long-term equation. Choosing inexpensive labels can create much bigger costs over time.

Here are seven ways that buying cheaper barcode labels can lead to unexpected expenses and operational headaches.

1. Premature Printhead Wear

Cheap barcode labels often have rougher surfaces that can damage printer printheads and cause them to wear out prematurely.

Printhead replacements can be expensive, especially when multiple printers are involved. Over time, these additional maintenance expenses can outweigh the savings from purchasing cheaper labels.

2. Poor Print Quality and Reprinting

Low-cost labels made with substandard materials can produce poor print quality, resulting in barcodes that are difficult or impossible to scan.

These labels may need to be reprinted before they can be applied and used.

That means additional labor, wasted supplies, and potential interruptions to your operations.

3. Limited Durability

Low-cost labels are often designed for basic applications and may not provide adequate protection against sunlight, moisture, water, chemicals, or abrasion.

As a result, printed information and barcodes can fade, smudge, smear, scratch, or become unreadable.

When labels fail in the field, businesses may face additional replacement costs, tracking errors, and operational disruptions.

4. Adhesion Problems

Adhesion is another common issue with inexpensive barcode labels.

Labels manufactured with lower-quality adhesives may peel or fall off, leaving products, inventory, or assets unidentified and difficult to track.

These failures can disrupt inventory management, asset tracking, and daily workflows - creating hidden costs that are often difficult to measure.

5. Frequent Printer Adjustments

In direct thermal printing applications, lower-quality labels may have inconsistent heat sensitivity.

This can require frequent adjustments to printer settings to maintain acceptable print quality and barcode readability.

The result is additional troubleshooting, reduced productivity, and unnecessary delays.

6. Printhead Contamination and Cleaning

Poorly manufactured pre-printed color labels can transfer unwanted materials onto printer printheads.

This buildup can interfere with print quality, slow printing operations, and require additional cleaning or maintenance.

Employees may spend valuable time adjusting printers, resolving print issues, and waiting for labels to print correctly.

7. Incompatible or Low-Quality Ribbons

Choosing inexpensive printing supplies can also mean using lower-quality printer ribbons that are not properly matched to the label materials.

When ribbons and labels are incompatible, printed barcodes and information may fade, wear off, or become damaged.

The right combination of label material and ribbon is essential for producing durable, readable barcodes that perform reliably throughout their intended use.

How You Can Start Saving Thousands with One Simple Improvement

Fortunately, while inexpensive barcode labels and printing supplies can create numerous hidden costs, the solution is relatively straightforward.

At Summit, we partner with Zebra to help customers select high-quality, pre-tested printing supplies that are properly matched to their Zebra printers, applications, and operating environments.

Through Zebra’s Genuine Zebra Supplies program, eligible customers who use genuine Zebra supplies exclusively with their Zebra printers may qualify for complimentary printhead replacements, subject to program terms and conditions.

Zebra labels, ribbons, and printing supplies are:

• Manufactured with consistent, ISO-certified processes to support quality and performance.

• Rigorously tested with Zebra printers to help ensure proper adhesion, scannability, durability, and minimal printhead wear.

• Designed to work together to reduce unnecessary reprinting, printer adjustments, maintenance, and operational interruptions.

Our experts at Summit help match the right Zebra labels and supplies to your specific printing applications, ensuring that you have the appropriate materials for each job.

While premium supplies may involve a higher upfront investment, they can help lower your total cost of ownership through improved reliability, fewer printing problems, and reduced maintenance requirements.

More importantly, reliable labeling helps keep your operations moving efficiently, without the unnecessary delays caused by unreadable barcodes, damaged labels, or missing identification.

Get Expert Help from Summit

Choosing the right barcode labels and printing supplies is about more than finding the lowest price.

It’s about protecting your equipment, improving operational efficiency, and reducing long-term costs.

Contact Us today to learn more about genuine Zebra printing supplies, explore your options, and get expert recommendations for your labeling applications.