The Durable Industrial Marking Blog

Typically used for printing dates, prices, lots, and bar codes on flexible packaging substrates, thermal transfer printers and ribbons are a versatile marking solution.

Custom hand stamps, as an affordable and long-lasting customization tool, have a long history of allowing makers from a huge variety of industries to make their mark. Over the years we’ve helped a lot of companies, artisans, and makers customize hand stamps so that they can make exactly the mark they want in exactly the place they want to make it. We thought it might be nice to show off some of these talented people and their amazing work.

Not every marking application can be accomplished on a manufacturing conveyor line. Often, materials and items are too large or bulky to be marked inline or require marking while in the field. Luckily, there are a number of high quality portable marking machines that can meet the challenges of in-field or on-the-fly marking.

A blacksmith's touchmark is the final detail that pulls a project together. A touchmark identifies the artisan who created the item, allows the end user to see a glimpse of the personality of the items creator, and is a way for a blacksmith to distinguish their work. So how are blacksmith touchmarks made?

Direct part marking food packaging often requires the marking tooling to have specific properties. Ink for food packaging, specifically, needs to meet a few key criteria. To understand what to look for in food packaging marking solutions, it is necessary to look at why we mark food packaging and the unique challenges inherent in this type of packaging.

Hot stamping is capable of creating vibrant, permanent marks on a wide variety of substrates. To get the best results when hot stamping, however, it is important to fully understand how to hot stamp properly with foil and ribbons.  

There are many reasons to mark plastic, but with the increasing popularity of plastic packaging, for everything from milk to motor oil, it’s no surprise that the most common reason for marking plastic is to apply an expiration date to a food or beverage item. So, what options do you have for printing expiration dates on plastic?

OEM thermal transfer printers heat coated thermal transfer ribbons to create an image in the areas where the ribbon has been heated. After heat has been applied, the ink releases from the carrier and transfers to the substrate, typically flexible packaging or paper labels. This marking method is ideal for directly marking information onto packaging, like expiration dates or bar codes.

Permanent marking on metal, whether stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, brass, or copper, presents a couple of unique challenges but can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Electric branding irons are one of the most cost-effective ways to permanently mark nearly any surface material. Aside from glass and metal, branding irons can be used to create custom text, logos, and graphics onto nearly any material.