Novelties 2023

Label printer care instructions

Tips and tricks on eXtra4 YouTube channel

Birkenfeld, 22.11.2023. You want to preserve what you hold dear. - This also applies to thermal transfer label printers! With the right care, every user can contribute to extending the life of their device. The effort is minimal. The "how" is explained by Ferdinand Eisele via video. For information, tips and tricks on labelling for the jewellery and watch industry, the identification technology specialist operates its own YouTube channel under @extra4labelling.

Regularly is essential
Basically, it's just a few simple steps and the right care products - that's all you need if you want to keep your thermal transfer printer in operation for a long time. However, they should be applied regularly, preferably routinely when labels or ribbon are loaded. Then the crucial functional elements of the device are easily accessible anyway, as the video illustrates:

Roller care when changing labels
When the label roll is changed, the rubber rollers necessary for transporting the label web are exposed. Now they should be freed from dust and material abrasion with a suitable cleaning agent. In the video you can see where you have to take action and how easy it is with a lint-free cloth and the eXtra4 roller cleaner (Ref-No. 81 RW).
 
The liquid not only removes the annoying film, but also maintains the rubber material at the same time. It thus retains its elasticity, which gives the rollers the necessary grip to keep the web transport constant - an essential factor for high printing precision. Alcohol should never be used because it dries out rubber and makes it brittle.

Print bar check when changing the ribbon
When the ribbon is used up, the video shows where the print head can usually be reached openly to replace the roll. Now the print bar can be conveniently checked for adhering dirt particles. Clearly visible in the picture: the eXtra4 cleaning pen ( Ref-No.: 81 TLP-RSTIF) is easy to handle. Its specially shaped tip can be used prudently and purposefully without the risk of unintentionally damaging other components. Cleaning with isopropanol and a fresh cloth would also be possible. However, any other alcohol, including methylated spirits, would cause harm. This is why the video guide generally advises against. ...

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Tuning for label printers

More precision with printer accessories from eXtra4 

Birkenfeld, 22.05.2023. Diligence to detail is everyday life for jewellers, goldsmiths and watchmakers. Precision is part of the business - also in label printing for the industry. As an expert in labelling jewellery and watches, Ferdinand Eisele has developed accessories that significantly improve the performance of thermal transfer printers: In order to compensate for technical differences between the label roll and the printer, the company from the Pforzheim area offers reel core adapters under its eXtra4 Labelling Systems brand, which permanently guarantee accurate printing.

The devil in the detail
Where as much data as possible is printed on the smallest possible labels, fractions of millimetres matter. A feeling for such subtleties has been developed at eXtra4 over decades of commitment to industry-specific label printing. The different diameters of the label reel core and roll holder in the thermal transfer printer are therefore quickly recognised as a disruptive factor:
Jewellery labels are made up on rolls with a diameter of 1.5 inches (38 mm) due to their complex shapes. The larger radius ensures that even the last label on a roll lies flat instead of deforming, allowing it to be printed neatly. Thermal transfer printers are generally designed for office or production use. There, mainly labels in simple rectangular shape or continuous material are used. Both can still be easily processed with reel cores of 1 inch (25.4 mm) or 0.5 inch (12.7 mm). The roll holder in the printer is dimensioned accordingly small.

Small difference with big consequences
The effects of the discrepancies between the label roll and the holder are not obvious at first glance, because the roll can still be changed conveniently. Due to the different diameters, however, the reel core cannot be inserted in an axis-centred manner. The label roll is sagging. If it is driven during printing, it rotates with imbalance and runs the risk of jamming, resulting in uneven web tension. The label web does not move evenly, but jerkily through the print head. Accordingly, the print image on the label may fluctuate. It is cut or runs completely out of the shape over time when printing a higher print run.

Reel Core Adapters as solution
To compensate for the different diameters, eXtra4 has designed reduction inserts made of dimensionally stable plastic. The round injection moulded parts combine both dimensions. They have the diameter of the reel core on one side and that of the core holder on the other side. As reel core adapters, they are simply plugged into the core of the label reel, flush with the edge of the web, before the label roll is inserted.
Now the label roll can be reliably locked into an axis-centred position between the clamping jaws of the holder. This eliminates the imbalance and keeps the movement smooth. ...

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Label printing for jewellers with Apple Mac

eXtra4 with new labelling software for Mac-OS

Birkenfeld, 01.02.2023 With eXtra4-labelM1, Ferdinand Eisele wants to make daily life easier for Apple users among jewellers and goldsmiths: At the Inhorgenta 2023 trade fair in Munich, the label manufacturer's IT subsidiary, eXtra4 Software + Service, is launching a label printing software especially for Mac computers. Like eXtra4 win3, the company's internationally popular industry solution for Windows systems, the new software also focuses on jewellery and watch labelling. It is specifically designed for Mac computers, programmed in Apple settings, compatible with M processors and the latest operating system versions of Apple.

Over for compatible solutions
Printing small, complex labels currently confronts Apple users with a problem: No standard Apple software on the market drives thermal transfer printers precisely enough to ensure label printing with the accuracy required in the jewellery and watchmaking industry. Up to now viable ways of integrating suitable Windows products, such as the label printing software eXtra4-win3, into the world with the bitten fruit via virtual machines and intermediary software, e.g. "Parallels" or "Crossover", have been blocked by Apple's product policy. Technical quantum leaps, not least the introduction of M processors, put an end to permanent compatibility. Apple users who are accustomed to intuitive handling find it difficult to get enthusiastic about such technically demanding workaround solutions anyway.

Straight to the finished label
The new label printing software eXtra4-labelM1 leads to the printed label with just a few clicks. With "KISS - keep it small and simple" it follows the same principle that has already made its internationally established sister product eXtra4-win3 so successful in the Windows world: the software for Apple users is limited to the core function "Type 'n' Print", the printing of labels.
As a data entry mask, eXtra4-labelM1 shows a label on the screen with all input fields already in print position. There the user enters his data, determines the print run and triggers printing. Instantly the user holds the label in his hands - ready to be applied to a piece of jewellery or a watch.

Ready made label design included
The user does not have to spend time or do anything himself for the design of the marking. The arrangement of the data on the labelling areas as well as their design in font, cut and size is provided by eXtra4-labelM1 as a layout in a selection list. The range is permanently revised and supplemented to suit new label shapes from the eXtra4 stock. ...

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Labelling for engagement and wedding rings

Round labels with logo print and security extra

Birkenfeld, 02.01.2023. Handy for ring collections: For application and wedding rings, retailers and manufacturers like to use the round version of the label with fastening loop, which is so popular in the jewellery and watch industry because it can be used in so many ways. Label manufacturer Ferdinand Eisele from the Pforzheim region in Germany has therefore expanded the range of products in its eXtra4 brand portfolio to include affordable solutions for customised imprinting.

Great in function and form
The highlight of the round shape: It can be easily concealed in decoration. The label's inscription faces are simply turned inside the ring. This is effortless because applied eXtra4 loop labels remain mobile. Thanks to an adhesive-free zone, their loop does not stick to the jewellery. Accordingly, the ring is quickly ready again for customers to try on.
With their round form, the labels are also impressive in terms of design. They stand out from the usual rectangular shapes. If logo and inscription also take up the circle line for an individual look, an eye-catching appearance of the brand is guaranteed .

Custom printed at a fixed price
To enable small collections to take advantage of the benefits of round labels with loop for their branding, eXtra4 Labelling Systems has added two labels to its range of products pre-fabricated for individual digital colour printing: ...

... read more of the press release on the affordable customizable round jewellery labels from eXtra4

... more details on round labels with loop on eXtra4 website

... view affordable customizable round labels with loop in special brochure for Guard Labels