- permanent adhesive
- durable and made of plastic so they don't tear
- a protective coating to reduce deterioration when exposed to chemicals and pathology procedures
One piece labels
TIG has one piece (or single part) blank labels in many different sizes.
Typically used for pathology, patient collection, and specimen labelling.
Printed using your own system, most labels are direct thermal, meaning that no printer ribbon is required.
Multi piece labels
TIG has multi piece (or many part) blank labels in different shapes and sizes, some with additional cuts and perforations to make applying the label easier.
Typically used for patient collection, and specimen labelling, where multiple samples are expected.
Traditionally these were printed using Cerner software, but more commonly now using your own system. Most are Direct Thermal (no ribbon), not Thermal Transfer (ribbon required).
Tinting
A tinted label, where the entire label is a colour other than white, is especially useful for easy identification of different categories or procedures.
Normally used only with one piece labels, the most common colours are a very light:
- yellow
- green; or
- pink
Other colours are available. Note that dark colours can reduce bar code readibility.
Highlights
A highlighted label provides another way of easily identifying certain categories or procedures, and still ensures that the bulk of the label is white.
A common use is a yellow stripe at the top of the label to indicate this specimen comes from an emergency department.