Which Oil Sticker Printer Goes With My Sticker?
The world of oil change printers and stickers can be confusing for an outsider - there's many different types of printers and each one requires a matching label. It can be daunting to try and figure out which labels go with which printer. The last thing you want to do is buy labels you can't use because of printer compatibility.
In this post we'll look at the different printers we offer and their corresponding stickers. Further, we'll explore of a few label options we offer for printers we do not support (other than through stickers and ribbons).
Most oil sticker printers are thermal transfer printers that use a wax/resin ribbon (ink) to print various information on a static cling or low-tac adhesive sticker. Thermal transfer printers are used in all sorts of various uses outside of oil change sticker (i.e. retail, barcode, etc.), but what makes an oil sticker printer unique is the formatting/programming within the printer. This is where the different printer formats come from which allow you to change up the information provided to your customer.
The thermal printer uses an eye (for positioning) to determine when to start printing. Therefore, the two most common identifiers when looking at a label are:
- The size & format of the label (horizontal, vertical)
- The positioning mark (key hole, back bar)
Let's take a look at some of the options -
SmartPrint Stickers:
The traditional SmartPrint Oil Stickers are 1.875" wide x 2.25" tall and use a black bar on the back of the liner to help the printer eye identify positioning.
Godex RT200i Stickers:
Godex oil stickers can take on several different shapes and sizes, but in general, the most common is the same size as the SmartPrint Stickers - 1.875" wide x 2.25" tall. These stickers also use the black backbar on the back of the liner for positioning.
Zebra TLP 2824 Stickers:
Zebra oil stickers are commonly 1.5" wide x 2.5" tall - a little more narrow than the SmartPrint and Godex stickers. One of the major differences though is the keyhole that's used for positioning. The size combined with the keyhole is a dead giveaway.
ISI / Cognitive Blaster:
These labels are much larger than the traditional stickers noted above. Also they are typically landscape in design (as opposed to portrait for the SmartPrint, Godex, and Zebra). One of the reasons is the printer is a 4" wide printer instead of a 2" wide. They can also be identified by the keyhole that's often off-center to the left side.
Cobra Format:
Cobra style oil change stickers are reminicent of the ISI / Cognitive Blaster labels mentioned above. They are landscape format, larger in size, and use a keyhole for positioning.
As you can see, there are several different labels depending on your printer system. We have the ability to make stickers to fit any model printer. If you don't see your sticker style, please give us a call! We would love to add it to our stocking program or make a custom version just for your shop.