Re: Selin Plus

[Patricia Palmer <pepalmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Many of you asked why I gave up on using Selin labels in response to my
offer of leftover stock.  I'll address the questions I've had so far.

The primary reason we had to abandon Selin is that our printer gave out and
could not be repaired.  We had been cannibalizing other printers for years
to keep it going but with our now total migration to laser printers, no
more parts could be had.

Secondary reasons for abandoning Selin are:
A)  changing rolls on the printer was laborious and resulted in loss of
yards of stock while adjusting the alignment of the two tapes, not to
mention loss of time, and time outs for staff cursing at the process.  We
attempted other application methods without success.
B)  cost
C)  OCLC changed and our labelling program (from Vernon) did not support
the new format so production slowed as manual input was required.
D)  Older Selin labels had faded severely in the stacks leading me to
believe the printer's ink (carbon?) was not stable
E)  non-adjustable type font

We migrated to a thermal label printer because:
laser printing (my first choice) was not cost-effective then (it is now and
I am looking to convert next year)
cost of unit ($1000)
local availability of service/supplies
cost of supplies (we could get twice as many labels per roll and cheaper
than Selin)
label stock & adhesive (stable, agressive acrylic adhesive, size, and surface)
labels are highly resistant to damage/fading/deterioration (see specs below)
easy to load and maintain printer (in the three years we've had it, not a
bit of trouble)
lamination or top-coating is not necessary

I've extracted the portion of our specs pertaining to labels:

6.   Label stock.

6.1  The label stock shall be made of white, resin-coated paper.
6.2  The paper shall be non-bleeding, i.e., ink will not bleed even if wet.

7.   Adhesive.

7.1  The adhesive shall be one (1) mil to two (2) mil in thickness.
7.2  The adhesive shall be tested heat resistant proving that its
performance remains
     constant between -40 and 250 degrees F.
7.3  The adhesive shall be tested humidity resistant, proving that its bond
strength does
     not deteriorate after exposure of five (5) days at 100 degrees F. and
100% relative
     humidity.  Positive results from an equivalent testing environment are
acceptable.
7.4  The adhesive shall be tested water resistant, proving that immersion
in water
     shows no effect on bond strength.
7.5  The adhesive shall be non-discoloring.  It shall not discolor either
the label or the
     surface to which it is applied for a period of at least 25 years.
7.6  The adhesive shall be non-migrating.  It shall not seep around the
label or penetrate
     the surface to which it is applied for a period of at least 25 years.
7.7  The adhesive shall be resistant to tearing and scratching.
7.8  The adhesive on unused labels shall remain stable for at least five
(5) years.


Let me know if you have any further questions.

Best regards to all,
Patricia


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Patricia Palmer				phone: 804.828.2287
Head, Preservation Services		fax:   804.828.1051
Virginia Commonwealth University
Box 842033				email: pepalmer@xxxxxxx
Richmond, VA  23284-2033
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