RFID Labels: What You Need To Know To Choose The Right Label

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Why You Need To Understand RFID Labels

Walmart announced earlier this year that they are expanding their use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to include many more product categories than previously. In September of 2022, the Walmart RFID mandate will be extended to cover thousands of suppliers who previously were only required to use conventional barcodes on their products. Basically, if you supply Walmart with home products, electronics, sporting goods, toys, or automotive batteries you’ll need to add RFID tags to your products. You can read more about the Walmart RFID mandate in our recent blog post.

Walmart has already indicated that they expect RFID usage to spread into even more categories in the future and other retailers are likely to follow. As a result, many analysts and business leaders see this as an indication that RFID technology is poised for widespread adoption across the retail industry.

Even if your business isn’t directly affected by the new Walmart RFID mandate, there’s a good chance similar changes will affect you in the future. As a result, a lot of businesses are now exploring RFID solutions.

RFID is somewhat complicated, with several variables that must be considered to craft an effective solution. But one thing that makes sense as a starting point for most applications is the RFID label itself. The label is an especially good starting point for those businesses that will add secondary labels to their product to comply with Walmart’s RFID mandate.

What Goes into RFID Labels?

Before you embark on your journey to choose RFID labels, it’s helpful to have a little background about RFID tags and labels.

At the risk of oversimplifying, an RFID tag is any combination of the following:

  • RFID chip – where the data is stored
  • Antenna – which sends and receives radio signals
  • Substrate – the material that holds the chip and antenna together
  • Facing – the covering

Together, the chip, antenna, and substrate are often referred to as an inlay. There are many different inlay designs for many different applications.

When you add a white facing and adhesive backing to an inlay, you create what is generally referred to as an RFID label. At a glance, these look like plain paper labels but look closely and you can usually see the embedded RFID tag with an antenna that looks sort of like a printed circuit. Run them through an RFID printer that both prints the label and encodes the chip, and you have a label you can use for a variety of peel-and-stick applications, like adding an RFID tag to existing product packaging to satisfy the Walmart RFID mandate.

RFID labels come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They also incorporate different inlays for different applications. For example, a larger inlay can support a longer read range, and some inlays are designed to work with specific types of handheld, fixed, or overhead readers. Plus, like common labels, RFID labels are available with a range of different materials and adhesives for different applications.

Key Factors When Choosing The Right RFID Labels

3 Main Factors:

  • Label size and inlay requirements: How big can the label be and what type of inlay is required?
  • Reader type: What type of RFID readers will be used to detect the label?
  • Material and surface: What surface will the label be bonded to and what environmental conditions will the label encounter?

As you work through these variables, you’ll discover whether your specific application requires a general-purpose, advanced, or specialty label.

General-purpose labels typically have a paper or synthetic face and employ adhesives that adhere to non-metallic surfaces. These are often designed for use with corrugated cardboard, so they are commonly used for case, pallet, and cross-docking applications in warehouse operations.

Advanced labels typically offer a higher level of read performance, making them well-suited for use in retail and healthcare applications. Advanced labels are often designed for long-range detection, which makes them useful in manufacturing settings or other applications where long read ranges are beneficial.

Specialty labels cover a range of different applications and can include different face materials, including metal. If you need labels that can be used to tag assets with metallic surfaces, or you need durable tags for IT equipment or healthcare assets, you may find yourself looking for specialty labels.

As you can see, there are a lot of variables to consider when choosing an RFID label. The right choice will give you a tremendous advantage in asset visibility, inventory accuracy, and product tracking. Choose poorly, however, and you may be faced with underperforming adhesives, poor-quality printing, and unreliable performance that limits the return you see from your RFID investment.

And the label is just scratching the surface of RFID solutions. To truly leverage RFID technology, the best step you can take is to engage a partner like SK&T. We have 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate operational challenges. We’ll evaluate your specific requirements to help you choose the right RFID labels and help you deploy RFID solutions that improve visibility and tracking throughout your operation.

Here’s How You Can Meet Walmart’s Expanded RFID Mandate

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Early in 2022, Walmart announced a major expansion of its RFID program that will affect thousands of suppliers.

Under the new Walmart RFID mandate, all suppliers of home products, electronics, sporting goods, toys, and automotive batteries will need to add RFID tags to their products by September 2.

But the impact on affected suppliers is even more urgent because there’s an initial deadline of June 3 to submit sample RFID tags for approval. And the must-arrive-by-date (MABD) for products shipped into Walmart distribution centers is August 17. Miss any of those dates and you’ll be out of compliance, which is never good when you’re dealing with the world’s largest retailer.

The new RFID mandate impacts all Walmart USA Stores, including Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and .Com Merchandise and applies to all national, proprietary, supplier, and private brands. If that’s you, depending on when you’re reading this, you may have some quick work to do.

Even if this extension of Walmart’s RFID mandate doesn’t impact your business yet, it pays to give some attention to RFID applications because other products will likely be added to the mandate before long. In fact, RFID Journal reports that Shelly McDougal, Walmart’s senior director of merchandising said, “We look forward to expanding the technology into more categories to further improve inventory accuracy across the business, provide a better in-store shopping experience for customers and drive more online and pick-up-in-store capabilities.”

There’s also a distinct possibility that Walmart’s expanded RFID mandate could be a catalyst for other retailers to follow suit with their own RFID requirements. Sandeep Unni, a senior director analyst in Gartner’s retail industry research practice, told RFID Journal that “A mandate coming from [Walmart] could just be the tipping point for other retailers to further adoption.”

Contact SK&T about implementing RFID labels.

What’s Required and How to Get There

Under Walmart’s expanded RFID mandate, if you’re supplying home products, electronics, sporting goods, toys, and automotive batteries, you’ll need to add RFID tags to your products.

 

Ultimately, you’ll want to incorporate RFID tags into your manufacturing supply chain and tag products at the source.

In the meantime, however, you’ll need a plan for tagging products that are in transit or sitting on the shelf in distribution. The good news is that Walmart is allowing suppliers to add a secondary RFID-enabled label to their products.

There are two basic ways to approach this.

First, you can buy labels that incorporate RFID inlays and print them yourself. To do this, you’ll need RFID labels and RFID-capable printers. It will also be a good idea to have some RFID readers so, at a minimum, you can check the accuracy of the tags/labels. The good news is that Walmart-approved RFID labels and all the hardware are available from Zebra Technologies, and SK&T has all the expertise needed to get you up to speed quickly.

Your second option is to use pre-printed/encoded labels. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use Zebra’s RFID Printing and Encoding Service, which provides serialized pre-printed and encoded RFID supplies specifically to support programs like Walmart’s RFID mandate. Zebra offers a range of Walmart-approved RFID labels with the sizes and inlays required for all the product categories covered by the Walmart RFID mandate.

Exactly how you choose to proceed in the short term will be determined by the scale of your RFID requirements and the amount of time left to reach compliance. Remember, the short deadlines don’t allow much time to ramp up in-house RFID capabilities, so you’ll need to carefully consider all options.

Regardless of how you choose to proceed, there are enough complexities to RFID that just about everyone is well-advised to seek out a technology partner who can guide you through the entire process. SK&T has a quarter-century of experience helping organizations navigate operational challenges like Walmart’s RFID mandate. Working together with Zebra, we can help you implement short- and long-term plans that comply with Walmart’s requirements and help you leverage RFID technology to improve visibility and tracking throughout your own operation.

Contact SK&T about implementing RFID labels.

Big Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Label Printer

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Are your printers still performing at their peak?

It’s commonplace for many businesses to use the same label printer for many years, and sometimes for well over a decade. After all, if your printer is getting the job done and it’s been a reliable workhorse, why spend money to replace it with a new one?

If you’re in that situation, then congratulations! You’ve had quite a good run with your current printer. But if you’re not getting the same label printing performance you did years ago, and you’re starting to encounter problems with your hardware, it could be time to replace your printer.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some common signs it’s time to inspect your label printer and refurbish or replace it. It’s important to know these warning signs so you can stay ahead of quality issues and keep your operations moving seamlessly.

1. Print Quality Issues

It’s always important for labels to have good print quality, so they can be read and scanned without any issues. In many situations, crisp and clear printing is also important for branding, quick visual identification, sorting, or conveying important safety information on labeled assets, products or shipments.

However, aging printers can start having issues with inconsistent, blurry, or grainy print. Sometimes this is due to a lack of proper preventative maintenance and cleaning, which can remove contaminants and accumulated material, allowing you to get back to a desired clear, crisp, and vibrant printing. However, if your printer is damaged or key components have become worn out and are beyond repair, you may need to consider upgrading your printers to newer models.

2. Printhead Problems

One of the underlying causes of print quality issues is a damaged or worn printhead. If there is buildup on your printhead and you haven’t been properly caring for it, your printhead might be damaged. A damaged printhead can cause several issues with print quality, uniformity, and consistency. To avoid this, you need to keep your printhead cleaned and well maintained.

Like anything, even a properly maintained printhead wears out with time and needs to be replaced. This can be quite expensive, so the best thing to do is stay ahead of preventive cleaning and care, and look to enroll in a program like Zebra’s Printhead Protection Program when you buy a new printer.

Zebra’s program provides guaranteed free printhead replacement as long as you’re using Zebra printers and agree to use Zebra’s labels and printing supplies exclusively.

However, if you’re not already using Zebra printers or aren’t in the program, and your printhead is giving your problems that can’t be fixed with some cleaning and maintenance, then consider investing in a new printer and signing up for the Printhead Replacement Program, so you don’t have to worry about printhead issues again.

3. Frequent Maintenance and Repairs

As we’ve already mentioned more than once, regular maintenance and servicing are critical to keeping your printers in top-performing shape. If you’ve been properly servicing your printers and are still encountering jams, print quality issues, and technical problems, your printer may be reaching its end of life, and it might be time to replace it.

An occasional need for service, calibration, or a quick repair is normal with printers that have been in use for years. But if you’re starting to need repairs more frequently and it’s disrupting your labeling operations, then start thinking about a replacement sooner rather than later.

Rather than spending money on fixes and repairs, you could be investing in a new device that will provide years of seamless printing, especially if you take proper care of it. It’s important to weigh the cost of maintenance on old printers vs. replacement printers.

4. Slow Print Speeds

Over time, some printers can become slower as they start to wear down, and some can have connectivity and other issues that can also slow down printing processes. Ultimately, lagging print speeds and performance can be rooted in many different causes, so first you should check with SK&T to check into these potential underlying problems.

If your issues can’t be fixed or fixed economically, a full replacement is in order. Realizing you need a replacement can be difficult, but it’s a better alternative to slow printing, especially if your business needs are picking up or you have large-volume labeling tasks that can overwhelm an aging device.

5. Limited Label Design Options

Sometimes your printing issues might be more about aesthetics and a failure to keep up with more sophisticated label design and quality requirements. For example, to enable better visibility of products or inventory or to improve your branding, you may want to add colors and graphics to your labels. You may need to start using labels that are better designed to resist sunlight, water, abrasion, or extreme temperatures.

However, your printer might not be able to deliver on these needs, particularly if it wasn’t built with the required printing capabilities or tools to print on specialized label materials. Many new applications can add graphics and colors with the desired characteristics, clarity, and quality. To get the results you want, it might make sense to invest in a next-generation printer that comes with all the technology you need for more sophisticated, visually attractive, and attention-grabbing label designs.

6. Outdated Capabilities

Label printers can become obsolete when business needs exceed what your hardware was built to do.

Some good examples include the need for Bluetooth communication, connectivity with the latest mobile devices and apps, and the ability to make aftermarket upgrades in the field, such as adding RFID encoding or tools such as a label rewinder or cuter to your printer.

Another big issue that many companies are having to address right now is a lack of updated printer security. Printers and other peripheral devices have become a leading target for new cyberattacks and hacking attempts, particularly since these devices haven’t been as well protected historically as networks, PCs, servers, and other pieces of hardware.

But printing is evolving all the time, and so are the methods that hackers use to compromise companies’ security, steal sensitive data, and spread malware and ransomware.

To fully protect your enterprise, you need to be looking at your printer security just as closely as your other cybersecurity. If your current label printer isn’t keeping up with your changing printing needs and especially if it’s no longer supported with security updates and the latest encryption and protection to keep your device safe, then the time to act is now.

Contact us to find out about the latest threats, the latest printing capabilities that are available to meet your business needs, and how to make the right choice to maximize the life of your next printer investment.

To learn more, contact our printer and labeling experts at SK&T. Call us at 720-851-9108 or email us through our website at www.skandt.com/contact/.