There are some odd terms used in the label printing business, including “rat tail” labels, “piggyback” labels, “butterfly” labels. Fortunately, your friends at GoDEX are here to explain what each of these means and how even the most strangely named label printers can provide exceptional value to your business.

Let’s take a moment to learn more about these interesting label types:

Rattail labels

These labels are ideal for use in the jewelry industry. They are designed to tag and identify products such as watches, bracelets, chains, necklaces, and other similar items. They include an adjustable, transparent loop that can be used on any jewelry, along with a printing area large enough to show a considerable amount of information. This includes price, item number, and barcode. In fact, these hanging tags are the standard in the jewelry industry.

Piggyback labels

These are specially designed so that individual smaller labels can fit on larger ones. Piggyback labels are particularly well suited for situations in which granular classification of items is critical.

This kind of label is ideal for use in the healthcare industry and is especially popular with hospitals and research clinics. For example, one label that contains a patient’s ID number can be modified with other labels related to medical records, medication, and other key data.  

Butterfly labels

These labels are also referred to as “barbell” labels. With butterfly or barbell labels, the intention is to wrap the labels around a ring, tube or another odd shape, while having two distinct areas of printed information.

These labels are used in both the jewelry industry and in laboratories. For jewelry, it can be useful to have “wings” on a label, creating extra space for printing barcodes, pricing, and other relevant data. At the same time, the band connecting the jewelry to the wings is not adhesive and will therefore not damage the jewelry.

Within laboratories, butterfly labels are easy to find and again provide more space for printed information. These labels are made of vinyl or polypropylene and may use aggressive, super-sticky adhesive so that they can withstand high levels of heat, water or alcohol during testing.

GoDEX has become a global leader in the barcode label printing space since its founding in 1993. The company delivers a broad range of high-quality label printers and accessories with highly customizable options.

GoDEX is unmatched because of its excellent products and outstanding customer service. That’s why the company has a customer base of thousands of businesses and organizations that trust its team with their unique printing needs.