1. Determine how you would like the code to be displayed
First, decide how you would like the code to be presented, the most common options are:
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A full, abbreviated or numerical form of the date: For example, 1 January 2012, 31 Mar 2012, 1.6.2012 and 01.08.12 are all quite clear.
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Julian dates (these are not so obvious): a number which contains the year, and day number. For example the code 0195 will translate to the number 0 for the year 2000 and 195 for the Julian date, since July 14 is the 195th day of the year.
2. Decide how you would like the code to be printed / applied to the product
The following are the main options to this and they will ultimately determine which system you decide on.
Print and apply
This involves printing the information onto a label, and then applying it to the product.
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Benefits include the ability to apply the label to many substrates, using different coloured labels and ink.
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Disadvantages are that it can have high costs per code (cost of label + cost of ribbon for the thermal printing).
Direct marking
This involves marking the product directly … without the use of ink. Using a laser marking system you can:
Ablate or remove the top layer of a surface, exposing the layer beneath
Burn or change the surface, creating either a surface texture change or contract change
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Benefits include no consumable costs (ink / labels), high speeds and minimal maintenance.
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Disadvantages are it can be an expensive initial investment and there are no colour options available in the marking.