The Importance of Labels in Laboratory Testing

What type of label do you require for testing?

Specialist laboratory labels are essential for various sectors, such as environmental, agricultural, biotechnology, and forensic labs. Each environment will also need labels that meet the solvent compatibility required for these conditions. The ability to remain adherent during freezing, cryostorage or autoclave procedures is as essential as maintaining the data accuracy on those labels.

Customising your labels

Cryogenic labels need to resist temperatures as low as -196°C. Additionally, the repeated freeze and thaw cycles combined with other harsh processes will at the very least put your label's solvent compatibility to the test. Nitrogen liquid and vapour can be a hazard for labels also. That's why cryogenic labels are designed to be effective at avoiding delamination during freezing.

Alternatively, some labs require their labels to be high-temperature resistant as well. For example, 100°C boiling water is typically used for sample preparation, with PCR thermocyclers reaching 110°C. Steam autoclaving is the most effective part of a lab's sterilisation process, but it can subject the sample labels to temperatures as high as 150°C.

Wet lab labels

Wet labs are designed for organic or chemical testing. Most wet labs work in a cold environment to help preserve the chemicals being worked on. Therefore, all wet labs will protect their samples with robust refrigeration systems, which puts a lot of demand on high-quality labels that will not deteriorate under such extreme conditions.

Dry lab labels

Dry labs focus on computational or applied mathematical analysis. The equipment in dry labs is very different to wet labs; computers and other much larger electronics used do not need the exacting conditions of a wet lab. However, dry labs will still be equipped with specific requirements, such as temperature and dust control and fire safety, to maintain lab safety despite this more relaxed environment.

GSM Barcoding is a member of the largest nameplate and label company in Europe, the GSM Group. Since 1974, as well as wireless networking and mobile computers, the company have provided several industries with premium barcoding, printing and label solutions, including laboratory labels.