Labeling with a Laser Focus

Just over three years ago, we blogged about our new laser engraver that we purchased for labeling plants in the garden at JLBG. Since we were completely new to the experience at the time, and now have three years in our rear view mirror, we thought it was time for an update.

We had no experience when we started searching for which laser engraver to purchase, so that led to some on-line deep dives, and pouring over user reviews. What we learned is that laser engravers of the size we needed are divided into two groups, water-cooled and air-cooled. Air-cooled, (metal-tube) engravers are safer, last longer, and more expensive. Water-cooled, (glass-tube) lasers are mostly made in China and imported into the US. Some imported units are “enhanced” once they arrive in the US, and some include US based tech support. While the water-cooled, glass-tubed engravers are far cheaper to purchase and less expensive to replace the laser tubes, you’ll be replacing them much more often.

The water-cooled Chinese units typically cost in the $2k-$4k range. Water-cooled units which are modified in the US and include some US support usually range from $5k-$9k. The higher end, air-cooled machines usually run from $12k to $24k, depending on the bells and whistles. While the less expensive water-cooled units were enticing from an initial cost perspective, on-line reviews made it clear that they did not appear to provide the best long term value. I kept flashing back to one of my favorite quotes, “We’re too poor to buy cheap.” We spent nearly 6 months of research before we made our selection. One of the most helpful articles we used is Greg Bell’s Guide to Purchasing a Laser Engraver.

Once we decided on an air-cooled engraver, the next decision was to select a machine brand. Some machines had far more capabilities than we needed, so we wound up selecting a Universal VLS3.60DT. After three years of constant use, and 24,000 labels printed, we have yet to spend a cent on maintenance or replacing a laser tube. We were fortunate to find a great dealer, Abernathy-Beck of Charlotte, NC, who was critical in helping us match the machine to our needs, as well as with the initial setup, and tweaks as we began to print. Unless you are a computer guru, I would never purchase a unit without really good customer service support.

Every couple of months, some routine maintenance is required which includes cleaning the small mirrors used by the laser as it is engraving, which involves using a cotton swab moistened with lens-cleaning solution. A dirty mirror leads to less clear engraving on the sheets. The insides of the machine also collect fine acrylic particulates which need to be cleaned off regularly, with a mild soapy water solution and a soft cloth. Also, there is a cannister holding moisture-absorbing silica beads which start out pink and turn purple when they are fully spent. These are easily reactivated by a quick spin in the microwave. This is attached to the small air-compressor that is required to cool the laser engraver as it operates.

Universal VLS3.60DT

In choosing a material for our labels, we examined samples of a number of types and thicknesses. We settled on a Rowmark UltraGrave engraving plastic, that we purchase from Johnson Plastics Plus. After trialing several colors in a garden setting, we settled on a .20 inch thick sheet with a matte finish black front, and a gold back. We wanted a tag that would be visible if you were actively looking for it in the garden, but would appear invisible in photos, or to a normal paced visitor. We purchased these in 12″ x 24″ sheets to fit our laser engraver.

The next step was deciding what to print on the tag. Older botanic garden conventions dictated including Plant family, Genus, species, Cultivar, and country of Origin. Because plant families are changing so rapidly with the advent of DNA work, we felt that the most current info was easily accessible via a cell phone, so on the front of our tags, we included the Genus/species/Cultivar, the date planted, and a QR code, which will eventually be linked to more information about the plant. Those landing pages can be built out later as funding is available. In a less accessible part of the tag, we include our source, the name of the plant bed in which the plant grows, and the planting location within that bed.

As stakes for our newly printed tags, we use DS stainless steel, 13 gauge posts from Kincaid Plant Markers. These are available in different heights, depending on your label size and plant height.

To get the information from our computer onto the tags, we export data from our Microsoft Access based Plant Inventory into an Excel datasheet, which generates the QR codes as well as the red cut lines as well as the holes for the tag to hang from. From here, it is imported into CorelDRAW which connects with the Laser Engraver and starts the hour and a half long process of engraving the labels. Since the sheets of acrylic are not perfectly square, we wrote in a cut line making the edges perfectly square after the front of the sheet is finished. This then allows us to remove the inside bit and flip that into the scraps which hold it square on the cutting surface. Below is one of our templates for a set of labels.

Front of the sheets above, back below showing red lines which indicate where the acrylic will be cut through

Although we haven’t had to spend money on machine repairs, JLBG has spent over 7,000 paid labor hours to print and install the tags. So far, we’ve also used just over $3k in plastic sheets and $22k in stainless steel stakes. That totals to $189k for 24,000 tags, or $7.79 per tag. We hope this makes finding the plant names much easier when you visit the gardens.

7 thoughts on “Labeling with a Laser Focus”

  1. The numbers are astounding, and something I would never have thought of before reading this. But I SO appreciate being able to easily find the name of a plant that I’m interested in when I visit any botanical garden. On my recent visit to Juniper Level I snapped many pictures of the labels, then headed straight to the greenhouses to make my purchases! Thank you!

  2. Lots of details. congratulations on being able to sift throuh all o this and install it. And I thought you jut grew plants! Ha, ha!

  3. Thank you for the article! I love the labels at JLBG, aesthetically and functionally. I’m not growing on the scale for a laser engraver yet, but I will be incorporating the Kincaid markers with my soda can labels for now. Do you think you all would ever offer a label making service? E.g. a customer fills out an Excel spreadsheet and you all print the labels? Alternatively, would you consider including a JLBG-style label with nursery plants for an added cost? I suppose I could punch a hole in the current nursery tags to hang from the Kincaid marker, but I’d imagine that the print/plastic is less durable than the engraved labels in the long haul? I’m sure there are many variables to account for, but do you all have data for how long the nursery tags might last in the mid-Atlantic?

    1. I doubt the label services would be economical, and at my advanced age, I doubt tackling another business venture is in the cards. Perhaps a younger entrepreneur might tackle this as a new business.

  4. For my personal landscape, I use the DS stainless steel posts and acrylic blanks from Kincaid Plant Markers. I use a Brother P-Touch PT- D610BTVP printer and their TZe tapes to print the labels. The labels are black text on clear tape. This is a thermal printer. So, the text on the tape is not ink and, therefore, very weather resistant. I downloaded the Brother P-touch Editor software onto my desktop and use it to print the labels. What I print on the label varies but generally, it is scientific name, cultivar, common name, description (varies by type of plant), mature H x W, if flowering when it flowers, where purchased, and date planted. I tried to upload two images of my tags, but the JLBG web server blocked my access.

  5. I’ve worked at three retail nurseries across the country. Each time, I gravitated toward signage as a project I was passionate about. Especially at independent establishments, signage and labeling is often the lowest hanging fruit for improving the experience of customers of all levels of expertise.

    I enjoyed reading this information tour through your labeling decisions and process!

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