OT: Print yourself postage labels.

[Dave Plowman (News]

I've used Hermes quite a bit to send things during Covid where you don't have to go near others. Book and pay online, print the label, and take to a locker. Very convenient here.

Needed to send a jiffy bag which fell within the large letter size, but no stamps to hand.

So tried the RM online service - as I have a handy postbox.

Like Hermes, the file you print the label from is a PDF.

With the RM one, the label (about 1/2 A4 width) positioned to one side of the A4 sheet - the other side blank. With the barcode thingy also at that edge. Making it tricky to fix the label with sellotape without overlapping the barcode. Which Hermes says not to do - as it makes it impossible/difficult to read by machine.

Make you wonder if humans ever test these things in practice.

[Mark Carver]

I use 50mm wide sellotape and cover all of my printed out labels with it, mostly to protect them from transit damage. Never had a problem with RM, Hermes or Collect Plus.

I think what Hermes say is bollocks, because labels are often contained inside stick-on plastic caddies, so presumably that causes no problems for bar code scanners ?

I suspect Hermes advice is to prevent dimwits from covering barcodes with brown parcel tape (or even gaffer tape !)

[Robin]

My experience matches Mark Carver's. (I think they may also be worried about clear but /wrinkled/ tape over barcodes.)

[Brian Gaff]

Yes well, its like the old test and trace qr codes used at venues, yet nobody thought to specify a place for them, so go in with a phone and you are blind and you end up having to lend your phone to somebody else to scan it, not really satisfactory, I would say the same about the visual nature of lateral flow tests too, you need a sighted person, and yet the technology is out there to make these tactile instead. Sigh, its what happens when nobody thinks stuff through properly. Brian

[Brian]

I?ve used the Hermes one a few times.

I?m sure I covered some of the bar code thing- I never noticed the note you shouldn?t.

I?ve had trouble printing the RM ones out before, the bar code thing refused to print so the PO wouldn?t accept it.

I?ve found the Hermes one very good.

[alan_m]

The tests strips are just the equivalent of a bit of blotting paper :)

[alan_m]

358 million tests have been performed in the UK so keep it as cheap as possible

[alan_m]

Th RM one is just a 1 page PDF document that ca be downloaded to you computer to be printed out.

[nightjar]

If you print it onto a self-adhesive label, why do you need sellotape?

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Brian Gaff explained :

An app making use of a Smart phone camera should be able to do that easily. There ought to be an app to read digits from Smart meters too.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

nightjar has brought this to us :

Not everyone keeps self adhesive labels at home and not all printers can handle them - then there is the setting up, even if you can and have. Simpler just to print on plain paper and sellotape on.

[alan_m]

Maybe what you say is true but if your printer supports them self adhesive labels are the way to go. I have a pack of A4 size labels that I use to print the A4 RM pdf page and just cut around the wanted bit. Both my laser and inkjet will print to the labels but I always use the laser.

[nightjar]

Self-adhesive labels are so useful that I don't know how anybody could not have any, although I can see that really big labels might be unusual. I don't remember ever having a printer that couldn't handle labels. Setting up only involves putting the sheet into the printer and changing the paper type on the printer settings when about to print. It is not a big deal.

[Chris J Dixon]

Out of curiosity, how much do those sheets cost you?

Chris

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

never had much problem with clear tape over the barcode.....coz if it gets wet cheap ink runs when wet....

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

or it makes it easier for scumbag white van man to steal it .....

[Dave Plowman (News]

Cost of self adhesive labels? And having to buy them when I already have loads of paper and sellotape?

Oh - if they are anything like the small address labels I have on an A4 sheet, the adhesive is rubbish. I have to use sellotape with them too.

[Dave Plowman (News]

You must search far and wide to get water based inkjet ink these days...

[Andrew]

Not everyone has a smart phone, or even any mobile phone !

[nightjar]

A few pence per label in most cases, up to a bit under a quid for a matt polyester A4 size, laser printer label, suitable for outdoor and marine use.

Too much faff, compared to a s/a label.

Then you are buying the wrong labels. This is where I get mine from:

A wide variety of sizes, colours and types, with a choice of adhesive types.