Asset Labels and Asset Tag Stickers

Asset labels, asset stickers, asset tag labels: one product

Buyers search for asset labels, asset stickers, asset tag labels and asset tag stickers, and they all want the same result: a label that identifies one item and stays readable for as long as the item is in service. The name does not decide how long it lasts. Three things do: the material, the adhesive, and whether the print sits under a clear overlaminate.

So start with the format, meaning the information the label carries, then pick the construction that keeps that information readable.

Barcode asset labels

A 1D barcode is the default for asset programs audited with scanners. Code 128 is the usual choice for asset IDs because it is compact and encodes letters as well as numbers. Code 39 is the other common standard, and we also print UPC, EAN, ITF and GS1 codes. The human-readable number prints with the barcode at no extra cost, so the label can still be read by eye if a scan fails.

A 1D barcode has one weakness: a deep scratch across the bars can stop a read. For assets that take abrasion, a 2D code is the safer format. See barcode asset labels for symbologies and layouts.

QR code asset stickers

A QR code turns any phone into a scanner. Point the camera at the sticker and it opens the asset record, a service log or a manual, so a small team can run an audit with no scanning hardware. Each label can carry its own URL or serial number from your spreadsheet.

Size the code for the scan distance. 0.75 inch is the standard for asset tracking and reads from about a foot away, 0.5 inch is the smallest size we recommend, and 1 inch or larger suits scanning from farther back. See QR code asset labels.

Data Matrix and serial number labels

Data Matrix packs more data into less space than a 1D barcode and includes error correction, so it reads through partial damage. That makes it the format for small parts and abraded surfaces, and it is the FDA UDI standard for medical devices. See 2D barcode labels.

Some programs need no code at all. A serial number with a Property Of line works where assets are tracked by eye, and the designer's two text-only layouts are built for it. Our serial number stickers page covers numbering formats in detail.

Tamper-evident asset labels

When a label might be peeled off on purpose, choose tamper-evident material. It is available in every tier, in two constructions:

• VOID residue: when someone peels the label, a checkerboard VOID pattern appears on the asset and on the label. It is the standard for IT audits because the evidence stays in both places.
• Destructible: the label breaks into small pieces on removal, so it cannot be moved to another asset. The no-residue version leaves nothing on the surface.
• Label stock comes in white, silver, gold and holographic, and both constructions carry barcodes, QR codes and serial numbers.
• Our Hall of Shame shows why construction matters. Cheap VOID stickers on 12,000 federal assets were peeled off cleanly and reapplied, several thousand of them within six months. Our Stronger-tier tamper-evident labels replaced them, and removal now leaves an irreversible VOID pattern.

Matching the asset label to the surface

The surface decides the tier more than the asset does:

• Office IT, lab equipment and other smooth indoor surfaces: Strong, 2-mil polyester with one-color thermal-transfer print on a white or silver background, with a 500-tag minimum.
• Laptops, monitors and smooth surfaces indoors or out, or anywhere you want your logo: Stronger, 5-mil vinyl under a 3-mil clear overlaminate, rated 2 to 5 years outdoors.
• Powdercoat, textured plastic, Chromebooks and outdoor equipment: Strongest, 12-mil plastic with a 3.5-mil permanent adhesive, rated 5+ years outdoors.
• Not sure? The spec builder returns the tier and the price in four questions.

Where to put asset labels

Place the label where it can be scanned without moving the asset, on a flat area that is not handled or slid across. On laptops, the lid corner is a proven spot, not the palm rest. Clean and dry the surface first.

Every sample pack includes an instruction card for surface prep, plus all three tiers in several sizes, so you can see how your layout reads at each size before you order.