Cartridges ‘n Labels

There’s a very subtle difference between the words winner and whiner.

Just one letter to be exact!

Today we have a “winner” for another free Amazon.com Gift certificate courtesy of tlcIT.com.

The winner is: Linny M from Chicago, IL.

Linny’s order # 1007552 gets a free amazon.com gift certificate worth $10.00.

For Linny to collect the free gift, we must get an email reply with the original order acknowledgment which was sent when the order was confirmed.

This will us help us confirm identities and know that Linny is Linny and not someone else!

Once we confirm, we’ll email the gift certificate right out the Linny’s email address. The one that matches his order.

It’s pretty easy and pretty cool to win!

And we giveaway a free amazon gift certificate every week. So maybe next week it’ll be your turn to be a winner, not a whiner.

I know it seems hard to believe but Transcription Labels are for more than just Medical use. People have used them for all kinds of things. The list is endless. Be creative.

Before Julie left for the beach she gave me this weeks Amazon.com gift certificate winner.

The eleventh weekly winner of our Amazon.com Gift Certificate giveaway is Chantal L from City Of Industry, CA.

Chantal’s order #1007417 qualifies her for a free $25.00 Amazon gift certificate.

Chantel has until August 29 at midnight to claim her free gift certificate.

Don’t forget to participate in our special offer only on Thursday and Friday Aug 23 and 24 . While Julie is away at the beach… the mice will play.

See details below.

See ya soon!

OK, you’ve obviously heard by now that Julie is leaving for the beach on Wednesday evening after work.  I can not believe she would choose the beach over being here with us.. can you?

But hey I guess we ‘ll get over it… maybe.

Anyway, it was her idea to offer you a refund on your order. So here’s the deal… anyone that purchases from either our labels and cartridge website or our packaging and shipping supplies store on Thursday, August 23 or Friday August 24, has an opportunity to get their entire order for free.

All you have to do to qualify, after you place your order, is come here and post in the comments your favorite story about your summer vacation.  It can be about the summer vacation you had this year or one from in the past.  It doesn’t matter as long as you don’t make it up.  It’s got to be a true story!

Then, on Monday, when Julie comes back fried from the sun and sand blasted from the wind, she’ll select a few of the stories posted here in the comments that appeal to her.  Those that she selects will get a full refund for their order and still get their order!

In other words you’ll get your order for free, if, Julie selects your summer vacation story.

Be sure to include the email address and your name that you used in your order with your story so we can identify who you are if you win.  Don’t worry, we’ll edit your comments and remove your personal information before it becomes public here in this blog.

Have fun… and good luck!
P.S. We’ll miss you Julie!

Are you intimidated , like I am, when you address a mailing label to a loved one at a military base?

I just don’t feel totally comfortable with a mailing label that doesn’t have a city, state and zip code on it.  Are you? It just doesn’t look right.

So, to make sure that I am addressing my military shipping labels properly, I sought out THE expert on mailing and shipping packages, THE United States Postal Service. (USPS).

After all, how can you argue with someone that handles 703 million pieces of mail every day?

And, I found out that they consulted with the DOD (Department of Defense) to offer guidelines for mailing or shipping to military or civilian personnel deployed in military bases throughout the world!

Wow! Impressive.  Again who can argue with either one of these guys. Now that would make me feel more comfortable that my mailing label is properly addressed so my package gets to where it needs to go.

Here’s the tips that they offer for addressing a package or mailing label to military personnel:

TIP #1 - Use the service member’s full name on the package or shipping label. The Department of Defense canceled the Any Service Member program so mail must be addressed to someone specific.

TIP #2 – Include the unit and APO/FPO (Air/Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office) address with the nine-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned) on the package or mailing label.

TIP #3 – Include a return address on the package or mailing label.

TIP #4 – For packages, print on or apply mailing labels on one side of the package only.  Be sure to include the recipient’s address in the lower right portion of the package.

Here are a few examples of the address format to use on mailing labels or packages. These examples are taken directly from the USPS website:

SSGT Kevin Taylor
Unit 2050 Box 4190
APO AP 96278-2050

SGT Robert Smith
PSC 802 Box 74
APO AE 09499-0074

Seaman Joseph Doe
USCGC Hamilton
FPO AP 96667-3931

SGT Jane Doe
CMR 1250
APO AA 09045-1000

So, if you follow these four tips for mailing packages to military addresses, you’ll know that you’ve done all that you can to get your package into the hands of your loved ones.

The rest is up to the USPS and the DOD.

Hey folks… as many of you already know our Raffle Ticket starter kit comes with free raffle ticket software and enough blank raffle ticket paper to make 400 raffle tickets.

The raffle ticket refill kit, contains enough raffle ticket paper to make 800 raffle tickets.

Now if this was not exciting enough, you might want to know more about the raffle ticket software that comes in the starter kit.

First off the software has about 12 free raffle ticket templates that can get you started. These raffle ticket samples can be used as guidelines to printing raffle tickets.

Changing the fonts and adding your own clip art or pictures to the raffle ticket templates can make the variations of these free raffle ticket templates as numerous as the stars in the sky.

And, in addition to the raffle ticket templates or samples there is are a few pieces of clip art included with the software that you can use as well.

All told, when you get the raffle ticket starter kit you’ll have all you need to print and make raffle tickets from your own desktop computer and printer.

The only thing that is not included with the starter kit is the computer and the printer. You’ll have to chip in for that!

Did you know that according to the 2007 Postal Facts, seven hundred three million pieces of mail are processed and delivered by the U.S Postal Service (USPS) every single day?

That’s letters, cards, ads, bills, (and more bills) payments and packages every single year! That’s amazing!

That breaks down to…

• Nearly 703 million pieces per day
• More than 29 million pieces per hour
• More than 488,000 pieces per minute
• More than 8,000 pieces per second

And here’s what’s even more amazing…

Can you imagine how many postage trays, sacks and pallets are moved daily in trucks, planes, trains, cars, boats and other forms of transportation to deliver that mail?

Again, according to the 2007 postal facts, the USPS operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world! They have more than two hundred sixteen vehicles driving more than 1.2 billion miles each and every year.

These vehicles use nearly 121 million gallons of fuel each year.

When fuel costs increase by a mere penny a gallon, the USPS postal costs increase $8 million according to 2007 postal facts.

Hey, wait a minute, $.01/gallon times 121,000,000 gallons = $1.21 million increase not $8 million as shown on the postal facts!

Oh well I guess it’s either a typo or they added some other related maintenance costs like changing oil in the vehicles!

Either way…WOW!

No wonder postage rates have gone up so much in the past 10 years!

Rick

Are you looking for some tips for labeling your CD or DVD’s?

If so, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here just 4 of my own general rules of thumb, that I’ve discovered for labeling CD’s and DVD’s and keeping them working like new.

1.  Apply your CD or DVD labels with a label applicator. This seems to be the most efficient method of applying CD or DVD labels that I know of.  And it’s probably, at least for me, the easiest way to position the labels symmetrically onto the disc.  The key here is to apply the label so that the disc remains balanced and symmetrical.

2.  Never, apply more than one label to a disc. This stacking of labels on top of labels will add layers to your disk and may cause uneven play or imbalance in the disk.  Labeling discs is fine the first time but do not try to re-label them.

3.  If you label your CD or DVD by writing directly on the disc be sure to use a water-based ink instead of one based in alcohol.  Alcohol seems to penetrate the dye in the disc which could damage your valuable data.

4. Always use a full-size cd label or dvd label on your discs to maintain the discs’ balance and symmetry.  Balance and symmetry in the discs are important to maintain and can affect the performance of your discs and players.

Here are three more tips, not related to labeling, to help you protect and prolong the life of your CD or DVD.

1. Avoid any direct intense sunlight that could potentially penetrate the CD or DVD’s dye layer and possibly render the discs unreadable

2. Avoid storing or subjecting your CD or DVD’s to extreme hot or cold.  Discs should be used or stored in temperatures between 23 degrees F to 131 degrees F.  Read the manufacturer’s recommendations.

3. Avoid smudges, dust and even minor scratches on CD’s and DVD’s by cleaning them regularly with compressed air or wet disc cleaners specifically made for this purpose.

Any others tips you want to share?  Please post them here! Thanks!

Ever wonder why direct thermal labels turn black when you scratch them?

The answer lies in the specially formulated paper stock used in direct thermal printers. This label paper stock is coated with a special material that contains microscopic capsules of ink.

When these capsules are exposed to heat, from the direct thermal printer head, they burst open, creating the intended label image.

One major advantage of using direct thermal labels is that the direct thermal printer is very inexpensive and takes up a small amount of counter space.

Direct thermal printers are very portable, and they do not require a replacement ink ribbon.

Disadvantages of direct thermal labels includes the short lifespan of the imprinted thermal label and the extreme sensitivity to heat and light.

Hey folks it’s that time of week again…time to announce yet another Amazon.com gift certificate winner.

This is the tenth winner we’ve announced since late in May and we’re just getting started. Stay tuned here for more winners in the weeks to come.

This weeks winner is: Michael F from New York, NY. Michael has order #1007296 won him a free $10.00 Amazon gift certificate. He has until August 22 at midnight to claim his gift certificate.

Are you eligible for next weeks free amazon.com gift certificate giveaway? If not, why not?