Best way to label small project boxes ?

Rub on lettering looks neat but you need to carefully align the text if you are using individual letters as opposed to words. You'll also need a burnishing tool.

I use P-touch by Brother,it can be use to identify wire too.

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I've done that, but I print a mirror image of the legend, then glue it on the panel toner-side-down to protect the toner.

How about printable sticky lables?

The best combination of looks and ease of use that I've seen is clear laser-printer film with a sticky backing. I haven't used this myself, but a buddy makes a lot of custom research equipment for the local university using this method for his front panels. The results are very professional looking. The only downside is that the toner is not scratch-proof, so the index lines around pots, etc, eventually get scratched by fingernails.

The film covers the entire front panel in one sheet, so there is none of the fiddling with alignment that you normally need with rub-ons... everything is as perfect as it was in your original layout (CAD program, etc).

Hope this helps!

Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

i did try one thing and it seem to work. (also for Circuit boards) :) create your image on a computer graphics program of the face labels. using a laser printer, print on Photo Ink Jet. clean the surface of the box face, iron on the image. run under water to free the paper leaving only the image on the face of the box, then spray with a clear coating for protection. this works good because you can even use this method to mark your drilling spots.

Somebody posted this a while ago. I haven't used them.

For appearance, I'd echo Lord Garth. I've never found any method superior to rub-down transfers ('Letraset' etc; many brands). But it certainly does require some patience and a steady hand.

Here are some examples, all done with that method. Usage over 20 years or so has plainly taken its toll on some of them!

More recently I've made a few by inkjet printing onto a transparency (reversed), carefully cutting to size, and sticking to the surface. I guess that with practice, I could get to like that method too.

Great idea! What kind of glue did you use?

Thanks!

Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

Wow!! Thanks a lot for all the great suggestions guys!

We used spray-on clear coat to protect the burnished lettering.

I use labels that I got from

They have a baot load of label sheets. I have a product that is housed in a fiberglass NEMA box that is left outdoors. I talked to the folks at ripped sheets and they have a prosuct that was designed to be put on 55 gallon drums of toxic waste stored in outdoor fields. I have product in the field for three years and the labels look just fine.

I make my labels by using Word and print them on a laser printer.

Anyway, they might have a product that will meet your needs.

Good luck.

Not sure if you want to do this, but learning the art of Silk Screening is easy, and leaves professional results. Speedball has several starter kits.

Most people swear my prototypes were store bought off the shelf.

Richard

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Those folks are very expensive!!!

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But they do look good and the printing won't wear off. Have you got a more cost effective supplier for milled front panels?

What exactly is Silk Screening?

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Usually only appropriate for large runs. You have a fine mesh screen, formerly made of real silk but now often polyester or even stainless steel. It's typically mounted in a wooden frame with a hinge on the back. You coat the screen with a sensitizing emulsion. Your panel artwork master must be opaque black on a clear background. You lay the artwork over the (dry) coated screen and expose with a UV lamp (sun lamp, etc), which hardens the emulsion wherever it hits. Then you spray the unexposed emulsion away with water.

To screen a panel, you put the piece under the frame, squirt a line of paint along the top edge of the screen (above the art part) and then squeegee the ink down the screen, forcing paint through onto your piece. Once you have done all the hard work of making the screen, you can "pull an impression" (print a new panel) in only a few seconds per panel.

You can get exquisite resolution with this method using really fine-mesh screens. You can use multiple colors by using "block out" solution to paint over the regions of the screen you don't want to print. Print the first color, let it dry, wash the block out away and reapply in a new location, replace the panel in the exact location, and print again with another color.

And you can do T shirts in your spare time!

Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis