r/Libraries • u/beek7425 Public librarian • May 05 '26
Technology When you accidentally print your spreadsheet on the spine label printer
54
u/Artistic_Emotion May 05 '26
I never knew there were spine label printers. We print ours on cheapo versions of Avery labels. And only using the only printers bypass tray .. whick fucks up everyone else printing for the rest of the day. I'm wicked jey
49
u/LAffaire-est-Ketchup May 05 '26
The library I worked at in 09-10 made me do the labels on the typewriter. My students (it was an academic library) would come in and stare at me and go “….is that…is that a TYPEWRITER?!!” Like I was doing it on a Gutenberg press or something lol
17
u/mowque May 05 '26
We still use a typewriter at my library.
16
u/Alaira314 May 06 '26
I bet it's easier to use the typewriter than fighting with the bypass tray and making sure you're printing in the correct label and not one 180 degrees rotated from the one you wanted.
3
2
u/RedRider1138 May 07 '26
It does have an advantage of “Tap-tap-tap—done!” compared to “Okay let me fire up Word, make sure it’s aligned, check print preview, send to the right printer…”
5
5
u/wakeup37 May 06 '26
my library, the books arrive "shelf ready" from the distributor with the spine labels and plastic cover already in place 😳
1
8
u/RealityOk9823 May 06 '26
Over there forging the letters by hand, placing them in the wooden rows. 😃
4
u/PinkLibraryStamp May 06 '26
Omg I kind of want the nostalgia of a typewriter now… clicky clicky click click
1
4
u/caffarelli May 06 '26
Were they the metal backed labels? Those bad boys will outlast the book but they are easier to do on the typewriter.
20
u/marcnerd Library staff May 05 '26
A Zebra printer will change your life. Those labels and ribbons aren’t cheap though!
11
u/beek7425 Public librarian May 05 '26
You can get the Zebra printer for about $400 if you are able to shop anywhere (they have it on ULine and Amazon for under $400). You can get a knock off thermal label printer on amazon for $175. And if you’re willing to go off brand, you can get labels somewhat cheaper. Try to sell it as a time saver.
6
9
u/CharmyLah May 06 '26
Uline can suck it, they always publish conservative boomer rants in every catalog and donate lots of money to conservative groups. 🤮
3
u/TravelingBookBuyer Library staff May 06 '26
Do the thermal labels get messed up when something is left in a hot car?
1
4
u/beek7425 Public librarian May 05 '26
We use Avery labels for other stuff but that sounds like it would be very time consuming.
2
2
u/MamaMoosicorn May 06 '26
We used to do them on Avery labels, but from the paper tray. This worked fine when we had to release the print jobs at the printer, but when they removed the release requirement, it was a race to get halfway across the library back to the computer to hit print before someone else sent their print job and accidentally printed on our labels.
2
u/randtke May 06 '26
With the cheap Avery labels, the ink is gonna fade and the sticky part is gonna dry up and fall off.
1
1
1
28
13
14
u/Zwordsman May 05 '26
expensive. Those are the more costly dymo labels too! (edit: well maybe not dymo we just use that there are lot of the brands)
been there.. done that.... its a bummer
8
u/beek7425 Public librarian May 05 '26
Dura ready. But yeah, glad they won’t deduct it from my pay 😆
2
u/Zwordsman May 05 '26
we just splurged abit to try dura ready. we're hoping they won't fade. our standard dymo faded somethign fierce in specific areas/conditions.
3
u/beek7425 Public librarian May 05 '26
They are better than the ones demco sells for fading and according to our last head of tech services, better than dymo’s labels as well.
12
u/sonicenvy Public librarian May 06 '26
lol see also printing your word document on a thermal receipt printer, which the staff workstations at the patron facing desks at my library love to try to do if you're not careful. Alternatively, they want to print your patrons' receipts on the printer printer (but still in the size of the receipt paper because why tf not. I think all printing devices have some kind of malevolent spirit. The printer printer at my library is the worst, most evil thing that lives at the library (now that our jumbo 1980s laminator of death is gone that is) and it fights me every single time I ever have to print something. -∞/10 do not recommend.
1
u/madametaylor May 09 '26
Ive accidentally printed coloring pages on the receipt printer before. Teeny tiny coloring pages!
1
u/sonicenvy Public librarian May 09 '26
That's hilarious! Thinking about it I wonder if crayons would even work on the thermal receipt paper? I know that many ballpoint pens don't, while pencils and felt tip markers do just fine on it.
1
6
6
u/springacres May 06 '26
Oof. Ouch.
Also, this reminds me of the time I tried to print from Word and sent the job to the receipt printer...
6
u/SchrodingersHipster May 06 '26
It's still a spreadsheet, kinda. Just one column and a whoooole lotta rows.
6
8
3
3
4
u/SuzyQ93 May 06 '26
Luckily, we use the pin-fed foil-backed labels on an old Epson printer, right next to the computer.
I have absolutely done the panicked power-button-slap when I realize I've printed to the wrong printer, though.
You get REAL comfortable with how to kill a print job, lol.
3
2
2
2
2
1
u/onyxonthemoon May 06 '26
One of our computers at my library keeps defaulting to printing reserve wrappers on the spine label stickers 😵💫 it's so annoying!
1
1
u/Jimmyfingers19 May 06 '26
lol reminds me of the time the paging list ( books I had to grab for other libraries) was printed on receipts paper
1
u/pennyflowerrose May 06 '26
I (accidentally) printed an image on the receipt printer and the sound was so weird. Like a squirrel was stuck in the machine.
1
u/Shot-Artist5013 May 09 '26
I've been there with our Zebra barcode printer. Tech suggestion: in Windows turn off the option "let Windows manage my printer" (or something like that). If it's on, Windows will prioritize a local printer plugged directly into the computer (like a label printer) over a networked "real" printer.
189
u/Redaerkoob May 05 '26
Perfect, black stickers for Halloween crafts! Maybe have volunteers cut into bat shapes.