Your Weigh Scale Beginner’s Guide

So let’s start off with the equipment. 

We’ve covered thermal and inkjet label printers before, but scale label printers are in a different league. Scale label printers are exactly what the name describes – the combination of a scale and a label printer. They can be digital (touch screen) or use a keypad with letters, numbers and symbols. 

Unlike items you’ll find on store shelves that have a set price, like bottled water or a box of cereal, scale label printers weigh individual items and calculate a final price based on a predetermined amount. 

And all of this is done with the same piece of equipment.

While this describes the basic operation of scale label printers, they can also include other features or options depending on where they’re used. Here are some examples:

• Auto Wrap – Auto wrap printers weigh, wrap, and label items in one go. They can be a small, hand wrap station at the service counter or a large, fully automated machine in the meat backroom. 
• Self Service – Self service printers are user-friendly and allow customers to select, weigh, and print labels for their own products to later be scanned at checkout. These can ensure a frictionless shopping experience. 
• Counter Scale – Counter scale printers are small enough to fit onto counter space while still maintaining efficient operations through quick weight stabilization and fast label printing. 
• Linerless – Linerless scale printers use linerless labels for multiple benefits. No liner means users cut down on waste while labels can be cut to any customizable length, reducing labels costs.

Some of the most popular names in the scale printer industry are ones that you may have already come across. They include:

• Bizerba 
• Hobart
• Mettler Toledo
• CAS
• Ishida
• DIGI

Now that we’ve covered the scale printers, what about the scale labels they use?

Industries that use scale labels have a wide range. However, they’re most often used where food products are packed and sold. 

These include retail establishments like: 

• Grocery stores & supermarkets
• Butcheries 
• Delicatessens 
• Bakeries
• Farmer’s markets
• Candy & ice cream shops

All of these businesses sell products by weight in some form. They can be large, chain stores with multiple locations or small scale, mom and pop shops in your local neighborhood. 

And it’s not just retail stores that use scale printers and labels. You can also find them in large facilities that use auto-apply equipment, such as auto-wrappers.

These machines automate weighing, wrapping, and labeling into one operation. They include: 

• Raw meat packing plants
• Poultry packing plants
• Processing plants

Any weighted food product you’ve purchased from your weekly grocery trip was priced in some way by a scale printer.

Scale printers like those mentioned above require direct thermal labels to print. 

Direct thermal labels have ink embedded within the label material and are heat activated once they come in contact with the printhead. No thermal ribbon is required. 

However, direct thermal labels only print in black ink. If you’re looking for colors on your scale labels, you’ll have to order them pre-printed (we’ll cover this in a bit).

Because of how scale printers are set up, it’s common for most scale labels to print in peel and present mode. This just means each individual label is removed from the liner as it prints, allowing for quick manual application. However, some scales operate with a thermal printer that attaches separately. And in this case, labels can print still attached to the liner.

But it’s extremely important that users buy the right labels for their scale printer model. Unlike generic thermal or inkjet labels, scale labels must correlate with their specific printer brand in order to be compatible. 

This is because each scale brand has standard label formats that work with their printers. 

For example, if you’re using a Hobart printer, you will need to load it with Hobart-type compatible labels. These can be supplied through the main printer company or with 3rd party companies, who will specify labels by their scale name and models. 

Scale label sizes also differ from other printer labels. That’s because they’re sized using both imperial (inches) and metric (millimeters) measurements. 

This information depends on where the printer company is based. U.S. based companies, like Hobart or Mettler Toledo, will size their labels using imperial (2.25” x 2.37”) and international companies, like DIGI and CAS, will size their labels using metric (58 x 60 mm).

Now that we’ve looked at the scales and printers, it’s important to mention the types of labels being printed. 

Scale labels can be printed with information that varies depending on what they’re being used for or what product they’re applied to. Businesses can also convey important warnings or instructions to consumers buying the products.

Here’s a list of common scale labels found throughout the industry:

Safe Handling labels are applied to raw or not-ready-to-eat products. This includes meat, poultry, and partially pre-cooked foods. 

The information printed on safe handling labels lets the consumer know how to safely store, handle, prepare, and cook the product. They can also include safety tips like washing all working surfaces the product touches, including hands, utensils, and cutting boards.

UPC Safe Handling labels are used in larger grocery stores at high volumes. They combine both a universal product code (UPC) and safe handling instructions on one, single label. 

UPC’s are the most common type of barcode found on consumer packaging and are consistent across retailers with 12 numerical digits.

Similar to a UPC Safe Handling Label, a UPC Ingredient label combines a UPC barcode and a printed list of ingredients for that particular product.

Ingredients are listed in descending order, starting with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed by those used in smaller amounts. 

The information can include: 

• Food ingredients
• Flavors and spices
• Preservatives and additives
• Vitamins
• Colors

This lets consumers know the ingredients in the product they are purchasing, which can be crucial for those consumers with allergens. 

Preprinted scale labels are printed with information already on the label. This can vary depending on what the business wants to print on the labels with their own scale printer.

Some preprinted scale labels include sections where variable information can later be added. 

Think pack date, sell date, net weight, final price, etc. Since each product will weigh a different amount or be priced differently, this specific information will print in the correct section on the label for each individual product.

Preprinted scale labels are also a way to incorporate color and callout important information to consumers. Different colors can emphasize safe handling instructions, warnings, or even “thank you” text.

Then when dates and prices are printed in black text by users, the information further stands out to consumers. 

Preprinted labels can also encourage consumers to buy other products to compliment the item they’re buying. For example, a business can prompt consumers to buy a marinade or sauce to use with the chicken they’re purchasing.

Businesses can also include their company logo on preprinted scale labels. This is another way to highlight their brand and have it represented on packaging.

One huge difference that separates scale printers from others is the regulations they require. Like we mentioned before, this means having a trade approved scale.

So do you actually need one? 

If you’re working in an industry where weight affects the price of a product you’re selling, then the answer is yes, it’s required by law. 

These regulations can vary depending on state and local requirements, so it’s always best to check for proper verification.

The National Conference of Weights and Measures (NCWM) is who you’ll go through to get your scale trade approved. They issue scale standards and ensure scales are approved by weights and measures officials through a testing process. 

Scales have to be tested and prove that they meet standards outlined by organizations that oversee the requirements of that industry. All of this is to guarantee the consumer is getting what they pay for. 

It’s also about building trust. Having a trade approved scale means the consumer can trust the weight of the goods they’re purchasing from your business. 

If you have a scale printer but aren’t sure it meets trade approved standards, you can check through the NCWM website database. 

And if you’re looking for a scale label printer, all of the above mentioned popular brands meet the approved certification!

Well, there it is! Now you’ve got some basic knowledge about scale labels to keep in your back pocket.

Remember, this industry has many different layers to it: scales and printers, labels, industries that use them.  

It’s imperative that the information printed on each label includes the required information for consumers. Even more important is that your scale printer is certified and meets the standards for the industry.

Having an underlying understanding of these elements will help you going forward.