This guideline will review all of these factors and attempt to put them in perspective. Special Requirements First and foremost, special requirements need to be evaluated. A wide range of substrates, adhesives, overlaminates and even colored printing supplies are available for in-house printing. An even wider range of materials and processes are available through off-site vendors. Next, lead times from various vendors need to be reviewed.
Some vendors offer extremely short turnaround times once a program has been established.
Some companies receive data from customers, print the symbols and courier the labels out within 12 to 24 hours. If even the fastest turnaround times are too long, in-house printing is indicated. Quantities of Waste So far, the decision criteria have been relatively simple. Things get a little more complicated from here on. At both extremes outsourcing may be the best answer.