Our world is constantly moving toward digital transformation. Automation is a crucial tool for a thriving business. By automating processes, companies can make their workflows faster and more efficient, enabling them to do more with less. 

What is automated barcode label printing?

The main goal of print automation is to minimize touchpoints within the labeling process. Humans are prone to error, so minimizing human interaction will lead to fewer labeling mistakes and a smoother workflow. By automating data entry within your label design software through features such as database connections, forms, or RESTful API integration, you can have peace of mind knowing your labels are populated with the correct data. 

A complete label print automation solution integrates your label design software and printing technologies with your existing business system, ERP, WMS, or custom homegrown system. Within a fraction of a second, print automation software can trigger a print job using the data from your business system, automatically populate your labels, and print to an unlimited number of printers.

The benefits of automated label printing: 

• Reduce IT interaction: Little to no maintenance is required once print automation software is configured with your system.
• Faster label printing: Through the elimination of manual data entry and business system integration, label printing process speed could double.
• Automatically convert data to labels: Print automation software automatically populates the labels for you by pulling the data directly from your business system.
• Ensure label accuracy: Automating your label printing process reduces human interactions, which decreases the opportunity for error.
• Improved your Return on Investment (ROI): Integrating your labeling system helps expand ROI by leveraging existing business systems rather than allocating budget to a new solution.
• More user-friendly label printing process: Reduce stress and save time by eliminating unnecessary steps in the labeling environment to create a simpler labeling process for your print users.

When should you consider automated label printing?

When you want to make label printing easier for your users. Creating a more streamlined process for your label printing users can be achieved through features in your label design software. Easily populate variable data with database connections, provide a more user-friendly label printing interface with forms, and remove the need for manual data entry by taking advantage of PortWatch.

When you want to maintain a single set of labels in a central repository. With print automation, there is no need to upload templates to separate stations. Instead of creating static labels, leverage label templates that can easily populate variable data with your print automation software.

When you want to automate label printing out of your business system. Your business system already contains all the necessary data you need to populate your labels, so why not take advantage of this? Eliminating manual data entry ensures the correct information is on your labels by integrating your labeling system with your business system.

When you want to centrally manage your print jobs. Use print automation to control all your print jobs from a centralized location. You can easily manage multiple workstations from the comfort of your desk.

Automated label printing case study

Dot Foods is one of North America’s largest food industry redistributors. To meet evolving labeling demands, the company needed software capable of creating pallets and other custom labels for its customers. Dot Foods implemented a print automation system that not only fulfilled its labeling requirements but also ensured the reliability and continuity of its high-availability environment. With automated label printing, Dot Foods was able to automate instantaneous print jobs to 300+ printers and improve its labeling accuracy to 99%.

To read the full success story, download the case study. 

How to automate printing with label design software

Populate variable data with database connections. The more data fields that need to be manually populated, the more room for error. Database connections is a feature to look for in your label design software. It enables label templates to pull variable data in from an existing database. This feature allows you to enter or select one key data element (such as the part or order number), and all other data is automatically populated on the label.

Improve efficiency by removing the need to manually type in data. Entering data onto a label is time consuming and poses the risk of inaccurate data being printed. Simplify your printing process by using label design software that allows you to add variable data from a device such as scanners, scales, or keyboard to your labels automatically. Without manual data entry, printing labels can be instantaneous and can improve the overall print speed within your labeling environments.

Incorporate RESTful API into your automation process. Enabling RESTful API allows companies to automate labeling workflows and integrate labeling processes with their existing business system. This reduces the time and resources required for labeling and creates greater workflow efficiency. RESTful API ensures that labeling data is accurate and consistent across all systems, reducing the risk of errors. RESTful API is often used for building web services that allow different software systems to bi-directionally communicate with each other over the internet. By intergrading print automation with RESTful API, you will receive immediate feedback about that print job and whether it passed or completed, or any errors that may have occurred.

Now is the time to automate your label printing

Automated label printing can benefit any organization that prints and uses labels. If you want to create a labeling process that is faster, more efficient, and reduces errors, consider implementing automated label printing.