Printing Plant labels from Ideas Genie

[ideasguy]

As you know, (I hope!) Ideas Genie has a feature to allow you to print labels.
You can get to it in GA004.

I kicked the ball into play by providing ONE label design, Avery 2 across by 7 down= 14 labels per sheet.
If you go to the feature, you'll find that I have left loads of space around the Print button to accomodate other label styles.

Surprisingly, nobody has asked for alternatives, until now.
Ive exchanged a few emails with Mikesummers (our fellow IGC member) and Mike has asked me to provide an alternative.

I'll allow Mike to reply to this posting, and tell us his specification, and the progress made to date.

When we are at it, anybody else interested in this? Please join in... its YOUR forum, so have your say !!!

[mikesanders]

I have been in touch with George on this one - I think there is only one solution for the gardener who wants the occasional, well-presented label.  This is to permit a print-out from IG with a colour photograph, and several fields for text.  The text fields could be nominated by the User - say:  Latin name, common name, flowering season, colour and height.  This data could be downloaded to a standard (say) Avery label - I have researched those Avery labels which correlate with the "square T-shaped" white plastic plant labels commercially available, and have come up with two sizes which would work with the four main sizes of commercially available plant label.

I have suggested using the self-adhesive Avery labels, but have found that the adhesion is not strong enough, without some supplement such as Copydex. 

The sheets of labels can then easily be laminated - buy your own for about £100 to £150 - or use a local Print Shop.  The lamination is only on one side, and the laminated label can then be peeled from the Avery labels' backing sheet.

Any other ideas?

[mikesanders]

One important aspect of plant labels is the size that you woud find of most use.  I understand that IG will have the facility to print a label with a colour photograph.  These will need to be attached to the commercially available square/T white plastic plant labels. (see my previous posting)  The commercially available plant labels come in several sizes, but the following are readily available:
55mm by 35mm
50mm by 80mm
60mm by 100mm

I hope that IG will have the facility to select print labels commensurate with these plant label sizes - is there any comment out there on preferred sizes of plant labels.

Do you have any particular way of labelling plants attractively which you have found works well - indoors, in the greenhouse or outdoors?

Mike Sanders

[ideasguy]

I'l be programming this very soon, so any input would be much appreciated from our members.

Do you have any particular way of labelling plants attractively which you have found works well - indoors, in the greenhouse or outdoors?

With seed propagating and tray/pot labelling time approaching, any member experience on anything that works would be very much appreciated!

[ideasguy]

This was a bit trickier than I thought, but... its done!

There were just too many options to put it on the program GA004, so I developed a brand new program GA048, and it will be available immediately in Ideas Genie Pro and Bonsai Genie.
It will be added to Ideas Genie and Flower Genie later.

There are 3 options, for any one of a range of labels:
a) Print data
b) Print a photo
c) Print data + photo

Its very flexible. Heres the steps

Screen 1
Select a label (from a pop-up)
Select Option a), b) or c) above.
Click Continue

Screen 2
A Visual presentation of the page of labels
e.g. if the label selected is 7 (rows) x 3 (columns) you will see 7 rows and 3 columns of rectangles to represent the page of labels.
There is a Gardener pop-up and a Garden Area pop-up.
You select a list of plants by operating the pop-ups.

To put a plant on a label:
1. Click a plant in the list.
2. Click a label on the label list of plants. The label is filled

To remove a plant from a label:
Right click the label

Keep clicking labels for multiples of the same plant, OR
select a NEW plant (change pop-up settings if you wish) and start clicking again.

If you only need one label, you can single a plant and click once.
You can click any position on the page of labels.
This allows you to print one (or more) label now, peel off the label, go back later and print more labels on the same sheet.

Click Edit

Screen 3
You edit the data for the labels.
The amount of data you can squeeze onto a small label is much less that that you can save on a large label. Hence, the program offers you the facility to edit.
The program also allows you to SAVE the editing.
Thus, next time you select that label and the same plant, the label data (your good work) appears.

The Plant name is automatically supplied.
You can edit this
e.g. Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Tamukeyama' will appear first time you go to print a label for that plant. A bit big for a label.
You can edit it to Acer p. diss. 'Tamukeyama' and save that name for that label.


The plant data:
is automatically generated from the flowering time, dimensions etc in your database
Again you can edit this to suit the label, and save your work.

How do you know if it everything fits the label?
You do a Print Preview. Keep editing until it looks right.

The Photo (if you've picked that option)
You can review and select any photo from your collection for use on the label.
e.g. You could prepare a photo (in advance) to suit the label and select that.
You don?t have to size your photo. The program will reduce the image proportionally to fit the label.

Finally? print your page of labels

Click Done.
You will be offered the option to save the page of labels.
If you do that, you can quickly reprint that page again, or if you want to add another plant to the page of labels.
Next time you start GA048, all saved label pages will be displayed in a list in Screen 1.
Double click to reprint, go through the process again for new labels.

In the database design, Ive provided for (but not programmed yet):
* Printing both sides of a page.
Would allow you to print data on one side, photo on the other.
To do this, the software has to "flip" the label. More computer programming gymnastics!

* Print Specimen name. Save the label editing for Plant+Specimen. Thus, you could save different text for each specimen of a plant.

Questions and Comments please!

[The Gardener]

This sounds like a great idea George.  I'd certainly be interested to use it.  I think what I'd like is to be able to print labels to stick onto the standard white plastic labels you can buy from garden centres or DIY stores.  I've yet to find a pen or pencil which writes on these and the writing actually stays on for more than a few months.  My garden is full of blank labels!    The trouble is, it would have to be waterproof, and an inkjet printer doesn't do waterproof!  Any suggestions?

[ideasguy]

I dont think theres an easy way.

First, to bring you all up to date, Ive spent another couple of develpment sessions and developed the Front and Back option.
Its easier to do it now than change the whole program later.

Thus:
you pick the plants for the page of labels (one or many)
you print the front
You then use the same page reversed in the printer
You print the back

The plants front and back are matched. The program does the gymnastics and flips the positions to make sure this works.

So now we can PRINT nice labels with photos.
What on?
Can use standard labels. Its designed for that.

However, It doesnt care what you use, so you could use a normal page.
Better still, use photographic paper.

Next, how to protect the labels.

Short term (for trays of seeds etc) sellotape would be OK. The sellotape could be used to fix the labels to plant pin labels. Ive done this before.

Longer term, I'm going to buy a laminator.
They are much cheaper than I thought. You can buy one in Argos for £25
Has anyone ever used laminated labels? How well did they last?

Very long term?
The laminated labels sandwiched and sealed between two transparent sheets.
Thin Glass is best, using a glass cutter, with something like a bead of silicone squeezed around the edges. The whole then mounted on sturdy peg which doesnt get kicked out when weeding.

Since glass is not so good for the garden, sheets of good quality plastic is the next option. Easier to cut?
Same sealing procedure?

OK. theres a few suggestions. Please, let me have yours.

[mikesanders]

It certainly sounds as if you have covered all aspects, George and I look forward to seeing the software in action.
I think that a laminator is the answer, although I have not given it much use yet, to see how labels perform in the longterm outside.  Certainly water gets into anything, as we know, and the seal must be tight. I was experimenting with the adhesive labels that you can buy from the major labeller manufacturers.  Following lamination of only one side, with the lamination "closing" on all four sides of each label, these can then be stuck onto the commercially available white plastic plant labels.  Hence my suggestion in this Topic earlier that the selection of labels used by IG must be compatibile in size with those plastic labels.  I have found the seal to be OK, but that the adhesive of the label needs "strengthening" and I have tried several available glues, all with a reasonable degree of success.
Mike Sanders
PS - Several of my plant labels have disappeared overnight - the garden is deer proof, so I assume it is squirrels.  Earlier this year, my tulip bulbs and now my plant labels!

[ideasguy]

Disappearing labels  What next!
Birds do a lot of excavating in my garden, particularly in patches with a covering of last years leaves, or around the compost heap.
Could they be the culprits?

The programming is finished, but the documentation, help and tutorials needs some work. Its a tedious task, but essential.