There was a time when GHS BS5609 labeling was an expensive proposition. Many companies had to buy far more labels than needed in order to meet minimum order quantities required by commercial printing services. Taking matters into their own hands meant investing in GHS industrial label printers. While GHS label printer investments could pay for themselves over time, the initial cost was often high enough to stop small businesses from taking the plunge.
Fortunately, times have changed. The most affordable GHS BS5609-compliant industrial chemical label drum printer, the Epson GP-C831, is just $1995 USD. Despite its entry-level price, the GP-C831 makes it easier than ever for companies of all sizes to comply with GHS BS5609 labeling regulations. GHS BS5609 label compliance came into effect in the United States last year and the deadline for companies in Canada is November 30th this year — and many of these companies are still trying to figure out how to become compliant.
Here’s a quick look at why the Epson GP-C831 color label printer is an excellent choice for manufacturers subject to these regulations.
1. BS5609 certification — When paired with compliant label media, the Epson GP-C831 color label printer is BS5609 certified. According to Epson, the Epson GP-C831 was the first inkjet to become GHS BS5609 certified. BS5609 certification is important for chemicals that are subject to International Maritime Dangerous Goods requirements. In short, BS5609 certification certifies that the label material and adhesive as well as the permanence of the print on the label can withstand harsh environmental conditions such as long-term immersion in seawater. Thus, if a chemical drum falls overboard during shipping, the label affixed to that chemical drum must be durable enough to stay affixed and legible so that it can serve as a warning to people who may later encounter it.
2. Label size — The Epson GP-C831 has a usable print area of 8 inches by 22 inches, making it possible to print large format chemical drum labels, oxygen tank labels, flammable goods labels, and other labels that require a large size. Smaller size GHS labels can also be printed with the Epson TM-C7500.
3. Operation — Though it’s a heavy duty industrial label printer, the Epson GP-C831 is as easy to operate as any standard Windows desktop printer. It can be used with GHS label design software such as NiceLabel or BarTender to create custom GHS labels on demand.
4. Production volume — The ability to print either small or large batches of labels at once makes the Epson GP-C831 color label printer a flexible choice. For example, you can easily print one or two labels as needed or set up runs of thousands of labels at once. With an 8-pin tractor feeder, the Epson GP-C831 color label printer accepts both fan-folded sheets and label rolls (for roll-based labels, a label unwinder is also required). Depending on the print settings, the Epson GP-C831’s print speed ranges from 7 to 16.5 pages per minute.
5. Costs — As previously noted, the Epson GP-C831 is the most affordable GHS BS5609-compliant industrial chemical label printer on the market at just $1995 USD. It’s also affordable to operate with low ink costs. The GP-C831 uses four individual pigment CMYK ink cartridges to help keep ink costs low. For example, if you’re running low on cyan ink, only the cyan ink cartridge will need to be replaced. In contrast, many inkjet printers use a single cartridge containing all of the ink colors, which means when one color runs low, the entire cartridge must be replaced and all of the remaining ink is wasted. Many customers will consider both the Epson GP-C831 and the Primera LX2000 label printer. However, for industrial customers who need to print large numbers of labels, the ink cost savings on the Epson GP-C831 on an ink cost per label basis is quite significant. So, not only does the Epson GP-C831 have a lower upfront cost, its operating costs are lower too because it also has the lowest ink cost per label.
The Epson GP-C831 industrial color label printer offers everything manufacturers in USA and Canada need for GHS BS5609 compliance. Not only is it the most affordable choice, it’s made and backed by one of the leading label printer manufacturers in the industry.Â