Hi all,

Looking for centrifuge tube-labeling solutions a step or more above straight up sharpie-ing them by hand - that don't break the bank. We're going to need tens of thousands of labeled tubes at the front end of our project.

I've looked into sticker labels, but it is similarly time-consuming and labor-intensive to apply these to the tubes by hand -- and very demoralizing when they peel off!

I've looked into automated solutions like TubeWriter 360, which seems perfect, but is extremely expensive. Another potential solution I have found is a mechanical (but faster and less strenuous) tube labeller called ZapLabeler, which retails for $500. Older TubeWriter models are also available for much less than the 360 model, if anyone has experience with those and if it helped significantly.

To anyone who can sympathize: has your lab come up with any creative solutions to reduce time and labor in the labeling process? If not hand-labeling with sharpie, what does your lab use to apply labels to sample storage tubes?

Thanks in advance, VERY much appreciate any advice!