According to Gartner, scalability is “the measure of a system’s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to changes in application and system processing demands.” In other words, any technology your business relies on, including your labeling software, must be able to grow with you.
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When your labeling software isn’t built to scale, it quickly becomes a bottleneck that slows operations and limits business growth. In this blog, we’ll explore practical ways to make sure your labeling system can support future growth and maximum scalability.
Having a scalable labeling solution is important because it impacts your company's ability to grow without disruption. As your business adds new products, expands into new locations, or enters new markets, your labeling system must keep up. Without scalability, labeling quickly becomes a bottleneck—slowing production, creating inconsistencies, and increasing the risk of compliance issues. But, when you have a scalable labeling system, your operations adapt and evolve by maintaining accuracy, supporting global standards, and reducing long-term costs.
It’s just as important to plan for the growth of your business as it is to scale your business. Scalability and growth go hand-in-hand when it comes to labeling because they help prepare your business for the future.
While growth is exciting, it oftentimes brings new operational challenges across your organization, including those related to labeling. To support your company’s future growth, we’ve identified a handful of labeling best practices that will help you avoid any roadblocks and build a scalable labeling system. By following the best practices below, your company will be well-prepared for future growth and positioned for long-term labeling success.
Set the foundation for scalability by standardizing your labeling processes from the beginning, by using the same label design software across your organization. Consolidating multiple brands of software into one single brand and version reduces complexity and ensures consistency. With a consistent environment, users can open, edit, and print any label file without worrying about version mismatches.
Maintain label accuracy by relying on a single, centralized source of truth, like linking your label data to existing business systems such as warehouse management systems (WMS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. These systems already contain the most accurate, up-to-date product, customer, and shipping information because they’re maintained as part of your daily operations. One of the main benefits of a single source of truth is the elimination of data silos. Data is no longer scattered across the company but is available in one central location.
2D barcodes are becoming the new standard due to their ability to store more data in less space with better scan reliability and error correction. As industries adopt more 2D barcodes, like DataMatrix and QR codes, it’s important to ensure your labeling software can easily switch barcode types without creating the labels from scratch. With TEKLYNX label design software, switching from a 1D to a 2D barcode is as simple as changing the symbology—no advanced skills required. However, companies should ensure that their scanning hardware is compatible with 2D formats, as some models may not support them.
If multiple users on your network work simultaneously or rely on the same labeling software, it’s worth considering a network license instead of purchasing several single-user licenses. Network licenses are more cost effective because they reduce the cost per user and streamline both label and license management. It's installed on a central server, and is then distributed to each computer, eliminating the need to install and update each license, one by one, on each individual workstation. Another benefit of network licensing is that upgrades and renewals happen on the network, making it so there's no need to update each computer individually. Network licenses save IT maintenance time by reducing the risk of inconsistencies across devices.
If your documents such as order receipts, bills of materials, or packing lists use the same data as your labels, it makes operational sense to print them from the same application. TEKLYNX RFID and barcode label design software, CODESOFT, supports standardization by allowing multiple database records to be combined into a single file, saving time by printing from one application.
Consolidating your label and document printing processes into one system reduces duplicate work, minimizes errors, and saves time.
Print automation reduces the risk of manual errors. You can automate data input within your label design software through features such as database connections, forms, PortWatch, or RESTful API integration. Then your label print automation software triggers a label print job using the data from your business system. Not only does this improve labeling accuracy, but it creates a faster and more efficient labeling process.
By implementing specific user roles and permissions to ensure only authorized personnel can design, print, and approve labels, your labeling errors are reduced, and security is strengthened. User roles are set by an administrator and ensure that each user only performs the tasks aligned with their responsibilities. By separating design and print functions, you reduce the risk of accidental changes, simplify user training, and maintain tighter control over your labeling.
A label approval process ensures that every change is reviewed, documented, and approved before going live. By having label version control, you can see exactly who made changes, what was changed, and when it occurred. This helps maintain compliance with internal standards and industry regulations and reduces the risk of production disruptions due to improper label revisions. Implementing approval workflows and version control provides greater visibility and peace of mind.
Maintaining up-to-date operating systems, hardware, and software is essential to keeping your labeling functioning effectively. It's important to remember that updates in one area can impact other technologies. For example, using labeling software designed for Windows 10 won’t function properly (or at all) on a machine that’s running Windows XP. Similarly, keeping your printers maintained and updated ensures your labels maintain the highest possible quality.
If you want to read even more strategies on creating a scalable labeling environment, download our Best Practices for Barcode Labeling eBook.
With these best practices in mind, your next move is to choose a software provider capable of supporting and sustaining scalable labeling across your organization.
Many small or local businesses start out with the simplest, lowest-cost labeling software available. When profit margins are slim, keeping costs low matters. The real key is choosing a labeling partner that allows your company to expand into advanced solutions without any disruption. If you choose a vendor that only offers free software, there will most likely come a time when your company outgrows it and needs to move to a more scalable barcode labeling solution. Replacing your software provider often requires redesigning every label file and rebuilding your entire labeling process from scratch.
When you choose a labeling partner that is built for growth, label files are forward compatible, and transitioning to a more robust labeling software is much more seamless. TEKLYNX offers three label design solutions, with different features and integration options to match your business’s needs. Each label design solution is licensed per user, with subscription or perpetual licensing options, available in multi-user network licenses, and is available for purchase on the TEKLYNX eCommerce Storefront.
As your company expands, TEKLYNX also offers enterprise-level labeling solutions that work directly with CODESOFT barcode label design software. SENTINEL label print automation automates your labeling processes and LABEL ARCHIVE offers label security and traceability. TEKLYNX CENTRAL is an all-in-one labeling solution that combines label design, print automation, and traceability into a centralized label management solution. With a browser-based label printing interface, TEKLYNX CENTRAL makes secure label printing accessible from anywhere in the world. By using the TEKLYNX Product Selector Tool you can find out which labeling solution is right for your business.
Beyond offering a variety of labeling software, a labeling partner should also provide solution-driven customer support. Effective customer support teams not only solve the issue at hand, but they help optimize your labeling environment to set you up for long-term success. At TEKLYNX, our award-winning customer support team is always just a phone call away. Our goal is to help companies barcode better by offering better solutions and superior customer support experiences.
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Browser-based label printing is an example of technology that offers unmatched flexibility and maximum scalability. Instead of locally installing label design software on every workstation, users can access a secure web browser with a username and password where they can select and print labels. The interface is simplified to allow data population and label selection without giving access to edit label templates, ensuring accuracy.
Browser-based label printing combines the best labeling practices into one solution:
Now that you understand the strategies behind building a scalable labeling environment and selecting the right software partner, the final step is to conduct an assessment.
Business growth can happen unexpectedly, and your labeling process should never slow you down. Whether your company is opening new locations, expanding into new markets, or part of a merger or acquisition, a scalable barcode labeling system prepares you for anything. Regular labeling assessments prevent disruptions and keep your operations running smoothly.
Experts recommend evaluating your labeling system's scalability at least once a year, or any time you update your operating system, business systems, or hardware. To have a successful upgrade, follow these guidelines:
Download our free eBook, 5 Signs It’s Time to Evaluate Your Labeling System, and request a free labeling assessment.
Scalability isn’t just a feature of a strong labeling system—it’s the foundation that allows your business to grow without disruption. As your organization evolves, your labeling process must keep up. By standardizing your labeling, centralizing your data, leveraging automation, and keeping your systems up to date, you’re setting up your business for long-term success. Pairing these best practices with a software partner designed to scale alongside you ensures your labeling system is built for future growth.
Investing in scalable labeling today ensures your company can grow confidently tomorrow. To maximize scalability in your barcode labeling environment, request a free consult.
Anthony Bieniewski is the Operations and IT Manager at TEKLYNX. Anthony uses his 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure and security to continue to move TEKLYNX forward with efficient and secure processes and tools. He also leverages that experience in mentoring and coaching TEKLYNX’s support team so that they can continue to pursue best practices when helping our customers barcode better.
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