{{Short description|Machine to print and apply labels to products}}
{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}}
{{see also|labelLabel applicator}}
[[imageFile:4051 lpa.jpg|thumb|LabelA label printer applicator applying a label to adjacent panels of a [[corrugated box]].]]
[[imageFile:Print-and-apply-anatomy.jpg|thumb|LabelTypical components of a label printer applicator.]]
A '''label printer applicator''' is a basic [[robot]] that can automatically print and apply pressure-sensitive [[label]]s to various products. Some types of labeling include shipping labeling, content labeling, graphic images, and labeling to comply with specific standards such as those of [[GS1]] and [[Universal Product Code]] U.P.C. A pressure-sensitive label consists of a label substrate and adhesive.
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=== Print engine ===
The print engine can be taken from an industrial table top printer, it can be a specifically designed module that can be "bolted" onto an applicator or it can be a proprietary element constructed by the printer applicator manufacturer. A print engine’s primary function is to accept data from a computer and print the data onto a label for application. This printing can be accomplished using either the direct thermal method or the thermal transfer method. Both methods heat up very fine elements (up to 600 per inch) on a print head. Direct thermal burnsimaging thedarkens imageheat-sensitive ontomedia theto faceform ofthe speciallyprinted designed label stockimage. This is the preferred method for shipping labels and is also very popular in Europe. The thermal transfer process utilizes a ribbon coated with wax, resin, or a hybrid of the two. It is then heated and melted onto the surface of the label substrate. Thermal transfer is the most popular method in the United States. The printer knows what to print via data communication from an outside software package, much like common inkjet printers. The software delivers data formatted in a specific layout and the printer reads the format based on its own driver.
=== Applicator ===
{{main|labelLabel applicator}}
The applicator section deliversplaces the printed label toonto the product. This can be accomplished by several methods. Typically application is achieved with a pneumatic or electric cylinder with a specially designed label pad. The cylinder will extend out and touch (tamp) the adhesive side of the label to a product. Variations of this method will extend the cylinder and then use air to blow the label to the product surface (tamp-blow). Another popular method is a blow-on system that will use a burst of air to deliver the label from the pad to the product surface without the use of a cylinder. Other methods can be used to wipe a label onto a surface, or even place two duplicate or unique labels on different sides of a product.
