Colored symbols on labels

[Jeremy Schiffer]

While the colored symbols are a great way to speed up sorting, the selection of symbols seems to create more confusion than anything. Our customers are always complaining about getting the symbols mixed up, and they do have a point. It's hard to differentiate between a purple triangle that is pointing up on the label, and a purple triangle that is pointing down on the label (this happens nearly every job).

I've seen that it is possible to modify the symbols for the B&W labels, but that doesn't seem to be the case for the colored symbols. Could we possibly get the ability to add new symbols to the library of colored ones? All my customers seem to think that either the cabinet number printed large and in color would work, or (this is my idea) a double letter - AA, BB, CC, AB, AC, etc. That would allow a huge number of cabinets, and if they are printed in color, would be instantly recognizable and nearly impossible to confuse with other cabinets, regardless of the label orientation.

[Brad McIntosh]

Nice option - If I am not mistaken, a 2-letter code (UPPERCASE) could allow for 676 unique cabinet identifiers. (26x26 -> AA,AB,AC,AD,...BA,BB,BC,BD,... ZA,ZB,ZC,ZD,...)

In many combinations, looking at the 2-letter permutations "upside down" (inverted) would not be an issue but, depending on the font, permutations such as "OM"/"WO", "HO"/"OH", "XO"/"OX" and possibly a few others (??) may require a little concentration as "upside down" (inverted) they could look similar.

• If one removed the "possibly ambiguous when inverted" letters (H,I,M,O,S,W,X,Z) from the first or second position, then we would have 468 (26x18) unique cabinet identifiers that are orientation/inversion insensitive.
• If the "possibly ambiguous when inverted" letters (H,I,M,O,S,W,X,Z) were removed completely from the permutations, then we would have 324 (18x18) unique cabinet identifiers that are orientation/inversion insensitive.

[Jeremy Schiffer]

Even 324 is more than enough I'm sure. I sure hope they can get this added as an option - like I said, my customers love the idea of the colored symbols for sorting, but in practice they create nearly as much confusion as they save, simply because of the limited number of ambiguous shapes. Letters are instantly recognizable and "Red Double A" easier to remember than "Blue Downward Pointing Triangle With One Corner Nipped Off"

[Jeremy Schiffer]

My OCD wouldn't let me finish the day without pointing out that the 324 unique letter codes would be multiplied by the number of colors available to print them in. You could use 4 colors and have 1,296 unique codes - which is much better than what we have now, which includes bright red and dark red, which aren't terribly easy to tell apart. 3 or 4 colors such as red, blue, yellow, and green, coupled with the letter codes, would be awesome.

[Clint Buechlein]

Jeremy,

So I'm on the same page, what .rpt file are you currently using? If it's a custom one, can you email it to me directly cmbuechlein@thermwood.com.

-Clint-

[Jeremy Schiffer]

Hi Clint,
We're using either 1p33x4_Address_Sheet_Recut.rpt, or 1p33x4_Address_Sheet.rpt, both of which are stock from the Control Nesting Labels directory.

[Kerry Fullington]

The colored symbols never really worked for me. We use sorting carts and it is hard to remember which slot you put the three green dots in.
As I design I save the cabinets to a job file then when ready to cut, I batch the file, make all the global changes I need then nest them.
the batch labels the cabinets B1,B2 and on which translates well to slot 1 and slot 2 in the sorting cart.

[Clint Buechlein]

Hi Clint,
We're using either 1p33x4_Address_Sheet_Recut.rpt, or 1p33x4_Address_Sheet.rpt, both of which are stock from the Control Nesting Labels directory.

I'll take a look at the label when I get back from vacation after next week. No promises, but hopefully can do something.

-Clint-

[Neville Bastian]

This might sound like I am being funny but how about animals? There is more than 1296 different animals, reptiles and Marine. If you had them as a water mark they would be easy to spot. Would have to be dark colours I guess to be seen. But I think the brain may see a image quicker than a AA, IT, PO, RS. Could be a head of a animal rather than the whole body. Maybe Animals could be base, Reptiles uppers and Marine floor to ceiling cabinets. I wont suggest politians heads as thats very polarising. You would have to have both sides of the field plus add in Canada's. Not much use using Australians as even we dont who they are.

Ok back to watching sesame street.

Regards Neville

[Joe Soto]

Why not just use the cabinet number already assigned by eCabs? A big font. Its already there on the cutlist, drawings, on the controller, even the buy list.
Need to recut a deck for cabinet 23? Open the .twd scroll down to cab #23 and select the part. It would be helpful if we could renumber the cabinets also.

[Jeremy Schiffer]

I thought about that as well, Joe. But if you are doing more than one job at a time (sometimes we have 5 or 6 going at a time) then you can have multiple Cabinet #1 for example.

"This might sound like I am being funny...."

Yes, Neville, it does, and it is!

[Kerry Fullington]

Neville,

Your method won't work. A few days ago as I drove up to the shop, out of the darkness ran this small animal. It was a weasel. This was exciting because I have never seen a weasel before. Later in the day I realized that the Texas Panhandle does not have weasels and that the animal was probably someones ferret that had escaped. Now I have to re-sort all the ferret parts I placed in the weasel slot.

[Jeremy Schiffer]

Now I have to re-sort all the ferret parts I placed in the weasel slot.

Don't despair, we have all been there...

[Neville Bastian]

Thats a good point Kerry. The animals may need to be country specific. If you are near the Mexican border you may need animals the staff will recognise like Coyotes, Donkeys and Eagles. If you are from Canada I can imagine Moose,Bears and other cuddley animals. All I can think of here are dangerous things like spiders, snakes and sharks.
Mabe Aa Bb and Cc isnt a bad idea after all.

[Clint Buechlein]

On a more on topic note, the shapes and colors are randomly generated by Control Nesting, not pulled from a database anywhere. Am I correct in seeing that there is a fair amount of real estate available at the bottom of the label? If so I can put a big number there that is a cabinet sorting number. Whatever number is there is the number of a cabinet that the parts go to, not the actual Cabinet Number. If there isn't much room on the label, post a picture of one of yours so I can see what we are working with.

See attached screenshot for what I'm talking about.

If you want something more specific where you are doing double letter combos and different colors, that's going to be a charged service as it will take a bit to get worked out. If you like what you see in the screenshot, I can get you custom ones made and posted as that layout is much simpler.

-Clint-