This paper describes a technique for creating customized, thick (= 1 mm) slide labels, and fastening them permanently to slides so they can be stored vertically by stacking or horizontally like cards in a file without putting pres­sure on the coverslip. After 20 years, thick labels created by this technique have shown no sign of degradation; labels fastened to slides with silicone caulking have remained securely attached. A storage system, using insect drawer sized trays that hold large numbers of thick labelled slides, is shown. The use of thick labels and such a storage system simplifies the curation of large numbers of slides

Voegtlin, David J

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 32 
Number 4 - Winter 1999 Number 4 - Winter 
1999 
Article 6 
December 1999 
A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope 
Slides. 
David J. Voegtlin 
Illinois Natural History Survey 
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Recommended Citation 
Voegtlin, David J. 1999. "A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slides.," The 
Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 32 (3) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol32/iss3/6 
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THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST1999 293 
A METHOD FOR MAKING CUSTOMIZED, THICK LABELS 

FOR MICROSCOPE SLIDES. 

David J. Voegtlin 1 
ABSTRACT 
This paper 
describes a 
technique for creating customized, thick (= 1 mm) 
slide labels, and fastening them permanently to slides so they can be stored
vertically by stacking or horizontally like cards in a file without putting pres­
sure 
on 
the coverslip. After 20 years, thick labels created by this technique 
have shown no sign of degradation; labels fastened to slides with 
silicone caulking have remained securely attached. 
A 
storage system, using insect 
drawer 
sized 
trays that hold large numbers of thick labelled slides, is shown. 
The use of thick labels and such a storage system simplifies the curation of 
large numbers of 
slides. 
Long 
term storage and handling of large numbers of microscope slides 
can 
be a problem. 'l'he 
most widely used method involves boxes with slotted 
guides that hold, maximally, 100 slides per box. These boxes are expensive, 
and curating 
slides 
held in this manner is time consuming, demanding re­
peated handling of individual 
slides. 
Large cases with aluminum trays are 
also available, but ag in, re expensive, a d curation entails the shifting of 
many 
slides individually. 
Far more compact storage and e se of curation can 
be achieved by stacking slides vertically or on ge like cards in a file; how­
ever, under such conditions it is necessary to protect the coverslips from pres­
sure. This can 
be achieved 
in stacked or card filed systems by using thick
slide labels. The many advantages of using thick labels are discussed by 
Heikenheimo 
(1988). 
Problems associated with thick labels have been the 
high 
cost 
of printing on thick card stock and finding an appropriate glue to 
attach the thick 
labels to 
the slides. The following technique, used and tested 
over the past 20 years, produces customized thick labels inexpensively and 
securely fast ns them to the slide. 
Creating custom labels using personal computers. User-friendly 
word processing 
programs and today's high quality laser printers (600 dpi) 
make it easy and inexpensive to make customized labels printed in 
clear, readable text 
down to 4 
pt type. Computer programs are also available that 
will create labels using information stored in a data base. I have not used the 
latter, 
so 
cannot comment on their ability to produce cus omized labels. Cus­
tomizing may be done by using italics for generic and specific names, using 
different fonts and sizes for different lines, and including a unique identifier 
for each label/slide. Within these restrictions, the height of 2.5 cm (the width 
lCenter for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody, Cham­
paign, Illinois 61820-6970. 
1
Voegtlin: A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slide
Published by ValpoScholar, 1999
294 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 32, No.4 
Figure 1. Equipment and supplies for making thick slide labels. Clockwise 
from top left, a dry mount press, four-ply bristol oard cut into page-sized 
pieces, laser-printed pages oflabels, silicone caulking/glue, dry mount tissue. 
of a microscope slide) and vvidth of each label, modifications can be made line 
by 
line. I 
have arbitrarily set the label width at 2 cm. This allows each label 
to be set in several millimeters from the end of the slide, so that if necessary 
they 
will fit 
into regular slotted slide boxes, vvithout interfering with the cov­
erslip. Labels are made in rows rather than columns, which make  it very 
easy 
to 
set label width using tabs. The entry for each line on the first label, 
plus the tab, can 
be copied 
and pasted to compleh~ the line. Each row con­
tains 
8 labels 
and nine 2.3 cm rows of labels on each st ndard, letter-sized 
page 
(Figure 1). Most 
programs allow the creation of a special page format 
that can 
be 
saved and recalled so th t it is unnece sary to reset tabs or select 
the preferred font 
for 
each new page. Once in rows, individual lines are 
copied and incorporated into new labels, and an entire row of labels can eas­
ily be copied and repeated. Another capability of computer word processing 
programs 
is 
the search and replace function. This function will work a row at 
a time or on any selected s t of rows. Once rows of labels r  formatted, it is 
easy to change any of the information using the replace function. Fonts ca  
be selected for clarity, such as the ability to separate between a capital I and 
a small I (as in Illinois) or for personal preferrence. Font sizes between 4 and 
7pt. are used in labels and it is difficult to read such small type sizes on a 
standard computer 
screen. Most 
word processing programs have a zoom con­
trol that 
allows one to work 
at a higher or lower magnification. Working at
200 or even 150 percent of normal makes it possible to work with 4 to 7 pt. 
type 
easily. 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 32, No. 3 [1999], Art. 6
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1999 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 295 
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Figure 2. Two labels with point size of each line and space indicated. Top 
label provides collection data and unique slide number, bottom label determi­
nation and 
indication 
of mounting medium used. Lines drawn around the la­
bels indicate where cuts would be made. They do not indicate line borders 
around each 
label. 
Figure 
2 shows a 
pair of labels along with the size of each line and space. 
This arrangement 
will 
vary with the amount of information you choose to 
put 
on 
the label and the infomation that you choose to emphasize. A 4 pt. 
space between rows of labels provides enough r om to cut between the rows 
and 
leave sufficient 
area above the top and below the bottom line. After some 
experimentation with your program and 
font, 
the number, and font size of 
lines that will complete a label to your satisfaction can be easily determined. 
Pages oflabels are printed on acid-free, 100% rag paper. 
Attaching pages of labels to thick card stock. 
The 
secret to making 
thick 
labels is 
in the attachment of the high quality paper to card stock. This 
is easily done usi g Kodak Dry Mount Tissue®--a sheet of glue that is a solid 
at 
room 
temperature but melts under heat. The fusion of label pages to card 
stock is accomplished by placing a sheet of Dry Mount Tissue® between the 
two and heating to 100~110°C (210~230° F) for approximately a minute. 
Heating this sandwich 
of cardstock, 
Dry Mount Tissue® and labels is most 
easily done using a dry mount press (Figure 1), but can also be done with a 
household iron. In both cases, it is useful to place a larger sheet of paper over 
the sandwich when heating 
it. 
The glue sheets are 20.3 cm x 25.4 cm (8 x 10 
inches), and if aligned properly, none will protrude outside of the sandwich. 
When this 
cools, 
the label page and cardstock are inseparable and labels can 
be cut using 
a good 
quality paper cutter. Card stock is available n a variety 
of 
thicknesses, finish quality, 
and price. Four-ply bristol hoard is of appropri­
3
Voegtlin: A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slide
Published by ValpoScholar, 1999
296 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 32, No.4 
ate thickness and 
commonly 
available in art supply stores. It come  in sheets 
55.9 cm x 76.2 cm (22 x 30 inches), providing six 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8.5 x 11 inch) 
pieces. With four-ply bristol board, the total thickness of finished labels is ap­
proximately 
0.75 
mm. This has proven to be thick enough to prevent adjacent 
slides 
from 
contacting the coverslip, except in a few cases where very large 
specimens have been mounted. 
Attaching labels to slides. Many different glues have been tested 
for 
their ability to permanently hold thick labels to the glass 
slide. 
The best 
"glue" I have found is not a glue at all, but pure silicone caulki g, a widely 
available product used around bathtubs and 
showers. 
Pure silicone caulking 
comes in variously sized tubes from a variety of manufacturers and is avail­
able in most hardware stores. Smaller tubes are more 
expensive, 
but most 
come with a cap to prevent the silicone that remains in the tube from firming 
up 
once 
the tube is opened. More recently, a pure silicone product has become 
available and is actually called 
a 
"household adhesive and seal." To fasten 
the label to the slide place a small bit of caulking on the slide and press the 
label 
down. Once 
the label is pressed onto the slide, no additional pressure is 
needed and the label 
will 
be immovable in about an hour. Labels are placed 
on the slide about 2-3 mm in from each end, making it possible to place 
these slides in standard 
slide boxes. 
Cost of label production. Cost of this process is shown 
below. 
Dry 
mount tissue is available in 100-sheet 
boxes. 
Large sheets of 4 ply bristol 
board 
(55.8 x 76.2 cm) cost 
approximately $2.50 each and can be cut into 6 
standard letter-size 
pieces. 
21.6 x 27.9 
cm sheet 4 ply bristol board $ 0.45 
20.3 x 25.4 cm sheet dry mount tissue 0.25 
21.6 x 27.9 cm sheet acid free label paper 0.11 
Total $ 0.81/page 
Each page has 
9 rows 
of 8 labels, or 72 labels. Altogether a materials cost of
slightly more than l¢llabel. This of course 
does 
not include the time it takes 
to prepare the labels on the computer, dry mount them 
to 
card stock, cut 
them, and glue them 
to 
the slides. The cost of the caulking also varies; how­
ever, even a small tube will last for a long time ifkept tightly capped. 
Longevity of the labels. 
Before 
this process was adopted, a career pho­
tographer was consulted as to the longevity of the dry mount 
process. 
He 
stated that he knew of pictures that had been dry mounted and were still 
solidly 
attached and unaffected by the dry mount after 30 years. The Bristol 
board is not 
acid-free, 
although that quality is available at approximately 
3--4 times the cost of regular Bristol board. It is probably not necessary to 
have acid 
free 
Bristol board as the dry mount tissue separates the acid-free 
paper 
from 
the Bristol board. Whether the dry mount tissue will eventually 
have an 
affect 
on the acid-free p per I do not know, but I have labels made 
with this 
process 
in the late 1970s that are still in excellent condition. 
Silicone caulking has proved very effective as a label cement. Labels at­
tached with this material 
for 
over 20 years are still held tightly. Some brands 
of pure 
silicone 
caulking now come \>;,ith a 50 year warranty, implying excel­
lent 
longevity for 
this use. The caulking never really hardens, so if the label 
must 
be 
removed for any reason, it is relatively easy to remove it by using a 
razor blade to cut through the thin layer of caulking. Most 
silicone 
caulkings 
give off volatiles when curing and carry warning labels on the tube to keep 
them 
from 
contact with eyes. This may be of concern for some users; how­
ever, I ha e not found the odor overwhelming or in any way troublesome. The 
quantity used is small and most is not 
exposed 
to the air, but sandwiched be­
4
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 32, No. 3 [1999], Art. 6
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1999 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 297 
Figure 3. Tray with a capacity of over 900 slides, built to fit into a c binet for 
Cornell insect drawers. 
tween 
a 
thick label and glass which minimizes the immediate release of 
volatiles. As the manufacturers advise, however, it is best to use this in an
area of 
good 
ventilation. 
Some concern exists that laser-printed labels are susceptible 
to 
the rub­
bing that 
occurs on 
slides stored in a card file manner. This varies with the 
quality 
of 
the ink in the laser writer, the heat with which the print is fused to 
the paper, and is easily tested by rubbing 
a 
printed page taken from your 
printer. 
I 
have seen some laser-printed type that rubs off quite easily, while 
others remain firmly attached and show 
no 
degradation from rubbing. It is 
important 
to 
use high quality cartridges in your printer. There is some indi­
cation that heating laser printed sheets increases the durability of the print­
ing. 
It is possible that the heating to fuse the paper and Bristol board aids in 
fixing the print to the paper. Laser-printed labels are soluble in organic sol­
vents such as ethyl acetate 
(Sims 
and Venable 1992), but it is unlikely that 
most 
microscope 
slides would be exposed to such chemicals. If laser-printed 
labels are perceived 
to be a 
problem, custom offset-printed labels can be 
made and attached 
to 
cardstock. 
Storage systems for slides with thick labels. Large numbers of 
slides can be stored in drawers as shown in Figure 
3. 
This one holds over 900 
slides. Unfortunately such drawers cannot be purchased and must be custom 
made. This homemade drawer was constructed with the dimensions of 
a standard insect drawer that 
allows 
slides to be held in regular museum stor­
age cabinets. The exchange of slides within and between drawers is 
easy. Slides are kept vertical in each row 
by pieces 
of packing foamthat are cut 
5
Voegtlin: A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slide
Published by ValpoScholar, 1999
298 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 32, No.4 
slightly longer than the width of the row. Heikenheimo (1988) diagrams two 
additional storage systems 
for slides 
with thick labels. One of these was de­
scribed and used by Hille Ris Lambers (1950), who stored over 60,000 slides 
in 
a 
very small area. 
If 
you 
already have a large collection of slides in boxes with regular la­
bels, it is possible to integrate them into such a storage system without mak­
ing 
a 
thick label for each. Slides without thick labels can be kept in transpar­
ent plastic 
sleeves. 
These are available from plastics manufacturers at a 
reasonable 
cost, 
but will probably have to be ordered in a minimum of sev­
eral thousand. These plastic 
covers will 
limit pressure on the coverslip. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Heikenheimo, O. 1988. Mounting techniques, aphid collections, pp 31-43. In: A. K. 
Minks and P. Harrewijn 
(eds.), 
Aphids their biology, natural enemies, and control, 
vol. B. Elsevier, Amsterdam. 364 pp. 
Hille 
Ris 
Lambers, D. 1950. On mounting aphids and other soft-skinned insects. Ento­
mologische Berichten 298(8): 55-58. 
Sims, L. L. and G. L. Venable. 1992. Computer generated labels-an update. Insect 
Collection News 7: 23-24. 
6
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 32, No. 3 [1999], Art. 6
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A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slides.

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A Method for Making Customized, Thick Labels for Microscope Slides.

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