How to print your label at the right size

1. Download the PDF and open it in a PDF viewer.
2. Select paper that matches the file: your label size, A4 or US Letter.
3. Print at Actual size or 100% scale, with Fit and Shrink turned off.
4. Test on plain paper, check it with a ruler, then print on label stock.

See Adobe’s PDF page-size instructions. Printer settings and printable areas vary.

Choosing label dimensions

Start from something you can measure. Use a ruler or calipers on the straight part of the vial between the shoulder and the base, or read the dimensions printed on your label stock. A vial's capacity doesn't tell you its label area, so enter measured millimetres rather than relying on a nominal size.

If the label wraps around the vial, only part of it faces you at a time. Choose a width that keeps the most important details readable from one side, and a height that sits comfortably inside the usable area.

Larger labels give text more room and allow a QR code. On very small labels, a few fields at a readable size work better than many fields squeezed in.

Single label, sheet or image

The single-label PDF has a page exactly the size of your label. It suits label printers whose software lets you set a matching custom label size.

The A4 and US Letter PDFs repeat your label in a grid with 10 mm page margins and 2 mm gaps between labels. The grid is generic and isn't aligned to any brand of pre-cut label sheet. Print it on plain paper or full-sheet label stock and cut the labels apart.

The PNG is a 600 dpi image of your label for software that imports pictures. In that software, set the print size to the same millimetre dimensions you chose here.

What to put in each field

Name is the only required field. Use the name you keep in your own records, and for a blend, include enough detail to tell it apart from similar preparations.

Labelled amount is the quantity stated for the product, not a measured value. For concentration, enter only a figure you have confirmed or calculated, including its unit.

Copy the lot or batch exactly as it appears on the vial or its paperwork, including letters and dashes, so it can be matched later. Preparation date is the date you prepared the solution. Keep notes brief. On small labels, put extra detail in your lab notebook instead.

Bringing in a calculator result

Reconstitution Guidance, the Peptide Blend Calculator and the Serial Dilution Calculator each offer Create a vial label once they show a valid result. The values arrive as editable fields. Check them against your calculation before printing.

Reconstitution Guidance transfers the nominal concentration from the labelled mass and final volume. The blend calculator transfers the total concentration, marked as a total, and places component amounts in the notes. The serial dilution calculator transfers the final tube and its concentration derived from your known stock. It doesn't carry over the original powder mass, because that isn't what the tube contains.

If you change a calculator's inputs, the link is removed until a new valid result appears. This keeps an outdated value from reaching your label.

Calculate first, then make your label

Reconstitution Guidance · Peptide Blend Calculator · Serial Dilution Calculator

Peptide label maker questions