Graphic Products Offers Free Best Practice Guide to Valve Tags

Beaverton, OR, January 17, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Graphic Products, Inc., a leading supplier of safety sign and industrial label printers, is pleased to announce the release of a Best Practices Guide to Valve Tags. The guide describes valve tagging and labeling practices to meet ANSI and ASME codes, and to maximize the effectiveness of communication using valve tags.

As defined by the ANSI A13.1-2007 valves are considered to be a part of a piping system and they must be labeled to the same standards as pipes. A 'pipe' is a conduit used to convey, distribute, mix, separate, discharge, meter, control, or snub fluid flows. The purpose of a pipe label is to effectively communicate the contents of the pipes and give additional details, if the pipe contents present a serious hazard. Valve tags need to accomplish these same goals, as well as provide additional information that improves productivity and helps to prevent operating errors.

The Best Practice Guide to Valve Tags is a comprehensive guide that provides a step-by-step description of what it takes to ensure a facility has the proper valve tags and labels. Beginning with a thorough inspection of the facility, the guide's emphasis is on the importance of evaluating your facility and on following standards when making and installing valve tags.

"Our new Best Practice Guide To Valve Tags provides an in-depth look at valve tag and label creation. It covers standards such as tag color, and even provides three pages of the standard abbreviations used on valve tags," says Steve Hudgik, Director of Internet Marketing for Graphic Products. "It gets into details such as text style and size, along with a discussion about the information that must be included on every valve tag or label, as well as tag placement on the valve."

Steve went on to say, "Most people don't give much thought to tag and label maintenance. But this guide even lists the maintenance steps that should be taken to ensure long-term readability and durability of your valve tags."

The Table of Contents lists the topics that are covered:

1. List of Required Tools

2. Facility Valve Tag Evaluation

3. Valve Tag / Label Creation
......Standard Abbreviations
......What Information Should be Included on Valve Tags / Labels?
......What Type of Lettering Should Be Used?
......Should Valve Tags Be One-Sided or Two-Sided?
......What Material Should Be Used to Make Valve Tags?
......What Color Should a Valve Tag / Label Be?
......Example of Valve Tag Creation

4. Valve Tag Placement
......Locations Where Valve Tags / Labels Should Be Placed

5. Valve Tag / Label Maintenance

This comprehensive Best Practice Guide to Valve Tags is available as a free download. It may be downloaded from: http://www.graphicproducts.com/valvetags/

For more information about valve tags and labels, please contact Graphic Products at, 1-800-788-5572.

Graphic Products has been a leading label printer and supplies dealer since 1970. They are the manufacturer of the DuraLabel line of label printers and DuraLabel supplies. In addition to DuraLabel printers they stock a complete selection of labeling supplies for other label printers, including specialized supplies such as glow-in-the-dark labels, chemical resistant labels and low temperature labels. Graphic Products specializes in fast, same-day shipping to meet their customers' just-in-time delivery requirements.

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