Tag it! Create luggage tags with your PC

Help your kids identify their bags with colourful name tags

By Julie Stoyka

It’s every traveller’s worst nightmare: standing at the luggage carousel in Miami, waiting for a bag that has been mistakenly sent to San Francisco. Lost luggage can put a damper on even the shortest vacation. So if you’re planning a family vacation this spring break, take the time to ensure your luggage ends up in the right place.

With Microsoft Home Magazine’s luggage tag template and Shrinky Dinks shrinkable plastic for computer inkjet printers, you can create bright, bold luggage tags. The tags are also a great pre-departure craft to help your young adventurers get ready for their grand voyage.

Pertinent information

Ideally, you should use both sides of your luggage tag: one side with your destination information (the name and address of where you’re staying); the other with contact information back home. For security reasons, though, you should never use your own home address. If your parents, for example, are not vacationing with you, use their contact information. And, if you’ll be carrying a cell phone with you, use that phone number.

Josh Walker knows all about the frustration lost luggage can cause. As lead station attendant for Air Canada, he has the enormous task of taking care of your luggage while you’re still on the ground. He suggests having a tag that is durable and waterproof, as luggage does occasionally get caught on machines and can get wet if there is snow or rain. As well, he notes that bright tags stand out in a sea of baggage.

The best material we could find to suit all the criteria is actually an old favourite: Shrinky Dinks. While Shrinky Dinks have been around for ages (yes, it’s the same product some of us put in the oven as children), the new-generation plastic sheets can be printed on most inkjet printers and baked in minutes.

Materials

• Shrinky Dinks shrinkable plastic for computer inkjet printers
• scanned image or Clip Art
• printer
• paper scissors or a sharp-edged utility knife
• paper grocery or gift bag
• ribbon

Selecting images

Shrinky Dinks are great for making durable plastic tags, but some precautions need to be taken. First and foremost, we recommend not putting your child’s photograph on any luggage tags. As well, because of the “shrinking” nature of the product, any typed or handwritten text must be large enough to remain legible after the tag is printed and baked. Choose images that are bright but simple, regardless of whether you’re using a scanned image or Clip Art.

Step 1: Download a design template and personalize

• Download our Luggage tag PDF* template if you want to print ready-to-trim tags on the Shrinky Dinks paper. We’ve also created a Word version of our tags that can be printed onto cardstock.
• Otherwise, create your own luggage tags in Word. Pre-baked tags should be at least 5” × 5” in area.
• If you create your own tags, be sure to lighten your image by 50 per cent before printing because, as Shrinky Dinks shrink, they get darker.

Tip: The area of each Shrinky Dinks sheet is 8” × 10”, so you’ll have to adjust the paper setup in Word accordingly.

Step 2: Print and trim the template

Load the shrinkable plastic into the printer, following your printer’s directions. Print the luggage tags at the lowest-quality print setting. The printed image will appear faded.

Cut out the luggage tags using paper scissors or a utility knife. Cut out all white areas on the tags (i.e., the white rectangle on the sun tag and the white circle on the airplane tag).

Write pertinent information on the tags. USE A WATERBASED MARKER.

Step 3: Prep, bake and cool

Lay the trimmed luggage tags on a cookie sheet lined with a paper bag to keep the tags from sticking.

Bake three-to-five minutes at 275° (following the directions on the package); then let cool.

When the tags have cooled, write the destination information on the back or add a sticker/label with the information. Thread the ball chain, ribbon or leather strap through the holes and affix the tags to your luggage.

* You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the PDF files. Click here to get it for free.

Photos: Julie Stoyka/Zariel Creative 2005