Labeler and endless printing band for date-coding system

An endless printing band capable of printing in seven aligned and laterally disposed zones across a label which is carried on a longitudinally extending carrier web, the printing band having an outer side with a set of at least seven different printing characters disposed at longitudinally spaced locations along the outer side, the printing band being flexible and selectively positionable to register a selected printing character at a printing zone, seven of the printing characters of the set having at least one printing portion and a non-printing portion, the non-printing portion of any one printing character being aligned and offset laterally with respect to all of the other non-printing portions of the set, and the printing portion(s) of each of the seven printing characters being located in a pattern to print in six and only six of the zones on the label wherein the non-printing portion of each printing character is configured to leave unprinted a different zone on the label.