Seem's like there's little info out there about the various printers that can do this and as with any product, I'm sure some are awesome and others not so much.

...the slip and lock labels I mention are the vinyl type you wrap around trees usually.

Have you access to any of the industry trade mags? They would be a much better resource for finding the best and most economical solution to your printing needs.

Trade Magazine

I have been out of that side of the industry for a few years now but dependable and tag/label printers are not terms I would typically put together :-) We were always having issues with our printers for one reason or another!!

We're in the same situation--catalog is too big to make custom printing affordable and our currently used laser-based options are simply not keeping up. It seems like many of the printers marketed for this use are rebranded industrial printers adjusted for a thicker stock and marked up 2-3x in price. There are stories of print heads wearing out quickly with the thick stock or poorly readjusted mechanisms having issues.

Were you able to find a good solution?