* Avoid physically unstable surfaces. Also avoid placing labels or marks across a line of weakness or fracture;
* Avoid applying any self-adhesive label or tape, such as SellotapeTM, to the surface of an object. If a glued-on label is the most appropriate technique to use, follow the procedure outlined in Basic Techniques: Glue-on label;
* Choose a position so that the number is unlikely to be visible when the object is on display;
* Avoid decoration and painted/varnished/pigmented/waxed areas;
* Avoid surfaces where the mark is likely to be at risk from abrasion, such as surfaces on which it normally rests, or where touched during handling;
* Mark all detachable parts of an object (using suffixes to the Object number);
* Locate the number so that the handling necessary to read it is minimised. (Consider marking the packaging or adding an extra tie-on label as well.);
* With composite objects, mark the part on which the most secure method can be used;
* Where duplicate marks are made these should be in different positions on the object (bearing in mind, of course, the other principles listed above).