A method for coating a laboratory print media with a photo-sensitive material may include generating, at a printer, a request to label a laboratory media. The laboratory media includes applying multiple coating layers to a laboratory print media to produce a human-readable and machine-readable label within a dedicated area of the print media. The multiple coating layers include at least a material based on photo-sensitive ink that is thermally-activated, and protected by a chemical and physical protective barrier/layer. The method may further include generating, using a printing mechanism, an image within the dedicated area of the print media. The image includes a laser-based image reflecting off of the photo-sensitive ink.