More and more products today come in cardboard or plastic containers. If you were to visit your local supermarket, then you would find only the occasional product being provided in glass bottles or glass jars. Wine is almost always provided in glass bottles. However, when I was growing up, we used to leave empty bottles out for the local milkman and he would replace them with full glass bottles of milk. Soft drink was also delivered by a truck driver and we could choose what flavours we wanted. It must have been 40 years ago when soft drink and milk were delivered in glass bottles in Sydney so if you chose to, you did not need to go to the shops at all for milk or soft drink.

Glass is used less often today because of the risk of injury. Large venues which host concerts and sporting events do not allow glass products so manufacturers of products use glass less often than before. There are less bottle labels found in supermarkets. There are still jar labels on products that are more suited to glass jars. One such product is jam.

Jam Jar Labels

Jam jar labels are required for large manufacturers of jam so the jars of jam can be labeled effectively. You can choose from different flavours and from different manufacturers. Jam jar labels on jam in supermarkets must clearly reflect the brand name, the type of jam, the size of the jar, the ingredients used, the origin of the product as well as details of the manufacturer. Often, the colour of the actual fruit where the jam comes from is also displayed on these jar labels. There is a fair amount of information that must go onto jam jar labels so a skilled designer would be needed to create an attractive label with a striking headline that exposes the brand, especially if it is well-known.

Jam is one of those products that thousands of people make themselves. Most just make one flavour and enough for family use only but what would you do if you wanted to sell it to friends or on the side of the road or at local markets.

Quite simply, you would design your jam jar labels in much the same way as the large manufacturers do but your branding was less important unless you intended to grow this into a viable business.

Most jam jar labels are rectangular in shape and cover much of the jar. Other shapes are also used. I have seen jar labels in the shape of a heart with simply the flavours such as apricot, strawberry, blueberry, cherry, plum, blackberry or marmalade printed on the label. This is all you need if you are preparing jam for family and friends.

Jar labels are less common today as plastic and cardboard are more common packaging items. Peanut butter and Vegemite are two other products that still come in glass jars more often than not.

Multinational companies all employ graphic designers who have the skill and experience to come up with the best designs for their product labels. However, many small producers and manufacturers will not have the luxury of employing designers so they will need to outsource the graphic design of their labels to either an outside designer or to a preferred label printing company.

Firstly, let’s look at the main features of product labels. They are as follows:

• Branding, i.e. company logos and colours
• Name and contact details of the manufacturer
• Name of the product, e.g. is it a special category of your main product?
• Size or volume, e.g. number of millilitres
• Ingredients of your product
• Origin of your product, i.e. country grown, country packaged, etc.
• Optionally, benefits of your product including a catchy phrase or Unique Selling Proposition
• Use by date or warranty information if relevant
• Other relevant information such as product testing results, testimonials, guarantees, references to other marketing, etc

This information can be easily placed on your product if it is relatively large. For example, a shampoo bottle label is sufficiently large and provides ample room to fit all of this information. Many products use two labels, for example, a front label that is heavy on branding and imagery, and a back label that contains the finer details of the product such as ingredients.

However, what if your product is quite small such as lip balm? It will be quite challenging to fit all of this information on your label. Where do you start? Well, surprisingly, the first person you should consult is a lawyer, especially if you are selling your products in retail outlets. There are legal requirements such as country of origin and ingredients which must be listed on your products.

These legal requirements make the design of your product labels more difficult rather than easier. However, they obviously must take top priority. Then, what is the best way to design your product label once you have taken care of the legal constraints?

Well, I like to think of the product label as being designed in a similar way to a sales letter but on a smaller scale. You do want to use your product labels to attract new customers. Your prospects will have two readership paths. Some will want to read all or almost all of the information contained on the label. Others will just want to skim your label quickly so you will need compelling headlines which will convince your prospects to buy the product.

Once you have made the sale, you will want repeat sales. The obvious solution is to be consistent with your design so your customers can easily find your product on the supermarket shelves or at other retail outlets easily. This is where a skilled designer is needed. Your product labels must stand out so strong colours are needed. When choosing colours, you must consider your brand and also that of competitors’ products. A design and colour scheme that is unique to your product range will help to differentiate it on the shelf. It is also wise to be mindful of complementary colours and good contrast. There are several free online tools available to help you develop strong colour combinations.

The final point is the size of your text fields relative to each other, and what the headline or primary text contains. If your product is well-known, the brand name is sufficient. Also, if a catchy phrase or brief unique selling proposition is attached to the product then this should also be included prominently on the product label.

One thing is certain when it comes to the design of product labels, you will need a skilled graphic designer to assist you since the future sales of your products will depend on this.

Why bother at all with product labels and why bother going to a lot of effort to produce outstanding product labels? The simple answer is that product labels will increase your sales and also increase your profits. Let’s say you sell toothpaste. Then, your customers will have a lot of choice in the supermarket. Why should they choose your brand over another brand?

The answer is because of the label on the toothpaste. Your product labels will therefore have several purposes. The most obvious is to identify the brand name but it is more important than that. Otherwise, if this was the only purpose, then all products would simply have black text on a white label as this would be the least expensive way of identifying your product. Product labels actually increase sales and they do this in three ways.

Firstly, they make it easy for your customers to find your brand. This is where colour plays such a big role. Often, customers can see the colours and actually recognise the product in the shop without even needing to read the label. You are doing your customers and prospects a big favour. They don’t want to spend a lot of time looking for your product. Your labelling plays a big part in this.

Secondly, the product may last inside your customer’s home for a period of time so your customers are exposed to your product and especially its labelling for several days or even longer. In the case of toothpaste, the product will remain in your customer’s bathroom from one week to one month depending on usage. Your customers are exposed to your product and especially its label for considerable time and hence can easily make a new purchase based on the recognition of the label. This is especially important if the shopping is given to an inexperienced member of the family such as the father or the children. If toothpaste is on the shopping list, then your customer will remember your product label and will be more likely to purchase your product again.

Thirdly, most products on the shelves of supermarkets have been advertised while they are on the shelves. The advertising must match the product labels. This is why colour is so important in designing your product labels. All of your marketing, i.e. television, print and point of sale must work together to increase sales.

There is a second purpose to product labels. Not everyone likes to shop quickly. Some of your prospects and customers will like to make a purchase decision very slowly. This is especially the case if it is the first time your prospect has purchased your type of product and also if your product is new to the market place or if you have recently undergone some rebranding. Your product label must inform the customer what your product can do. You need more than your brand name and logo. In order to inform your customers, such things to include on the label are product features and benefits, directions for use, ingredients, origin of the product, contact details of the manufacturer and usually a slogan or a short selling proposition. Even when you are informing your customers and prospects, the labels must still be designed to sell.

Of course, not everyone sells their products in large supermarkets. For example, you may sell jam by the side of the road. The same principles in designing product labels apply but only more so. You must give your customer an opportunity to buy your product again. The most important part of these product labels is that they must provide opportunities for repeat sales. A website and phone number would be critical to make it easy for the customer to buy from you again. This principle also applies to products sold online. You must make label your product in such a way that repeat sales are encouraged. With sophisticated digital label printing technology available today, there is no excuse for not labelling your products effectively.

Today, the biggest wine producers in the world would have their wine labels printed flexographically where soft and flexible plates are laid on large cylinders. This method is ideal for producing high quality labels in long runs. Labels are printed on a continuous roll. They are printed very quickly. In fact, the speed of these flexographic label printing machines can reach up to 7,000 metres per hour. The ink will dry quickly as they are water based. After printing is complete, options of lamination, die-cutting and waste stripping are also available.

Medium sized wine producers may prefer to print their wine labels on letterpress machines. Here, four plates for the four printing colours, i.e. black, yellow magenta and cyan, are placed on a flat surface. The label stock then passes over the printing plates and then goes back to in its initial position to foster continuous printing.

In the last ten years, advances in digital technology has meant that wine labels in runs as low as 50 can be produced in high quality and also economically since the costly preparation costs of printing plates are avoided when labels are printed digitally. This enables boutique wine producers and even individuals to have access to high quality wine labels at relatively low cost.

People have being drinking wine for thousands of years but the first records of wine labels are found in the late 19th century. The Museum of Victoria has on display several examples of wine labels from the early 20^th century. Even as early as the 19^th century, wine labels were produced with multiple colours so it is likely that the chemical process called chromolithography was used to print the labels. In this process, an image is applied to a stone or zinc plate. The stone is then gummed with a chemical solution and finally inked with oil based paints which pass through a printing press along with a sheet of paper. This process transfers the image to the paper.

One of the first designers of wine labels was Hans Irvine. He worked for his father’s printing business in Learmouth near Ballarat in Victoria in the 19^th century. He acquired a share in this printing business in the 1880s but sold his interest in 1888. Nevertheless he had time to gain a lot of knowledge of the printing processes available in the late 19^th century.

In the early 1890s, Irvine bought two-thirds of the local grape produce in the early 1890s. He had 250 acres of storage at the Great Western vineyard which is now owned by Seppelt.

The Irvine collection of wine labels at the State Library of Victoria shows that these wine labels display the Irvine family crest. Also, “Australian Wines” was shown on the label together with the type of wine and its location was altered slightly. For example, “Melbonia White” indicates white wine from Melbourne. Irvine’s wine labels were also distinctive because of his outstanding use of colour. He was able to use the knowledge he gained in his father’s printing business to design some of the best wine labels of his time.

Sources: http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/themes/2722/history-of-wine-labels-used-at-great-western-vineyard-1888-1918?start=11

In chemical terms, soap is just a mixture of fatty acids or it could also be termed a type of salt. We all know soap as a cleaning agent for washing. Many years ago, all soap came as a cake and was wrapped in glossy preprinted paper, usually by machine, and then boxed before transported to distributors and eventually the large supermarkets and other grocery stores. There was no need for soap labels.

Today, liquid soap in a plastic bottle is becoming more and more common. Most businesses use liquid soap in a plastic dispenser with refills. This reduces the chance of transferring germs which is more easily done when cakes of soap are shared. Liquid soap and its refill will require labels as it is easier, more appealing and less expensive to print onto labels rather than directly on to the plastic bottles.

However, liquid soap often has two labels. The main label for the customers to see contains the brand name, a logo and some graphics and importantly the amount of soap in millilitres inside the plastic container. The label on the back of the soap container will repeat the brand name and logo and contain more details about the type of soap, ingredients, directions for use and the manufacturer’s address and phone number. Also, a barcode may appear on the back of the liquid soap for retailers.

Normal gloss label stock is not used for soap labels because as soap drips down the bottle, then the labels can be become wet so a stronger label stock is preferred. We use a synthetic label stock such as the WLK 202 stock which is water resistant. Often clear stickers are used as the liquid soap is usually dispensed in a clear container.

For public bathrooms such as in in a movie theatre or gymnasium, then soap is dispensed through a dispensing machine but before it can get there, it must come in a large bottle or container and labels will be affixed to the soap containers.

Large soap manufacturers will print long runs of labels but there are also a number of smaller specialist soap manufacturers. The development of digital label printing means that smaller companies can print small runs of their labels to put onto their soap. These boutique companies or more accurately, small businesses can produce soap labels for their cakes of soap as well as their liquid soap. An attractive soap label can help to make boutique soaps an ideal gift since everybody uses soap.

The manufacturers which supply their products to the retail sector are probably the major users of label printing. The retail sector is also a big user as often products and especially their prices are modified temporarily.

Products must be labelled but sometimes these labels are only adhered for a short period of time. Of course, the great majority of labels are for long term use. Just go to your wine cellar or pantry or laundry and you will see products that still have the initial labels printed by label printing companies or the actual manufacturers of the product.

However, retailers often want labels for short term use. Here are a few examples.

Barcode labels are printed by your grocery store and attached to your cold meat or fish before presenting these barcode labels together with your purchase at the checkout counter.

Labels are used to price products for a quick sale. Perishable products such as steak are often reduced for a quick sale and this is notified by a label on the plastic wrap plus, often but not always, an additional label for the alteration in price.

It is not only perishable products that use labels to discount their products. Book stores, music stores and DVD stores also indicate price reductions with labels. Labels are also used for similar special offers or prices for items such as new release DVDs. Other products may use labels to indicate special offers such as “Buy one get one free”.

It is not just retail outlets that use labels for temporary purposes. Packaging labels are also used for immediate use. Stamps, airmail stickers, warning labels, addressing details for mail and parcels are all examples of label printing for short term use.

Generally, label printing for temporary use is less expensive for two reasons. Firstly, it is read once or only a few times so it does not need to be appealing to the eye like labels do on a shelf with potentially thousands of customers viewing that product label.

Secondly, the label stock does not need to be durable because the labels are only for a single use and are not required for long term storage so you do not need to worry about fading colours which can happen over time following long exposure to ultra-violet light. In fact, most temporary label printing is done in black printing. Barcode labels are almost always black. Labels for special offers including discounts are often printed onto a fluorescent stock type so they stand out. Black text is normally sufficient for these fluorescent labels.

One of our most common requests for label printing is product labels. Before we print anything, in the initial conversation or initial email, we always clarify where the labels are being used. There are different stocks that are suitable for different conditions. There is a fine balance between the cost you will incur and the actual label stock that is necessary for the particular product and more importantly where it is going to be stored and used.

Our most popular request for product labels is wine labels. These require synthetic stock. We use WLK202 as this is recommended by the wine industry. This label stock is water resistant and is strong enough to withstand immersion in ice.

Bottle labels are also a very popular product label. As well as wine bottles, labels are required for bottled water, soft drink bottles, some fruit juice and sports drinks. Many sauces such as tomato sauce as well as coffee and condiments such as herbs and spices all feature distinct product labels.

Self adhesive labels are also required for toiletries and skin care. If you look closely enough, you will notice that there are actually labels on skin care products such as sunscreen and moisturisers as well as shaving cream, deodorants, toothpaste and shampoo. It looks like there are no labels on these products because the background colour of the label is either transparent or matches the background colour of the actual product. A product label where the label is indistinct is recommended as it makes the product stand out more.

Jar labels are another common application of product labels. Jam, Vegemite and peanut butter all have self adhesive labels attached to brand their products.

Tinned products such as tinned fruit, canned vegetables as well as tuna and salmon are also advertised with self adhesive labels.

These products are all made of a thick form of plastic such as what you would find in a toothpaste tube. Thick plastic as is found in toothpaste tubes or soft drink bottles as well as glass and metal lend themselves well to self adhesive labels. It is the most economical way of adding text and images to these materials. This is generally easier and more cost effective than printing directly onto this surface even though it can be done.

Of course, not all companies label their products with self adhesive labels. When the product is packaged in cardboard or very thin plastic, then often the printed item in the form of text and other images can be printed directly onto the package. Dried fruit, nuts and bread when packaged this way feature printing directly onto the plastic.

When items are packaged in cardboard, then mostly, printing is applied directly to the package. An example is breakfast cereal.

In summary, products are identified predominantly through direct printing when the packaging is on cardboard or thin plastic. For thicker plastic, glass or metal, then self adhesive labels are mostly used to identify the company’s products.

Sticker labels or self adhesive labels as they are also known feature everywhere in today’s modern society. However, it was only 50 years ago, when self adhesive labels were very rare. As with postage stamps, many sticker labels had to have water added to them before they would stick to their surface. My father used to import account collection stickers from England and they needed water to be applied before they could be added to collection letters or statements.

Today, sticker labels are everywhere and they have many applications. These self adhesive labels are used for stamps, mailing labels, address labels, packaging labels and product labels such as bottle labels, wine labels, skincare labels and candle labels. There are also warning labels, window labels, bumper stickers and even labels on buses. Yes, buses and other public forms of transport display advertising for all to see. It looks like they are painted on. Sometimes they are painted but advertising is usually for a short period of time, so labels are used because they are easy to apply and remove, and it is much simpler than painting and repainting.

In fact, many sticker labels do not look like labels at all. It looks like advertising is painted or painted on the actual materials but it is more cost effective to add self adhesive labels to products in a tube such as toothpaste and sunscreen than it is to print directly onto the tubes.

Technology has allowed sticker labels to not look like labels at all. They seem to look like the advertising and product detail are actually printed onto the products. It is partly technology but what really enables the quality of sticker labels in today’s society is the adhesive backing and the actual material used. It will not surprise you that there are different materials for different uses.

Reputable label printing companies will know what types of label stock to use. Here are a few different types of sticker labels available. It is by no means an exhaustive list.

• Permanent matt label stock: This material is the least expensive. It enables easy writing and is commonly used for mailing labels.
• Permanent gloss label stock: This material has a shiny surface and is also inexpensive. It is for indoor use and can be used when the label is not exposed to weather conditions or moisture.
• Removable label stock: Sometimes the label is to be temporary. An example is a sign here sticker which is removed by the person signing legal documents. Most labels are permanent and are difficult to remove.
• Fluorescent label stock: This is similar to matt label stock but it comes in colours such as red, orange, pink, yellow and green that really stand out. These are ideal for warning or packaging labels. Black printing only is normally recommended as the background colour already makes these labels stand out.
• Metallic label stock: These are similar to fluorescent labels but in metallic colours, usually silver or gold. There are different metallic labels available. Some metallic labels have a shiny look so it can indicate high value.
• Synthetic labels: These are stronger than regular gloss labels as they can withstand moisture and some changes in temperature and the labels can be immersed in ice without disintegrating. We use WLK202 which is actually the recommended label stock for the wine industry.
• Vinyl labels: These labels are waterproof and are designed for outdoor use so they can withstand harsh weather conditions for three to seven years.

By far the most common application of printed labels is product labels. Most products are advertised by product labels. If you go through your local supermarket, you will see all types of labels on thousands of different products. Of course, for some products such as breakfast cereals or cheese or eggs, the advertising message is printed directly onto the cardboard or plastic.

However, there are many products where labels are required to be affixed to the actual product. Here are just a few products: soft drink, tomato sauce, ice cream, milk, fruit juice, washing detergents, liquid soap, sunscreen, deodorant and virtually everything which comes in a bottle or a tube or other form of plastic container. Even fruit such as apples is labelled with small removable labels.

Wine labels are probably the most common form of product labels because competitions are held annually to determine the best designs of wine labels throughout the world.

Labels can also be used a secondary form of product identification, particularly in terms of prices.  When you buy cold meat over the counter, it is weighed and the price is added via a barcoded label.

Books, DVDs, CDs and many other products are discounted at a later date and price labels are printed so this can be done easily.

Labels on windows is another common application. We all have registration labels on our car windows and see other types of labels on motor vehicles and trucks on their windows and bumper bars.

Did you know that bus advertising is mostly done through printed labels? This enables the ads to be replaced regularly. The vinyl adhesive surface of the labels enables easy removal of the advertisements so the labels can just be replaced by another advertisement once the advertising period has expired.

The simplest form of labels is the simple label on an envelope but there are several types. There is the computer label used for a name and address. Individuals as well as some businesses will use return address labels on the top left or the back of the envelope. Also, many postage stamps are now printed labels as they have become self adhesive in recent years.

With so many applications for printed labels, it is little wonder there are many sizes, shapes and most importantly stocks to cater for all of the different requirements of printed labels.

Printed labels are produced by a number of different methods but they are always presented in one of four ways. For flexographic printing and some digital label printing machines, labels are printed on continuous label stock so they will be more easily presented in a roll. Rolls are also easiest for application by machine but manual applications of printed labels onto products are also common.

The size of the roll produced depends on three things. Firstly, it depends on the width of the continuous label stock fed through the machine for printing. Secondly, it depends on the size of the each label printed. Thirdly, the labels must be prepared in such a way that allows for easy packaging. Our Epson digital label printing machine produces labels in this way.

The next most common form of label preparation is on sheets. Mostly, labels start out in continuous roll form and are produced on rolls after bring printed. If labels are required on sheets, then often a guillotine or a sheeting machine is used to produce labels on sheets. Also, the wastage around each label is stripped off at the same time or earlier during the printing process.

Also, labels can be initially prepared on sheets, usually of an A4 size, before they are printed. The labels are already die-cut to the correct size but the wastage must be stripped off after printing. This as an economical way to produce a small number of full colour printed labels in short runs.

The above method has limitations though. Some labels are larger than A4. These types of labels are normally printed individually. Bumper stickers are an example of labels printed individually.

Smaller labels which are printed for resale by retailers are sometimes prepared in dispenser boxes. This makes it easier for the consumer to use these. The best example here is a roll of 100 postage stamps which are simply self adhesive printed labels. Dispenser boxes are only suitable when the labels are quite small.