You do not have to redesign your labels from scratch. All your converter needs to do is completely coat the label with a matte varnish. Then they make an additional plate specifically for the areas you would like a gloss varnish. Then they register the spot gloss like they would any other color. You as the customer should only be required to buy an additional plate and maybe incur an upcharge for setting up another color station and to register this additional plate.

The best way to use an on-pack coupon is to use something called an IRC (instantly redeemable coupon). It is a multi-layered pressure-sensitive label. The top part is the offering that the customer sees when they look at the product. Generally, there is an area that says “peel here.” When you peel the label off, the back of the label has the redeemable side of the coupon. The consumer brings this to the register for their discount. The layer that originally was adhered to the product stays there. Neither the coupon or the leftover coupon base are sticky.

Or, you can use a QR code (the funky looking shaped code). The consumer can scan the QR code with his smart phone and download a coupon as well that can be redeemed at the register.

Some companies have used hang tags that hang over the neck of the bottle.

Finally, many CPCs use multi-packs for “Buy One Get One Free” or to cross sell another product. Generally, these are done with shrink sleeves where the two items are shrunk together. This makes one package where the consumer buys one product.

All of these options can be employed without affecting your original label.

There is no trade off if you switch from solvent-based inks to water-based. Water-based inks have strong pigments and can be purchased with a lightfast (non-fading) option. All water-based process inks are lightfast. Water-based inks are more environmentally friendly, and give off virtually no VOCs. When printing water-based inks on a film label, sometimes a catalyst is added to the ink to increase its durability. Additionally, a UV coating or lamination can be added to make the printing virtually indestructible. Finally, it may be possible that your converter may have to use a corona treater in-line to add to the printability of a film surface. A corona treater creates an electric charge on the surface of the substrate causing the ink to adhere better.

We prefer steam for any shrink-sleeve labeling application. Because steam always has a temperature of 100-deg C, it is the most consistent.

Once it gets going, steam is also cheaper to run in terms of getting the machine up to temperature and maintaining a constant temperature. You can either use shop steam, or you can purchase a self-contained steam tunnel. All you have to do is hook up a garden hose to it for the water source.

We have also noticed that our customers that use steam get more consistent and faster throughput than those using radiant heat. The labels shrink on better and more predictably with steam. As you feed more bottles into a heat tunnel, the heat fluctuates. This fluctuation creates an inconsistent shrink and less throughput. Many of our customers that use heat find themselves wasting as much as 20 percent of their sleeves because they have to tear them off and put them back through the tunnel.

Having a narrow neck on a bottle is not necessarily an issue depending on the diameter of the rest of the bottle. First of all, you must provide your label converter with a sample bottle and cap. This way, the converter can determine if there is a shrink-sleeve material available that will be able to shrink to the size and contour of the bottle provided. Providing the cap is important, because it helps determine the length of the shrink-sleeve label if the label is required to shrink over the cap as a safety seal.

If it is determined that a shrink-sleeve label is a viable option, your converter must provide grid film on the appropriate substrate to help determine where the graphics will shrink most. The grid film will determine graphically challenging areas on the bottle. Additionally, the grid film should be provided to whoever is doing the packaging, including a copacker. The packager should take the roll and apply the labels to the bottle to verify the cut length and lay flat. He may require a different size than what the converter suggested because of machine and tooling limitations. Either way, it is important for the label printer and packager to work together.

Once the size is determined, the converter provides a template noting the size of the label, seam area, fold area and quiet zone. Then the graphic designer designs around the template. Once the art is approved, the normal printing process takes place.

A shrink-sleeve provides more real estate to convey your message than a pressure-sensitive label. However, because the shrink-sleeve is generally much larger than a ps label, it is more expensive. Additionally, not all packagers can apply a shrink sleeve, and vice-versa. Once again, it is necessary to know everyone’s capabilities and limitations before starting the process. It is always best to use a steam tunnel in the sleeve application process. Heat is too volatile and relatively slow compared to steam.

A 25,000-30,000 piece order is a nice starting point. It gives the customer some economies of scale in both the printing and filling, but does not necessarily cost a fortune to get started. Additionally, if revisions need to be made after the initial run, the customer has not invested in hundreds of thousands of sleeves only to have to make ingredient changes or supplement fact or graphic revisions.

The next five suggestions seem pretty basic. However, most never consider all five aspects when designing a new product. Then they are left scrambling to address one or more of the issues below.

You should consider 5 things (not necessarily in the order provided):
1. The light source your product will be seen under
2. Your competitor’s product
3. Your own product and the message you are trying to convey
4. Cost
5. Your co-packer

1. Most retailers use a different light source than what is in your office. So you may design something that looks beautiful on screen and then find it looks completely different on the retail shelf. Wal-Mart may use different lighting than Kohl’s or GNC. Find out what the light source is at a specific retailer and mimic that light source during your design phase. Your printer should have a light box viewing station that you can use to help you establish color under several light sources. The substrate used will also affect the how your colors interact with different lighting. A silver foil and holographics change drastically when exposed to different lighting.

2. Using holographic foil effects on labels (especially in the sports nutrition industry) is a huge trend right now. However, it’s gotten to the point where no one stands out. You have to make a decision to be a copycat or original. Since shelf space is at a premium and difficult to attain and maintain, you have to stand out from the competition. More is certainly not better. I’ve seen two color labels with excellent design outperform labels that have employed all the bells and whistles. Get to the store, see what everyone else is doing . Look at the retailer. If you walk into your local health food store (mom and pop operation) versus GNC or Whole Foods, the mood is quite different. Which one do you design towards? Talk to your label manufacturer and see what he is capable of and what effects he can offer.

3. Do you have a high end product, or a value product? Demographics? Health food or sports nutrition? Your packaging can convey many messages without having any text. More colors and fancier substrates will tell the customer that this is a high end product. One or two line colors on a white semi- gloss connotes that this is a value product. Holographics and foils let the young crowd know this is for them. Simple yet elegant graphics are generally targeting a different market segment. Products that are health oriented use more earth tones and softer colors.

4. There are many choices of substrates for labels with a wide range of prices. Semi-gloss and high gloss are the cheapest label substrates in the pressure sensitive arena. However, they may not perform as well as one might like. Although excellent graphics is attainable on either substrate, if you product is going to be in the shower, you would be better off with a polypropylene with a lamination (more costly). If you want to add foil as a decoration, be prepared to pay more money. Shrink sleeves are an excellent option. However, the cost of a sleeve is often misunderstood. Although shrink sleeve material is often less expensive than p/s material, you are using a larger label. This label can be as much as 2-3 times larger because it covers most of the bottle; thereby negating the cost savings. Secondly, many shrink sleeve manufacturers have outrageous minimum quantities. If you’re on a budget to introduce a project, this may not be a viable option. Once again, talk to your converter and see what options are available. Finally, you have to ask yourself, if I add a special effect, or add more cost to my packaging via design or substrate; will it help me sell more product? If the answer is yes, go for it!

5. Always consider your copacker when designing a product. If he can’t fill it or label it, what do you do? If you want to use shrink sleeves. Make sure your copacker can apply them. Many copackers are not willing to expend the capital to offer shrink sleeves as a decoration. Make sure your manufacturer can apply clear labels if you choose to go that route. Some copackers require a black line on the back of a clear label for indexing through their label application equipment. This will increase the cost of your label because it requires an extra color printed on the liner. The copacker can solve this problem by purchasing a density reading sensor as opposed to an opacity reading sensor.