Thank You Graphic Design Wizards

Thank You Graphic Design Wizards

Graphic Design Wizards

The people that come up with the eye catching label designs we print truly are  wizards – graphic design wizards.  They make magic happen by combining color, shape and texture to tell your authentic brand story.  Creativity isn’t easy to quantify, but we all generally know it when we see it.  Education and training will improve skill, but a certain amount is just baked into the DNA of the talented designers we work with daily.

Creativity is Everywhere

Small details matter!  Being a graphic design wizard is a mind set and a calling – it isn’t a part time thing for the truly talented people we work with.  Creative thought is infused into their label design, their work spaces, their fashion, and every aspect of their lives.  When they are in, they really are ‘All In’.

Talk, Walk, Stalk

The image above is a screenshot from the email signature of one of our talented designers.  Yes, the traditional email signature has all the required elements – like this one – but it is presented in a fun, creative way.

  • If you want to TALK – there is the phone number
  • If you want to WALK (into the office) – here is the physical address
  • If you want to STALK (online – in a non-creepy way) – here is the web address

Nothing is really revolutionary about an email signature or providing contact information – but HOW you provide it is an opportunity to show your creativity.  Every email I get from this group makes me smile because of this creative email signature.

Work with Talented Partners

Our job as printers is much easier when we have talented designer partners.  Designing to push the boundaries of equipment capability is fine, but respecting the process and maximizing impact within the physical limitations of the media are also important.  For most of our business customers, they need to build a team beyond a graphic designer.

Build Your Team

Growing product companies that we work with need a very talented team.  Getting your team in place before crunch time is critical – surround yourself with stars!  Top talent is expensive, but if you are creative you will be able to have a solid team in place to help your business grow.  Graphic design and branding, legal, financial, insurance, accounting, IT – successful business is built by building a talented team.  These vendor partners are the platform to launch your business to the next level.

Thank You!

We are blessed to have excellent partners.  Our team is solid and most vendor partners have been with us for years.  If you need advice or introductions to take your business to the next level, please contact us.  Ultimately, our job is to help your business grow and prosper.  Mostly, we do that through delivering top quality printing at a fair price.  Beyond label printing, we are happy to share our resources and experiences to help you.  Call us today!

Top Label Errors – 2018 Edition

Top Label Errors

Alexis Jewel from the TTB made her way out from Washington, DC to give the Oregon Wine Symposium the latest and greatest information on wine label approvals.  Avoiding these top label errors can save you lots of pain.  Alexis gave a wonderful overview of basic requirements, but also highlighted the most common reasons for rejection in Oregon – these are the specific problems that she is seeing on wine label submissions in our region, so please make sure you aren’t guilty of these:

  1. Type and Class missing from Brand label
  2. Name or trade name incorrect (does not match name on Winery Permit)
  3. Clarification needed (conflicting information on the label or between the label and the form)
  4. Application omission (required information left blank on application form)
  5. Application not submitted by Bottler (Bonded Winery permit must be used/referenced)
  6. Wrong label uploaded as BRAND label (this is typically – but not always – the front label)
  7. Misleading information (confusing reference to region or AVA)
  8. Appellation conflict – application doesn’t match label
  9. Fanciful name includes grape variety

There are obviously many other ways to make mistakes and get your label rejected, but these are things to watch for.  Because they show up so often, the inspectors are looking closely for these errors.

We are Always Learning

We always try to attend the Oregon Wine Symposium to keep learning.  The COLA (certificate of label approval) is not technically the responsibility of the label printer – it’s ultimately on the winery to do this correctly.  But, because we want you to succeed, we try to learn the latest trends and pass them on.  We want to be a resource for you beyond just being a great printer that puts ink on paper.  We want to help you avoid these top label errors!

Partner with Professionals

Use your resources!  Trade associations, seminars, and your vendors are all good sources of information.  Use them to help you succeed.  Most people don’t fully utilize the expertise of their service providers but they should – most often they have free knowledge to offer besides what they are actually selling you.  We learned so much last year that we couldn’t stay away from the Oregon Wine Symposium this year.

Thank You Customers!

Besides staying current on the latest TTB label trends, the Oregon Wine Symposium is a great way for us to connect and reconnect with our good winery customers.  Thanks you to all of you that said hello and enjoyed a glass of wine with us during this event.

Cheers!

Plastic Film Recycling

Plastic Film Recycling

Plastic Film Recycling

Rose City Label partners with a local grocery store to provide plastic film recycling.  Each week we get roll stock in on pallets wrapped with plastic, but we had no good way to recycle the plastic film.  We don’t have enough to interest our trash hauler, so much of it was going to the landfill.

Thank You Fred Meyer Stores

Because our local Fred Meyer stores collect plastic grocery bags at their store Fred Meyer Good Neighbor Pallet Film Recyclingentrance, we contacted them about our pallet film recycling problem.  They have the volume and infrastructure to recycle very large quantities of this film.  They were happy to add our plastic film into their recycle mix.  Thank you!  They consolidate plastic bags and film from several stores and divert it to reuse projects like plastic totes and park benches.  Our plastic film is just one small drop in the very large bucket of recycling that was already in place.

Ask Your Neighbors

Sometimes your best solutions are right next door.  This Fred Meyer is a great local store that I have shopped at my whole life.  The location where we drop off is only 6 blocks from our shop, and it is very easy to drop off a few bags of plastic pallet film every week.  You never know what resources you have right in your neighborhood.Recycle Plastic Pallet Film Eco Friendly Rose City Label

Be Creative

This solution didn’t come from a recycling manual or a seminar, just a crazy idea to ask the question.  You never know if you don’t ask, so don’t be afraid to think of new solutions.  As long as you are respectful and have a good intent, we have generally found that the partner companies you contact are open to your ideas.

Small Things Add Up

We have made many small changes in our business since we were first eco-certified by Clackamas County in 2008.  Not all of them have worked, but they all add up over time.  Here are a few of our eco wins over the past 10 years:

  • Full kitchen with real plates, cups and utensils
  • Bike friendly for employee transit
  • Low flow toilet valves
  • Electronic meeting handouts
  • Battery, bulb, cartridge recycling
  • Plastic pallet wrap recycling
  • Pallet give away to employees for home projects
  • Pallet give away to neighbors and schools
  • 100% wind power
  • Many more!

Not all of these have worked out for us, but we are always trying new things.  Our entire team is engaged and they frequently come up with our best ideas for waste reduction.  Try some of these yourself and see how they work in your business. And, as always, if you have questions, please call us today.  We love helping other companies on their green journey.

 

 

Premium Foil Stamping

Premium Foil Stamping

We are Very Good at Premium Foil Stamping

Transferring very high quality premium foil stamping to labes is one of our most important skills.  We have the equipment, people, and experience to set your label apart from the competition.  For over 25 years, this has been one of our key selling points in the label market. Other label companies even send work to us because of our expertise.

Top Notch Equipment

Two years ago, we invested in a state of the art foil stamping machine.  This new machine is outlined in this video from our YouTube Channel – please click here to see it.  These key features make this press the best in the industry.Premium Foil Stamping Crest

  • State of the Art servo web transport
  • Amazing image quality
  • Large 9″ x 9″ image area
  • Solid construction for embossing and stamping
  • Touch screen accuracy and reliability

Most Experienced Operators

Our foil stamp operators have been with the business for years. Most have had other jobs within the company, but they are full trained and experienced in foil stamp operation.  Recently we had a factory service technician in for machine repairs and upgrades. He also provided advanced training for us.

Artwork that Works

Premium foil stamping starts with proper artwork.  During our recent training session, we trained our graphics team as well as the press operators.  We know that the more the design side of the business understands the print production, the better results we will get on our premium foil stamping projects.

Call Us Today

Our premium foil stamping department is booming, but we always have time to add new customers to the Rose City Label family.  Call us today for a free, no obligation consultation to see how we can help take your labels to the next level.

Super Bowl 2018 – Team Building at RCL

Super Bowl 2018 – Team Building at RCL

Even Tom Brady Fans are allowed!Team Building Rose City Label

We work very, very hard here to satisfy (and exceed) all our customer expectations.  Pressure and deadlines can be stressful, so we work hard to have some fun along the way.  Many of our team members have been together for more that 20 years, so we all have a shared history and generally like each other – this makes it easy to work hard when we have to.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Because we spend so much time together, we really want to make sure that we spend time along the way to have fun.  We have always had a Christmas party – even when we didn’t have the money – because we feel it is very important to keep our team strong.  Team building at Rose City Label is very important.

Fun and Family

Next Generation Team Building Rose City LabelBringing the next generation along is very important to us.  We need to educate the next generation so we can keep our culture strong.  As a small company, we don’t have a formal program to do this, we do it by example on the job and by providing times to enjoy and laugh together.  We have husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons – we bring those connections together to get the best out of each team member.  Nobody wants to disappoint someone that is important to them.

Know, Like and Trust = Success

Ducks and Seahawks, living together!  We put aside our differences to get the job done. People here genuinely care about each other and bring each other along as we serve our customers every day.  Even rivals on the field (Raiders and Broncos) can live and work in harmony at Rose City Label.

 

Thank you Customers!

We wouldn’t have these fun parties if we didn’t have a thriving business.  We recognize that we are only as good as our last on time delivery, so we work hard to take very good care of our customers.  Thank you for trusting us and allowing us to serve all your label needs.

Call Us Today!

If you need more labels – or if you have friends or associates that need labels – please call us today.  We look forward to printing for you soon.