by Scott Pillsbury | Sep 13, 2019 | Beer Wine Spirits, Technical
Small Rolls are a Pain to Apply!
Many of our wine customers use a mobile bottling service like Signature or Casteel. Mobile bottlers are economical for many reasons, including inline label application. This video shows labels being applied on a Signature bottling line. Because of the speed and cost of these bottling lines, nobody wants down time. One of the things that can kill productivity is having to stop to change a label roll. Therefore, everyone wants rolls as large as possible – often up to 12-14″ in diameter.
Filling the Press Web is Cost Effective
The problem comes with our customers that do many small batches of wine. Some have 3-5 different blocks of grapes that each go into a specific, very special wine. If you only produce 50 cases of something, the label roll will never be very big – but it gets even worse! We try to be as cost effective as possible so we fill the press web (13″ wide paper in the press).
This image of a label in productions shows that we are running the label 3-across the web to save time and money for the customer. The press web is filled, allowing us to print 3 labels at a time. The problem, however, is that this results in even smaller rolls on the bottling line. If you print 900 labels (60 cases of a specialty wine), you will end up with 3 rolls of 300 each and a nightmare on the bottling line.
Wasting Material is Bad for Everyone
Not only does filling the web make the job more cost effective, it also saves the earth by wasting less paper. On our state of the art digital printing press, the machine requires a full 13″ web, regardless of the finished label size. This means if we want to print only one label across the web, we use 3x the paper for the run! And 3x the press time to get the job done. This is wasteful but also more expensive for the customer.
Splices are Bad, too!
Another (bad) option is splicing the three small rolls together. A splice is basically just taping three rolls together. This is bad because these splices frequently break on the bottling line due to high tension on the rolls. And, this also opens the option for a very big problem – accidentally splicing two different items onto the same roll! For these reasons, we don’t recommend splicing these small rolls.
Total Applied Cost
The label job isn’t really done until the label is on the bottle, in the retail store, and sold to a consumer. The cost of packaging is very complicated and much more than just the individual label price. The total applied cost – the final cost of the label on the bottle – is what really matters. For this reason, we have some very specific recommendations for small batch wineries.
You Decide – Our recommendation
Ultimately, the customer decides what is best for their particular situation. But, based on our 92 years of label experience, we strongly suggest you pay a bit more to get full sized rolls, without splices, to maximize your up time on the bottling line. This doesn’t apply to hand applied labels – only machine applied items on a high speed bottling line. Nobody likes to pay extra for labels, or to waste material, but for us, paying a bit more for the label is worth it to keep your total applied cost down.
Questions? Please call us today at 503-777-4711. We look forward to printing for you again very soon!
by Scott Pillsbury | Jul 10, 2019 | Customers/Examples, Technical
Premium Label Foil Stamping and Embossing
Premium labels can be enhanced with foil stamping and embossing. Rose City Label is a premium label foil stamping and embossing expert. We can help with all kinds of premium labels. The image above shows the deep, impact-producing effects of an embossed label. The back of the label and the brown label backing show this deep impression – that is the magic of embossing.
Clear Foil Makes an Impact
Nothing makes an impact quite like clear foil. The two-tone gloss/matte contrast makes a label catch your eye on the store shelf. Some printers use a spot varnish, but clear foil is generally more effective and impactful. Read this previous post about amazing clear foil
Foil Stamping – Make it Shine!
Premium gourmet foods can benefit from foil stamping. Gold shows a very specific message in the minds of our customers.
Silver, copper, bronze – all of these foils look good in their own way. Work with your designer to make sure your branding is consistent. If you are providing a premium product, your packaging has to measure up. Small details can’t be printed with a foil plate, and overdoing the use of foil can ruin the effect. Use it sparingly, and foil stamping will help your label shine (literally!).
Read our previous premium Foil Stamping Post
Foil Stamping in Action – YouTube!
Reading is great, but seeing the press in this 4 minute video will also help you understand the technology. The results of embossing can be seen in this wine label. The main company name and the icon is raised on the label. You can feel the texture and quality when you touch the bottle. Look for it in a wine shop near you!
Check out the press in action Foil Stamp Press Video
Call Us Today
Rose City Label has been foil stamping since the 1980s – we have the experience, expertise, and equipment to upgrade your label. Foil stamping and embossing are great ways to show off your product on the retail shelf. Call 503-777-4711 to schedule a consultation today.
by Scott Pillsbury | Jul 3, 2019 | Business Tips, Food Beverage
Building and sustaining a thriving business for 92 years is no accident. It takes deliberate effort and intention. Business excellence and systems go hand in hand. Attention to detail is the key, both in the actual production of your labels, and in how we run our business. Here are some things we do very well – all to serve our customers better.
Financial Focus
Each month, we have a complete financial review with an outside CPA. This is considered overkill by some for a business our size, and it is an added expense, but we want certainty about our direction and progress. Having an outside voice to review the financial progress each month is comforting. Our accountants are excellent – check out their website here. What we do for customers is hard, and we always want to know we are going the right direction.
Detailed Monthly Inventory
Each month, we count and measure all 550+ rolls of label stock. With a barcode label on each roll and a unique ID, it is easier than ever to have an almost real-time look at the stock we have on hand. Our vendors are very good and they generally delivery quickly, but having the right inventory buffer is critical to help us respond to customer demand.
Business Excellence and Systems
None of this is very helpful if it is so far after the fact that we can’t remember anything that happened. Today (3rd of the month) we had this full financial review before noon. This is a massive advantage. Being in the moment and having quick feedback helps us keep a finger on the pulse of the business.
Customer Focus
All of this work and attention to detail is designed to delight the customer. Ultimately we want our customer’s customer to be delighted and buy their beer, wine, food product – we want to be an extension of our direct customer’s marketing and branding efforts. We want our labels (their labels!) to stand out on the shelf and help them grow their business. We can only do that effectively if our business is running well. There is more to running a label business than just putting ink on paper. These systems are a big part of that.
Call Us Today – We Can Help
If you want to deal with a family owned, eco-friendly label company in Portland, please call us. We have a thriving business that is growing and profitable. If you produce a high quality product in a bag, box, or bottle, it is very likely that we could help you upgrade your branding with outstanding labels. Our systems and business excellence allow us to help more people each day. Call us!
by Scott Pillsbury | Jun 21, 2019 | Beer Wine Spirits, Food Beverage
Powerful wine labels connect. The wine is the ultimate product – and good wine will bring them back. The first sale relies on the label. Labels matter more than ever in the crowded retail market. You only have a brief moment to make a connection, and your label is the primary vehicle to do that.
The recent article by Cyrus Azari – ‘The Power of a Well Crafted Label‘ talks about this in detail. He makes several great points, including this:
You better have a sleek and sexy label design that is visually appealing! Here’s the kicker, it has to be appealing towards who you want to buy that product.
Cyrus Azari, Merchant 23 blog
The key point here is that the label has to be appealing to your target audience. If you don’t know who you are selling to, then any label will work. But if you do (and you better in this competitive category) then you need a label tailored EXACTLY to the consumer you are trying to reach.
- Young professionals trying to make a good impression
- Experienced wine lovers that belong to 3 wine clubs
- Men/Women/African Americans
- Converts from beer or spirits
- Chefs that want a wine to compliment a meal
All of these are valid and worthy segments to target, and all of them could potentially need a different label. Defining your ideal customer first is the best way to start your label design – if you can bring this to your graphic designer, it will make the process much more productive.
There really is no perfect label for your wine – there is only the perfect label that connects with the consumer you are targeting. A label is a visual representation of your brand – it is the promise to the consumer about how they will feel while enjoying your product. The wine has to fulfil the promise made by the label, but until you know the actual promise you are making, it is very hard to hit the target.
Think about your target audience and your brand promise – once those are well defined, the label will design itself. In the label design process, we would be happy to collaborate with your designer to discuss paper options, foil and embossing, and special die cut shapes to bring your vision to life.
Call us today. We can help!
by Scott Pillsbury | Feb 13, 2019 | Business Tips, Label Design
Label Branding Experts
The Rose City Label label branding experts can help you connect with your customers. Your brand is a promise to your customers. It sets the expectation for their experience with your product. After purchasing and trying your product, the quality of the product and the service that delivers the product will bring them back. Before they purchase, it is your brand that will bring them in.
Your Authentic Brand Voice
Knowing your purpose is critical. Before you come to visit the label branding experts, you need to know exactly the image you want – fancy, relaxed, formal, or casual? How do you want people to feel when they eat, drink, or apply your product to their body? Are you a good value? Premium quality? Best supported? What makes your product special and why should someone choose you? Once you have this, you can begin to select the ideal label color as discussed in this previous post.
Your ideal Customer
Who you are selling to is another thing to decide before you come to the label branding experts. Who you are talking to will radically inform the decision about your label design, material, size, and perhaps even quantity. When in doubt, go smaller on your target market. You only want to target and focus on the ideal customer. If you focus on this group, you will catch some adjacent groups that buy, and that is great, but don’t dilute your branding by focusing on a wide market. Go narrow.
What Resonates with Them?
Your look and feel – especially your packaging and labels – must be defined on the wants and needs of your ideal customers. You have to be authentic and speak in your true voice, but if your ideal customer doesn’t resonate with the message, you have a problem! Make sure your facility, the taste and style of your product, and especially your labels, all resonate with this idea customer.
Everything Works A Little
All the elements of your BRAND – from how you answer the phone to the quality of your physical product – all contribute to your ultimate brand experience. Hopefully, if you use discipline and thought, all these touch points work together. Everything must work together – the elements of your brand don’t exist in a vacuum. Make sure everything is working together. All the elements need to reinforce each other.
It’s A Marathon Not a Sprint
Think about the lifetime value of a customer, not just the first sale. The marketing journey is a long game. Don’t get discouraged – make sure you have the discipline to keep the business and the marketing going over the long haul. Branding and marketing is an ongoing, never ending process. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
Labels Can Help
One of the key parts of this brand is your physical brand. If you have a product in a bag, box or bottle, your labels are critical. If they don’t align with your other branding elements, you will have a hard time growing your business. The labels have to reinforce (rather than fight with) the other elements of your brand. If you like the way the RCL label branding experts think about branding, please call us today.
