Getting The Right Bottle Labels For Your Products

_{Ian Renton  | 07/09/2016 | Bottle Labels,Label Stocks}

Before you can bring any of your products to market, you need to do two things. Firstly, you need the right container. That might be a bottle, a plastic container, a jar, a tube, a can or a cardboard box.

Secondly, with the exception of cardboard boxes, you will most likely need labels for your containers. It is rare for cardboard boxes to have labels on them except for packing instructions as it is economical to print directly onto cardboard. For example, printing is done directly onto cereal boxes because it is only marginally more expensive to print onto cardboard as it is to print onto paper.

It is possible to print directly onto bottles, plastic containers, jars and tubes but it is expensive to do so the easiest option is to use a label for your containers. It is not just water and soft drink bottles that need labels. Liquids such as oils, shampoo, chemicals, wine and other beverages are often contained in bottles. The next step is to choose your type of bottle. Will it be made of plastic or glass? What shape will it be? What size(s) will your bottles be?

Before you design your bottle labels, you need to choose the correct label material type. This web page has detailed information but below is a summary of the various label materials we recommend for different products. The recommended label stock always depends on what your bottle labels are exposed to. This may include moisture, hot and cold temperatures as well as the contents of your bottle such as featured in your bottle labels.

The Best Label Stocks For Your Bottle Labels

Wine Labels Datapol Labels. Datapol labels are a synthetic label provided on A4 sheets and as such cannot be laminated or varnished for protection. However, their special adhesive is moisture-resistant and is also suitable for beer bottles, soft drink bottles and other beverages. Datapol labels can be dipped in ice and are also suitable for freezing short term.

Olive Oil Labels

While Datapol is moisture resistant, a stronger label is recommended when there is a possibility of oil getting on to the label and potentially ruining the printing. In this case we recommend that synthetic or polyester labels supplied on rolls are used when oil is involved. When provided on rolls, the label is able to be laminated with a gloss or matt celloglaze for extra protection for your printing. Synthetic labels with lamination are also recommended for essential oils and other oil based products. Datapol can be used as a more cost effective but less durable alternative for very small runs such as samples or one-off promotional products.

Shampoo Labels

As with labels for oils, a synthetic or polyester label with lamination is recommended as this provides protection from water in the shower. Chemical Labels If the labels on bottles of chemicals are stored indoors and the use is likely to be short term, say less than three years, then a synthetic or polyester label with lamination for extra protection will be sufficient. However, if the labels on the bottles are for long term use, say more than three years and they are exposed to the weather, then a vinyl label is recommended. Vinyl labels are long lasting and can survive extreme heat or cold for many years. Here at Renton's Labels, we actually use a signage grade of vinyl which lasts for seven years.

How to Design The Very Best Bottle Labels

OK, so you have chosen your bottle and picked the appropriate stock for your bottle labels. The next thing is to design the very best labels. This means three things.

1. Choose the size for your bottle labels. This will depend on the shape of the bottle, the size of the bottle and the volume of information needed on your label.
2. Prepare an eye-catching label by use of colour, images, photos and fonts.
3. Provide information to your client that will either be very helpful or in fact be a legal requirement. If you are selling food or related products then you should be aware of new food labels which began on July 1, 2016. There are labelling laws that you must abide by when you are selling food so you must make sure your food labels are legal. Note also that alcoholic beverages such as wine are also covered by the Food Standards code of Australia and New Zealand.

Even though there are lot of legal requirements for your bottle labels such as ingredients used and percentage of local content, there is still ample room on the label to use your graphic skills to design a memorable label. It is your graphical skill which ultimately determines the success or otherwise of your label in terms of new business and repeat business. Before you get to the design stage, you still need to choose your bottle or other container, choose your label stock and carefully consider all of your label requirements.