Labels

The printed face of the product

A label is the package’s front, even when the container itself is plain. Cosmetics, pantry goods, candles, beverages, and small-batch household products all depend on it to say what the thing is and who made it, on a short run or a test batch the packing table can apply.

This is not the sticker you toss in a shopping bag. A sticker can be any shape someone wants to keep. A label has to land on a specific surface — a jar, a bottle, a box face, a lid — and often has to wrap, meet at a seam, or leave room for a cap. If you want a logo people stick on a laptop, use stickers. If the piece has to identify the product, stay here.

Shape, adhesive, and rolls or sheets

Start with the container. Send dimensions or a dieline, and say whether the label is a flat panel, a wrap with overlap, or a shape that has to clear a curve or a lid. The finished size is the size that fits that container, not a generic rectangle we pick for you.

Then choose how the labels will be applied. Rolls suit a line that peels and places one after another. Sheets suit a bench where someone peels a few dozen by hand. Singles are a request too, if that is how you pack them. Adhesive is a separate choice: tell us the surface (glass, plastic, paperboard, a cold bottle) and whether the label should stay or come off cleanly. We confirm the adhesive on the quote. We will not guess a permanent glue when you needed a removable one, or the reverse.

Finish is the last visible choice. Matte, gloss, or a surface you can write a batch code on — name the one you want. If the label has to survive cold, moisture, or oil, say so. We will tell you whether we can stand behind that before you approve art.

Short runs and versioned SKUs — a flavor change, a limited batch — line up with digital printing. Tell us how many designs and how many of each. The quote names the process.

A label order, step by step

Request a quote with the quantity per design, the container or dieline, roll or sheet, the adhesive situation, the finish, and the state or ZIP for the shipment. We price the job and proof the label on its dieline, including the wrap if there is one. You approve. We print and ship anywhere in the United States. If several SKUs share a layout and swap a flavor or a color, send the shared file and the list together so the proof shows each version.

The dieline has to match the container

A label file that ignores the container will look fine on screen and fail on the jar. Include the cut, the bleed past that cut, and any overlap where a wrap meets itself. Keep required text inside the safe area, especially if a curve or a lid will hide the edge. Barcodes and small type need to be large enough to scan and read after the label is applied, not only in the PDF.

You own the words on a regulated product. We will not invent an ingredient list or a claim. Graphic design and prepress can set your layout into the dieline and check bleed and type. Send the dieline, the copy, and a measured drawing of the container if you have one.