How Fast Can We Print Labels? Label Solutions Answers

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Label Solutions

Digital printing services can reduce your time to market with fast, quality printing. Label Solutions can get your labels to you fast. How fast? We explain in today’s blog.

Mark Andy Digital Series

The Mark Andy Digital Series is part of a line of fantastic label printers. At 240 feet per minute, this printer does well for long runs with digital printing. A production run with the Mark Andy digital printer creates three labels per foot and 3,000 labels can be completed in just over four minutes.

Mark Andy Evolution Series

We recently purchased a brand-new flexographic printer in the Mark Andy Evolution Series. It can print up to 750 feet per minute (three times as fast as the other Mark Andy printer) for food packaging labels, cosmetics labels, and so much more. The reason for the speed comes from the format of the labels.

Flexographic printers use sturdy, flexible materials that easily wind into rolls. The rolls and the sturdy label material allow for very fast printing. That same run of 3,000 labels gets done in 1.5 minutes instead of four minutes, if flexographic labels are required for your products.

You Need Labels Fast

Label Solutions understands you need labels fast. We can accommodate you and your exacting requirements with digital printing services. Our team of graphic designers works with you to create a highly visual label that touts your brand and your products.

Digital Printing Services by Label Solutions

Our digital printing services improve your time to market, so you can get your products in the hands of customers faster. Contact Label Solutions online or call toll-free 1-800-299-9200 for more information. We’ll determine the best course of action for your product label runs, work with your team, and create some world-class labels!

Label Life is Limited. Label Solutions Explains

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Label Solutions

You need the right kinds of adhesive labels for your products. You also have to balance efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and longevity. Today’s blog from Label Solutions discusses why and how label life is limited.

Type of Adhesive

Label adhesives typically have a lifespan of 10 to 12 months. It also depends on the shelf life of whatever product the label goes on. Compressed gas cylinders might need a stronger adhesive compared to nutraceuticals, cannabis products, and food. Industrial labels for chemicals also need to last a long time when it comes to warning labels. The experienced team at Label Solutions can help you choose the right adhesive for your products.

Where You Store Products

Do you store your products at room temperature? In the refrigerator or freezer? How about outside where it’s warm? A cool, dry environment is optimal for longer label life. Hot temperatures, high humidity, and cold temperatures reduce label life. Exposure to chemicals and ionic compounds, such as salt or ammonia, can reduce label life, too. Label Solutions will tell you how to store your products to optimize label life.

Label Construction

Your label must last as long as the product it is applied to, so proper label construction is important. The details of label construction will depend on the kind of product you are labeling.

Perishable food items may only need labels that last one month. Industrial labels or outdoor-exposure labels may need to last up to five years. Health and beauty products need labels to last a year or two. You’ll need to consult with regulatory compliance if you have certain products that need warnings or ingredients to be seen clearly.

Adhesive Labels by Label Solutions

The experts at Label Solutions can help you pick out the right type of label for your products. Contact Label Solutions online or call toll-free 1-800-299-9200 to partner with us for your next production run.

Adhesive Labels Saving Lives With Efficient Time to Market & COVID-19

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Label Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything about our modern society, from how we interact with each other to product purchasing patterns. Label printers also had to adapt, as time to market, efficient production, digital designs, and working remotely with customers all became necessary.

Most importantly, adhesive labels can save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. Label Solutions explains how.

Safety Labels

Adhesive labels go beyond the ones you see on products. What about signage throughout an office, store, or industrial facility? Custom labels for floor signage or signs affixed to shelves and doors can instruct customers and employees what’s going on or what to do. For example, you see safety labels at your workplace all of the time.

What happens when you notice new safety labels posted around the office? You stop and look at them. New signage may say to maintain social distancing, wear a face covering, or take note of where the hand sanitizer is located. All of these things can save lives by stopping the spread of the infectious coronavirus.

Vinyl represents an excellent choice when you need long-lasting, durable labels.

Compliant Product Labels

Product labels must comply with federal regulations, especially when it comes to ingredients, warnings, and the purpose of your product. Hand sanitizer, nutraceuticals for immune support, oxygen canisters, and disinfectants must all have the right verbiage so they’re used properly for best results.

When your customers use your products the right way, based on the label’s detailed instructions, it can save lives. For example, instructions for using an oxygen tank are clearly marked for someone needing a boost for their lungs while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. Disinfectants must be used properly to kill germs on surfaces, which doesn’t happen without clear instructions on a product label.

Simple Stickers

Schools have had to change their learning models for the 2020-21 academic year. Simple stickers in a classroom tell students how to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, and wear masks. Stickers come in a variety of colors, fun images, and cool verbiage. Label printing companies like Label Solutions can create vibrant stickers for your school to teach students how to take care of themselves and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Digital Printing & Time to Market

The main key to efficient time to market in response to COVID-19 adhesive labels is digital printing services. Label Solutions has a graphic design team that can send you designs through a secure, online system. Then our quick printer can take digital designs and run up to 80 labels a minute. We’ll improve your time to market with our printing process.

Lifesaving Adhesive Labels by Label Solutions

Does your company need adhesive labels in response to COVID-19? Contact Label Solutions online or call toll-free 1-800-299-9200 to partner with us for your next production run.

What Can Winter Weather Do to Adhesive Labels?

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Label Solutions

Your products need labels that stay on and stay clear no matter what. Have you thought about what happens to labels in winter weather? Sure, they ship in a semi-trailer. But your products (or the labels) might endure frigid temperatures for several hours. What about large products, such as gas cylinders, that might also be exposed to the elements through shipping, handling, or outdoor storage?

Today’s blog from Label Solutions talks about how winter weather affects adhesive labels.

Problems Caused by Cold

Winter means cold temperatures. Frigid temps mean ordinary labels may not work properly. Have you ever tried to apply thermal labels in a cold environment? That’s doomed to fail. The adhesive labels don’t stick properly. The ink will likely smear. You’ll have to re-apply labels all over again, causing delays, increased labor costs, and more label printing.

Humidity

Humidity is lower in the winter. So labels lose moisture, and liners start to shrink or curl. The backing might have problems because the substrate is made of a slightly different material than the actual adhesive labels. You’ll need to make the humidity as close to room temperature conditions as possible before applying adhesive labels to your products if you don’t require special conditions for the items.

Temperatures During Storage

One unique problem you might not think about is where and how the products and/or adhesive labels are stored. Sudden temperature shifts aren’t kind to product labels.

Review the following examples of temperature issues for labels during storage.

You store your products in frozen temperatures to maintain efficacy and preserve your valuable items. However, the labels have been stored at room temperature for a few days. The sudden change in temperature might not work well.

The opposite is also true. Your products are at room temperature, but the labels just came off of a logistics truck or were stored near a shipping dock where temperatures stayed cold.

Adhesives become firm and brittle when they’re in unreliable temperatures. Quick shifts from cold to warm or warm to cold may cause difficulties during the application process. Firm and brittle labels lower the tack quality.

How to Solve Problems of Winter Weather Adhesive Label Applications

Test the application process first. We cannot stress this enough. 90% of problems with label applications come from insufficient QA and testing before running the entire product line through your label applicator.

Choose the right adhesive labels for the right products. Your chosen label printer should know what kinds of adhesives, label material, and ink work well with the temperature, substrate, and humidity levels your products will endure over time.

Mitigate sudden temperature changes, if necessary. Sometimes your products must be kept cold or warm for a reason. But the labels are stored at room temperature. This is where the right label material is essential when you have no choice but to apply labels with starkly different temperatures. Otherwise, keep your products and the labels at the same temperature and humidity for a few days for best results.

Adhesive Labels by Label Solutions

Do you need quality adhesive labels for your products? Contact Label Solutions online or call toll-free 1-800-299-9200 to partner with us for your next production run.

How Efficient Label Production Saves Your Company Money

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Label Solutions

Digital printing services and expedited label production offer vital lifelines for your company. When you need labels quickly and efficiently, a label printing company helps your production runs perform better while improving your time to market.

You might think these services cost you more money. However, it’s important to think of the money you actually save by having efficient label production through digital printing services. Label Solutions explains how this happens in today’s blog.

Improves Time to Market

Time to market matters when it comes to your products. Delays cost you money because you need to spend more on labor to deal with the delays. An efficient label printer using high-quality digital printing services alleviates one aspect of your time-to-market capabilities since everything is done on computers before prototyping happens.

Reduces Possible Fines

An efficient label printer should also understand what it takes to make your labels compliant with regulations. For example, compressed gas cylinder labels must follow hazardous materials regulations for shipping, storage, and handling. If your labels fall off, become worn, or don’t show the correct information, you face government fines. Then you have to spend even more labor costs correcting the problem that never should have happened in the first place.

You Get What You Pay For

Always remember the phrase, “You get what you pay for.” If you pay for cheap labels from a printer, that’s what you’ll get. Digital printing services certainly do make label printing more affordable and more efficient. But selecting the lowest price may lead to choosing the wrong materials for your products. Can the lowest-price labels you pick withstand low temperatures, high temperatures, shipping and handling, the weather, and chemicals?

You need to know what your product labels are meant for. One-time use products from companies that don’t care if the label stays on after purchase could probably afford low-cost labels.

However, certain industries need both efficiency and durability for label production. These industries include:

Petroleum
Food & Beverage
Pharmaceutical
Nutraceutical
CBD
Hazmat
Compressed Gas
Industrial

Lowers Your Labor and Printing Costs

You might think you can print your own labels in-house. You already have a color laser printer. All of the best word processing programs have label templates, and you can purchase label sheets from an office supply store or online.

But printing labels efficiently takes away from your core business model. Do you want to repurpose valuable staff time every month for label printing? Not only that, if you need a label run of 5,000, can your laser printer withstand that wear and tear? Do the labels you print stand up to your fast production line, shipping, and handling?

Efficient label production from your chosen vendor means you get top-quality labels created by experts in the field. Our devices are designed for fast, high-volume runs. We have dedicated graphic artists who can bring your brand to life on your labels. Rather than pay someone to do an average job, an efficient label printing service has an entire staff at your disposal.

Custom Labels by Label Solutions

Label Solutions provides all sorts of labels for your company. We make labels for small, medium, and large runs for a wide range of products. Contact Label Solutions online or call toll-free 1-800-299-9200 for more details on our high-efficiency digital printing services.