Cost-Effective Ways to Drive Label Costs Down

Investing in Custom Labels

There are a number of things you can to do to lower the costs of your custom labels without sacrificing quality. Just like you, we’ve read and seen the news on the rising trend of companies cutting back while looking for newer, cheaper alternatives to what they do have. Despite the economic downturn, companies know that their product’s shelf appeal rests largely on custom labels. The tough decision companies are now faced with is how much money should be invested in their labels and packaging.

Things to Consider

Over the years, we’ve seen how a weak or strong economy can affect our customers’ label and printing decisions. With this in mind, we’ve helped hundreds of customers lower their label costs while keeping them happy with the end product. There are lots of ways to lower costs but we have compiled some cost-effective tips we’ve given to customers and seen have worked. So before you decide to switch label companies or cut department budgets, you might want to consider implementing some or all of these cost-effective tips to decrease your label expenses.

1. Label size matters – Reducing your label size will lower how much you spend per label because the roll will be able to fit more labels, saving you money when it’s time to print because not as many rolls will be needed. Additionally, there is less labor involved when there are fewer rolls to print.
2. Order more labels – Increasing the quantity of custom labels you order will lower how much you spend overall because the more you print, the lower the unit cost will be. Often times, you can double your order for a fraction of your whole purchase.
3. Choose a lower gauge material – Low gauge materials, like film, is more cost-effective than other label materials because its thin liner reduces raw material costs and allows for more of the material to be wrapped in a roll. Since there’s more material on the roll, your application costs will decrease because the roll doesn’t need to be changed as often come application time.
4. Digital printing – If you plan on ordering less than 10,000 custom labels, then digital printing is the most cost-effective printing process. It has a lower setup cost because it doesn’t need printing plates to be made, like flexographic printing, and can do the job quicker. It’s also less labor intensive because you can easily change out text and graphics – perfect for keeping product families looking related.
5. Foil material over hot or cold foil stamping – Printing on foil material is less labor intensive and more economical than hot or cold foil stamping because the overall cost of materials decreases and you can run the job much faster.
6. Place blanket orders – When the customer and manufacturer agree to a long-term order that’s for a fixed period or quantity, at an agreed upon price, it’s called a blanket order. Blanket orders will lower your overall cost per label because the manufacturer can produce a larger quantity and ship from stock.

One of the most helpful things you can do to lower label printing costs is to contact your customer service representative. Just by talking with an actual person, the representative can offer advice on cost-effective materials, adhesives, inks and more. With so many companies sacrificing quality for the sake of saving money, it’s beneficial to research what options are available so your custom labels are more a branding asset rather than a financial headache.