What You Need To Know Before Ordering Custom Labels

January 11, 2016

Do you have a need to order custom labels in Chicago? Looking to strategically mark your business bottles, boxes or other packaging, but feeling unsure about what goes into good design? Before you determine what labels to use, it’s vital to have a solid sense of what you need, what works for your brand and what will appeal to your customers. The better you can understand your goals and customers, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to create labels that work for you.

To create the right labels for your needs, always ask yourself the following questions about custom label printing and design:

What Will They Go On?

Start with the simple stuff. What are you looking to label? Are you creating custom shipping labels for boxes or custom labels for your pick, pack and ship operations? Before you can come up with an effective label design, you need to think about its intended application and use. What will the label go on, and what will it need to communicate? Determine where you will use your labels and why.

Where Will Transport Take Them?

As your packaged products travel to customers or retail locations, what kind of environments will they encounter? Think about humidity changes, temperature changes and your label’s ability to stand up to these conditions. The right label design for you will be resilient to environmental issues.

What Size Do You Need?

A label that’s the size of a postage stamp can’t communicate the same information in the same way that a larger label can. Likewise, a large label requires a larger design than a smaller one will. Determine what shape and size your labels need to be, and let that guide your design efforts. 

How Many Do You Need?

Know before you place your order whether you’re looking to create a sample or order a full line. When you do place a full order, remember to add extra to your count.

How Creative Should You Be?

Innovation is great, as long as it doesn’t keep your label from being understood. By all means, get creative, but keep your label design easy to read and use. 

Who Is This For?

As tempting as it is to create the labels you like, try to remember you’re making labels for your potential customers. Your goal is to get prospects to see and like your product — not for you to be impressed with your slick design.

Did You Double-Check Everything?

It’s as true for labels as it is for business deals: Make sure you proofread everything carefully. Are any words missing? Is anything misspelled? Is important content available where it should be? Catch problems early to avoid costly mistakes.

Whether you’re creating invoice and shipping label combinations or a custom safety label to meet OSHA standards, you’ll find quality products and pricing at Chicago Tag & Label. Backed by more than 70 years of experience in the industry, we are an industry leader when it comes to custom labels and specialize in flexographic printing. Come to us for a wide range of printing projects, from adhesives and substrates to custom labels that reflect your brand.

Contact us today to learn more about how Chicago Tag & Label can help you create custom labels that work for your business.