Printing product labels myself on laser printer - wise or not?

[poorlittlefish]

Hi, I've been struggling to find a printer who will print small quantities of glossy product labels (100) without charging so much that it makes the cost of the label nearly as much as what it costs me to make the product.

I'd followed advice I'd previously been given by a forum member, to buy my own labels and get a print shop to print them up, but that's been full of problems too (colours being off, printer margins forcing me to alter my design).

I'm now at the stage where I'm wondering if it would just be cheaper and/or easier for me to print the labels myself using a laser printer. From what I've read in reviews etc the Dell 1320CN can churn out good-quality stuff. What I'm concerned about is:

a) Would the labels be able to withstand reasonable handling or would the colour run or smudge as soon as someone touched them with sweaty mitts? Are laser printers any better than inkjets in this regard?

b) Would a laser copier be able to cope with the small (3 or 4mm) left/right margins that sheets of labels have or would I still have to change my design?

Cheers.

 

[akirk]

a laser printer should cope - the heat / fuser unit will fuse ink to the label meaning that it is pretty fixed - except it won't necessarily cope with heat again... they are unlikely also to be water proof...

consider also an inkjet which may have a wider range of materials it can print on - and if pigment based will be reasonably water resistant and light resistant (laser print will fade with UV in light)

Alasdair

 

[chalkie99]

I have no idea what you would consider a reasonable price but, as an alternative, try a sign maker rather than a printer.

You can have labels printed onto self adhesive, waterproof vinyl and contour cut to any shape. Should be one nearish to you wherever you are.

I am not touting for the business but if you post the size of the labels I might be able to give you a "ball park" figure of what you might expect to pay.

 

[poorlittlefish]

They're 99mm x 68mm, give or take a mm or two in either aspect - cheers.

 

[Dawg]

I'd followed advice I'd previously been given by a forum member, to buy my own labels and get a print shop to print them up, but that's been full of problems too (colours being off, printer margins forcing me to alter my design).

Try another printer. If you set up on Avery A4 L7565 using MS Word you'll be able to see the margins are OK, (or not). Maybe I'm just lucky enough to have good printshop around the corner.

Your colour repro isn't going to be amazingly accurate as what you see on your screen probably is not calibrated and you probably aren't using the same colour working space as the printer is.

Working in CMYK is usually best, maximizing the blacks in whatever editing suite you are using. But this is a swerve around the outside: getting things done in micro quantities, on the cheap. You can't expect too much.

 

[Alex@Iansprint]

Having them printed professionally may be worth the cost.
The self-adhesive may be of a higher quality, as will the print and the finish.

Essentially, they could be produced 4 up on A4, and cut to size. 25 sheets of permenant self adhesive plus printing plus finishing should be no more than £10-£15, or somewhere around there.

Kind regards,

 

[James Readability]

100 labels for £10-£15 sounds a bargain what price now? Unless you're talking about paper labels? Which may do the job depending on what reasonable handling is for your product. Although given the small volume it would indeed be hard to justify a more expensive material.

Then a print company that specialises in short runs is ideal, sounds like Iansprint above maybe? Also try stickythings.co.uk who are very competitive at low volumes, getting them printed professionally is worth it if the standard of finish and a better adhesive used more suitable for purpose no initial spend on a printer. Yes, artworks have to be sent print ready which means CMYK, vector drawing and bleed lines etc. However, this should be no issue for a designer most will do this as a matter of course if you're asking them to design a label for you.

Printing yourself can work out for you although do get a proper label printer, not a desktop printer you would find in a standard office used for everyday things. And check the plain labels you buy are suitable. Most of the companies selling these printers will come and do a demonstration for you before you commit to buying one.

Hope I've been helpful