Understanding The Cost Of Custom Product Labels

Custom product labels can give your products the competitive edge that they need to succeed. Before you decide on the perfect label design and choose labelling machinery to get to work, you need to understand the costs involved with custom labels. Many business owners do not know the ins and outs of label options and how your choices can have such a significant impact on pricing. In this article, we are going to look in detail at how custom labels are priced, and what you can do to choose the most cost-effective options for your business.

The Cost Of Product Label Materials

It is no surprise that the materials you choose for your labels play an important role in the overall cost. The fact is, some raw materials are more expensive than others, and this can be impacted by the current market, your stockist’s supply levels, and so much more. Cost should not be the only deciding factor when choosing your product label materials, as you must pick materials which are suitable for your requirements. There is no benefit to saving some cash on your label materials, only to have your labels fail and require replacing further down the line. Consider how durable you need your labels to be, whether you need to be able to peel them off, or if they should feature any visual effects such as holography.

The materials used in your labels can generally be broken down as label stock, which is the material your label is printed onto, and label adhesive, which is what makes it stick. Some adhesives will be more expensive than others as well, and again you need to consider your requirements as well as cost. When it comes to label stock, you will usually choose from either paper or film. Paper is generally a cheaper choice than film, but it isn’t as durable. With adhesives, there are loads of options to choose from and each will have a different price point. Some are well suited for sticking to metal or glass, while others are designed for porous surfaces like cardboard or wood.

The Cost Of Label Inks

Once you know what your label will be made from and the type of adhesive you will use, you need to consider the cost of the inks. In very simple terms, the most colours your label design uses, the more expensive the printing will be. Not only that, but the type of ink you choose will also affect the price. Metallic inks can leave a unique finish but will be more expensive than standard colouring. Just like with label materials, your ink should be decided upon using both cost and performance factors in mind.

Qualities And Label Cost

Finally, the number of labels you need will play an important role in the cost. Depending on your printing methods and labelling machinery, the more labels you print the more you can save. If you know your labels are going to stay the same for a long time, and you have space to store them, printing a large quantity in one go can work out cheaper in the long run. For small runs, you might need to choose digital printing options over litho, which is more suited for smaller quantities and therefore cheaper.

To find out more about the cost of label machines or label printing speak with our experts at Atwell Labellers.