Label printers can be useful for a variety of office needs, including signs, product packaging, mailings and more. Label printing services can take care of this for your business as well, but when doing your own in-house production, you need to be sure you have all the right supplies for label printing. You may need to restock on labels, paper, ribbons or ink, depending on the type of label printer you use. Thermal label printers require less maintenance for heavy-duty use since they do not use ink.

Some supplies may be brand-specific, but online label printing services and office supply providers have a range of products that may be used by multiple label printers. Find the business label supplies you're looking for, including:

1. Thermal labels for use in multiple machines
2. Printer ribbons
3. Label printer ink

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the labels you need for custom label printing

The most basic supply necessary for label printing is the label itself. Labels come in all different sizes, and may be specially designed to fit your particular label printer, or may be useful in a variety of models. For the widest range of choices, look to label printer companies offering supplies for multiple printer brands.

I recommend: Labelcity provides labels for a variety of brand name custom label printers, including Dymo, Seiko, LabelWriter and more. Discount Office Supplies sells a variety of labels for ink and thermal printers that can be used by multiple machines, including Avery labels.

Print labels with the best thermal ribbon products

Thermal label printers are often preferable to ink printers because they're more efficient and less messy without the hassle of ink. To keep them in running order, you need to keep plenty of thermal ribbons in stock. Look for an online supplier offering ribbons for a variety of machines.

I recommend: TapeandMedia.com sells thermal ribbons for printers from a number of brand name manufacturers. Zebra, one of the leading manufacturers of thermal label printers, has a handy search tool to help you find ribbons for all of their printer models at ZipZebra.com.

Purchase the ink you need for color label printing

Color label printing is generally achieved with ink printers. If your business relies on ink jet printers for colorful packaging or business labels, find compatible ink from online suppliers.

I recommend: Find black or color ink cartridges for label printers at BlueDogInk.com, an office supply provider of products for dozens of printer brands. SuperMediaStore.com offers a full selection of printer ink for Primera color label printers, as well as a variety of other printers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Buying in bulk will always save you money in the long run. Stock up on label printing supplies today and pay much less per item than you would placing smaller orders over a long period of time.

Your product labels are your ultimate point of sale pitch to consumers - so product label printing is one of your most important marketing decisions.  Custom label printing is more complex than it looks and before your product labels roll off the presses you’ll need to reckon with materials, coatings and adhesives, in addition to design and color reproduction.  Some key points to know as you get started on label printing:

1. It’s easy to scope out custom label printing choices online and get bids from printers.
2. Printers can handle the entire label printing process, including supplying the paper or other material for your product labels.  Some even design product labels.
3. Digital label printing now makes small runs economical, a plus for small business.
4. You can also start out doing your own product label printing on a laser or inkjet printer with blank stock for product labels.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Scout online for label printing services

Use the catalogs and pricing on label printer web sites to narrow your label printing choices and comparison shop among printers.

I recommend: LabelLab has an easy step-by-step way to build an order online and a long list of FAQs for beginners.  Blue Ribbon Tag & Label has detailed explanations of custom label printing services. Or try My1Stop, Consolidated Label, PrintMyThing! or Lightning Labels, where you'll also find a concise introduction to label printing.  For another good intro, see Western States Envelope and Label.

Choose your material for product labels

Paper product labels work as food labels or for other short-term uses and may be laminated to protect the ink. Film product labels (commonly called BOPP) are best for packages that get wet, like shampoo. Films can be clear, for a see-through product label. For a fancy look, there are product labels 'hot-stamped' with gold or silver foil and for that homespun image, brown kraft paper labels.

I recommend: The build-a-quote feature at Lightning Labels describes film and paper product labels for uses including wine label printing and CD label printing. Find brown kraft labels at Kraft Kottage and foil product labels at Appleson Press and In-Touch Direct.

Pick the best size and shape for product labels

Your package size will dictate your label size choices. For shapes, your printer will offer a standard range of rectangles and squares (with square or round corners) or ovals and circles or you can request product labels in custom shapes.

I recommend: Online Labels has a veritable encyclopedia of product label shapes and sizes.  See Lightning Labels for a display of unusual shapes for custom label printing.

Select colors for custom label printing

For full-color label printing, it's a challenge to get colors to come out as they looked in your design viewed on a computer monitor. Traditional Flexographic label printing presses typically mix four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to approximate all colors. New digital printing presses may mix seven colors for a better match. In any case, get proofs of your product labels before okaying production.

I recommend: Some label printing companies ask you to select colors on their sites or specify your color choices in the universal Pantone system; others work off your artwork. Here's how LabelLab handles the color issue.

Negotiate your product label printing deal

Your choices on time, quantity, materials and ink will determine your price. Paper product labels are cheaper but not as durable as film product labels. Water-based adhesives are cheaper but not as long lasting as solvent-based. One-color label printing may save you money over full-color. A low run, fast-turnaround job can be produced by a digital press but at a higher cost than a high-run, slow turnaround job on a Flexographic.

I recommend: See some sample pricing on custom label printing at LabelLab - but any of the printers in this guide can quickly give you quotes online, on the phone or via email.

Or do your own product label printing

You'll want professional label printing for high quality, high volume runs and special materials like films and foils. But for low-volume, paper label printing, it's easy to order blank label stock online and make your own on a laser or ink-jet printer.

I recommend: Avery is loaded with templates, software and tips for label printing.  Find blanks for label printing at Online Labels.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Printers will deliver your labels on a roll that fits into a product labeling machine but you can also order product labels in sheets for extra cost.
• •  If your product is environmentally friendly, make your label-printing process green, too: Ask for the biodegradable film product labels made from corn.

The pricing and costs of label printing depend on how your business decides to have its labels printed. For the highest level of professionalism, it's probably wisest to outsource the job to label printing services. On the other hand, you can purchase custom label printers and perform the task yourself. Label printers may be expensive investments at the outset, but can reduce costs over the long run compared to sending business to label printing companies.

Whether you need CD or DVD labels, or labels to adorn product packaging, you can find printers or online label printing services to meet your needs in a range of prices. This guide offers a look at the costs of various options, including:

1. Finding label printer companies to create your labels for you
2. Purchasing a custom label printer
3. Covering business label printing needs
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Turn to label printing services for custom labels

Label printing services can specialize the look of CDs, DVDs, product packaging, or stickers to help promote your business. The more labels you order, the lower the price per label. CD and DVD labels start around $3 to $5 for a single professionally printed label, but cost far less than $1 per disc for orders in the thousands. Digital label printing is a cheaper solution than traditional flexographic printing for standard labels and stickers.

I recommend: CDPrintExpress offers great deals on duplicating CDs and DVDs and adding high quality labeling. Lightning Labels digitally prints custom labels and stickers for a variety of products.

Save money when you print labels with your own custom equipment

Whether you're printing business labels for files, folders, documents, or printing colorful graphics for product packaging, you can buy custom label printing equipment and accomplish everything in-house. Custom color label printers can range from just over $1000 for smaller, lower-production runs, up to nearly $20,000 for industrial strength equipment.

I recommend: QuickLabel Systems offers multiple digital label printers for small businesses, including low and high volume machines in a range of prices, depending on your business needs. Primera sells two high-quality color label printers ideal for short-run label printing needs.

Buy business label printers for specialty needs

Label printers are useful for taking care of notices or warnings around your workplace. Printers specifically designed to create bar codes, receipts, or workplace signs can help improve safety and productivity for your business. Thermal printers have a starting cost around $1000, but for higher performance or more industrial needs, can cost multiple thousands per model.

I recommend: Zebra is an industry leader in business label printing needs, with a full line of printers for a variety of needs. The DuraLabel Pro 300 is a versatile printer especially useful in manufacturing settings, and costs about $1500.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When figuring the cost of label printing, be sure to factor in the pricing of supplies, including ink, paper, print heads and service.

Whether you need labels for products, identification or mailings, there are several options to choose from. The key ingredients in any label are the face, or top side, of the label which contains information and the adhesive quality that sticks it to the end location.

Labels can be permanent or temporary depending on your needs. Key terms associated with label printing include things such as color options, adhesive options, folds and repositioning capabilities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Acrylic

Acrylic is defined as a synthetic polymer material that creates a transferable adhesive. Labels with acrylic adhesive can be easily repositioned.

I recommend: The Willington Companies defines acrylic and explains how the labels with acrylic works for repositioning and aging.

Top, bottom, front, back and wrap around

The placement of the label is referred to in several ways. Labels can be top only, bottom only, top and bottom, back only, front only or wrap around. The basic meaning of each refers to where the label is placed on the packaging. Most custom labeling systems can accommodate any of the above mentioned options.

I recommend: The label placement options are explained at ElMark Packaging.

Fanfold

When labels are printed on a long strand of continuous backing that is perforated to fold up, they are considered 'fanfold' labels. The labels can be stacked in a large pile but remain connected until torn apart.

I recommend: The fanfold label is defined at the Renell Label-Print glossary. The label printing company also includes many other label terms in its glossary.

Strike-through adhesive

If a label has adhesive soaked through the front, or face, of the label from the back, it is considered a strike through.

I recommend: Coast Label Company defines many adhesive-related terms (including strike-through) as well as a wide range of other printing terms.

Spot and process color

Spot color is a term used to describe the use of a particular color designated from an almost infinite number of possible shade options, while process color refers to printing with four main colors - cyan, yellow, magenta and black. The process, or four-color printing, is used to produce images with a wide range of colors. The process combines the different shades to make an illusion of all the colors.

I recommend: Read about spot and process color options at Label One Connect. The printer describes the two processes and explains the situations in which they are used.

Pressure sensitive

Pressure sensitive labels are those that are gummed so that they stick to a surface when pressed to it. Sometimes mistakenly called self-adhesive labels, the pressure sensitive labels don't stick without some pressure placed on them.

I recommend: Read the definition of pressure sensitive at Labels, Stickers and Tags.