What type of labels do you use?

[C Dizzle]

First, I am not asking what should go on a label as I believe I have acquired this information. I am more wondering about the type of material you use, and how well it works.

 

I am going to be using basically photographs with some additional information above and below it. I am wondering what type of labels do you use, and why do you use those? I'm sure a lot of our needs are different, but surely there are some commonalities.

 

First, I know for a fact I can only use laser, as the only place that can print decent around here is my local Office Depot (I'm in a small town) and they can only print laser. I've been looking at Avery, but I am very open to any and all ideas.

 

White glossy, white, clear, etc? I tried printing on some clear glossy and my labels didn't look great at all but I think white glossy would although I can't find any in the size I wanted. From my understanding, white glossy makes the colors "pop" more, which is ideal.

 

I am using status jars. When using jars does the heat from the candle warp your label in jars? If so, is there a type of label that gets around this?

 

I am also thinking of trying weatherproof labels. While I am not making candles specifically for outdoor use, if someone brings one outside and it rains on the covered jar, I would like that label to be intact. If a freak rainstorm comes and catches me off guard, I don't want to worry about ruined labels. I know it's more expensive upfront, but I could see it being worth it. I am not sure if I would still want it if it wouldn't look as good as say, white glossy, but I would certainly consider it. If it still looks as good, I think weatherproof would be the obvious choice.

 

What do you use and can you tell me the pros and cons of your type of label?

 

 

[kandlekrazy]

I use white now.  Small oval on my status jars with just the scent on it  and a pic behind the words (so not much white shows) & white round caution on the bottom.  I used to use clear but honestly except on the black jars I

didn't like the way they looked.  Now I label the lid on my black jars and I also put the scent on the caution label just in case someone mixes up lids.  On clamshells I use white name badge for top and put a round caution

label inside the lid.  All my labels are matte.  When I did b&b I used waterproof labels but I don't on candles.  I don't do shows anymore so I don't have the same concerns you do.

 

If you want to try several types, I would recommend labelsbythesheet.com as you can order 1 sheet of many styles or a bunch of 1, I think it's about 100 sheet that fit in a flat rate envelope.

[TallTayl]

I use clear glossy. Used to use white, and at one time use frosted.

[Guest OldGlory]

I love the look of brown kraft labels.

[kandlekrazy]

I meant to add that I've never had a label come off or warp from candle heat.  If the jar gets that hot, it's over wicked.

 

You're going to find that everyone has their own style with jars/labels.  Decide if you want a sophisticated look, a rustic or country look or something in between.  Then buy several different types

of labels such as clear, white, glossy in a shape you like and try them on the status jars to see how you like them.  On my status I use the oval label Avery 6583 is the template and I like the look, but you may

not like it.

[justajesuschick]

The only thing I will add is to make certain that you either own or have rights to use any photograph or image you plan for your labels. Just because you can see it or copy it off the web does not mean that it is available for use. This is an error made by many in the wax world.

Same, of course, with scent names. A very popular vendor in the wax world just had some pretty unpleasant exchanges with the legal team of a cosmetics and fragrance company over the use of their scent names on her products.

[C Dizzle]

This is all great advice. I'm really digging oval for larger jars and circles for smaller jars, white gloss and also white matte. The white gloss looks the most professional to me with our current design but we are experimenting.

Karen can you tell me more about that legal dispute? Is there a thread or information online I can view? Also do you know if I have to avoid others candle scent names or do I just need to avoid EVERY scented name for products such as soaps, perfumes, etc even though we are just doing candles?

[C Dizzle]

Oh and was it "just" cease and desist and they renamed and replaced labels on their candles,

or did they have to pay that company damages? Cause if it went the damage route that seems extreme for a company to do but I also know little about the legalities of it.

[justajesuschick]

It was not discussed here. Attorneys for Lush cosmetics directly contacted the vendor. 

I do not know if there were financial penalties.

She did have to rename every one of their scents that she had in her line. 

[C Dizzle]

I'll definitely avoid their scent names. Is this a common thing?

[justajesuschick]

Getting more common. Taylor Swift and others have sued Etsy sellers who put their lyrics on shirts and mugs. We cannot use images and scent names that are not ours. Plian and simple.

I was out reading copyright and trademark material online and I found a quote that said, "Do not build your house on rented land". 

It would seem that a lot of people also do not know that just because you buy a fragrance oil from a supplier, in most cases, you may not use their images.

For this, and other reasons, I change scent names for all of my fragrance blends. Well, with the exception of generic names such as apple pie. 

[C Dizzle]

I have tried white, white glossy, and white matte, and clear. Here are my opinions.

 

Oval looks the best for my logo on 12 Oz, although a circle looks decent on the 2 oz status jar. I would like to make some rectangular, but I only can fit something looking good on a very large rectangle on a very large jar, and I'm not ready to test my 21 Oz status yet. I am focusing on testing on 12 Oz mainly, and some 2 Oz as well.

 

Clear - I don't like this at all. I have heard others say it looks good on black glass, and I only have clear. I'll try that out, but as it stands, it looks terrible on clear glass.

White - This looks the least professional. It looks like I printed it out in my basement, which is really what is going on, but I don't want it to look that way!

White matte - This does look good, but not good with my logo. I am sure I could do some really nice work with this down the road, but my current direction it is not as good for. I really want to revisit this style.

White gloss - Now this I love. My logo is just some solid color banners and some text, and this really makes that stand out. To me this looks the most professional with my current logo, but I think I could potentially make something more professional and better looking with white matte, but that remains to be seen as of yet.

 

I do want to look at other styles like emboss down the road, but I'm more focused on testing candles and scents rather than labels. I just wanted SOMETHING to put on there as I felt that looks better than just blank jars and I'm a bit of a perfectionist when I craft something so I had to try out at least several varieties.

Edited December 1, 2015 by C Dizzle

[Candybee]

Why do you think you can only use laser? I use ink jet labels for all my label needs; candles, soap, lip balms, lotions, etc. I use Labelsbythesheet.com photo gloss ink jet labels. They are fairly waterproof and resistent to smudges. They make waterproof labels for ink jet too but I much prefer the photo gloss for my labels as I do artwork, use my own photos, along with product info.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Candybee

[C Dizzle]

I don't think that, it's all I have access to currently. I can either print it at home, office depot, or work and they are all laser.

I would like to test it out on inkjet and see which it looks better with but laser looks fine on its own.

[C Dizzle]

If I were using photos or color intense graphics, I'm sure I would be using inkjet exclusively.

[Candybee]

Aww... now I see. You have a laser printer. Mine is an ink jet. I have been very happy with my labels on my inkjet. But then the quality of the labels themselves (along with a good printer) can make a big difference. White photo gloss ink jet labels work the best for me and I buy mine from Labelsbythesheet.com

[chuck_35550]

I use Avery on an ink jet printer. I've been told my labels look very professional by customers. I was using the white 2x4 Avery labels but recently returned to clear glossy 2x4 labels because of a jar change. I'm all about less is more on a label. Color inserts are ink eaters and expensive, so I rarely have pictures. The company name is in bold black letters on top with my mission statement underneath (quality handmade ect) and the candle name in smaller bold with a brief description and then my contact info on the bottom. I use to fret about long descriptive bs about the fragrance and realized most people weren't reading "Like walking through the forest on a fall day with smelly moss".  People ignore labels and pretty much just open the jar and stick their nose inside. Buy a cheap ink jet printer, download a free Avery program and get as creative as you want. I now use a business card on the inside of my shrink wrapped soap, because they're cheaper and easier to deal with than a regular label (go figure). You can use all sorts of papers, stock and come up with some great looking stuff. The people you don't want to infringe are: Disney, any college/university logo and Disney. I think most other companies aren't that interested in small time guys and I sure don't think you're safe if you include "type". Again, most customers are hooked by a great cold throw and then sold with a great hot throw. HTH

 

Steve

[C Dizzle]

I am a computer technician by trade and I can expound on some of the differences between inkjet and laser if anyone is interested. There are far more pros and cons than this, I'm only including what I think affects us all in the same way, and leaving out print speeds, costs, etc. Personal opinion, inkjet is probably superior for most people, although one can make laser work (albeit with less options than inkjet).

 

Inkjet -

Pros - Good for color change, multiple colors, photos

 

Cons - Small text will not look as good as laser

 

Laser -

Pros

Prints solid colors and text very well. Inkjet cannot print small letters near as good as laser.

 

Cons

Photos and logos with many colors will never look as good as inkjet, have a much more "printed at home on a low quality printer" look to them.

 

 

I made a logo with solid colors and text, including some small text, mainly due to laser's limitations. My only colors on it are white, black, and the color of the candle itself as banners. My white rectangles with pics experiment likely would have looked much better on inkjet, although I still think white glossy looks better than white. I really want to experiment with inkjet and more colorful labels, but what I have is workable and I really need to focus on testing rather than branding.

 

The only people I think will be served better with laser would have to have small printed text that they wanted more readable, and their label would have to have less color change, especially side by side color change. So, solid colors with some small text that's important to look good would be about the only crew I can currently think of that might prefer laser, but even they would prefer laser if the small text isn't as important to look good. My logo is an example of this, and I'll add it on here later when I get a chance.

[C Dizzle]

I use Avery on an ink jet printer. I've been told my labels look very professional by customers. I was using the white 2x4 Avery labels but recently returned to clear glossy 2x4 labels because of a jar change. I'm all about less is more on a label. Color inserts are ink eaters and expensive, so I rarely have pictures. The company name is in bold black letters on top with my mission statement underneath (quality handmade ect) and the candle name in smaller bold with a brief description and then my contact info on the bottom. I use to fret about long descriptive bs about the fragrance and realized most people weren't reading "Like walking through the forest on a fall day with smelly moss".  People ignore labels and pretty much just open the jar and stick their nose inside. Buy a cheap ink jet printer, download a free Avery program and get as creative as you want. I now use a business card on the inside of my shrink wrapped soap, because they're cheaper and easier to deal with than a regular label (go figure). You can use all sorts of papers, stock and come up with some great looking stuff. The people you don't want to infringe are: Disney, any college/university logo and Disney. I think most other companies aren't that interested in small time guys and I sure don't think you're safe if you include "type". Again, most customers are hooked by a great cold throw and then sold with a great hot throw. HTH

 

Steve

I have been using paint.net (a free for commercial use and fairly intuitive editor compared to most), as well as Avery's templates and I really like what I can do with them without a great deal of effort. Most other editors require a lot more hoopla!

 

I am glad you mentioned about the descriptions because I wondered about it for a while and came to the conclusion it's probably a lot of work for a worse looking label that adds no value to the candle or experience.

 

I believe you when you say people ignore labels. I think the labels will be FAR more important to ME than it will be to anyone else!

[Candybee]

Hmmmmm.... I will say I disagree with the comment that people tend to ignore labels. I really think it depends on the quality and look of your labels. I get a great deal of compliments on my labels. Not just that they look professional, but that they really like the look of my labels. Many people have told me they thought I had mine professionally made and are surprised when I tell them I made them.

 

I will agree that using lots of colors on your labels will eat up your color ink. I know 'cause I buy color ink by the truckload. However, I have worked out the expense of using both my color and black inks for my label making and put it into my candle cost spreadsheet. It works out in my pricing of my candles so the cost of ink doesn't eat up my profits.

 

I did once have some candle labels professionally made for me once. However, I decided I didn't like them as much as mine and ended up never using them. Now that was a waste of money but live and learn. On the other hand, I found out through that process that making my own including all the cost of ink, etc, that go with it, is still cheaper if done on my own printer. Look better too!!

[C Dizzle]

Personal opinion, if your customers are complimenting your labels unsolicited, stick with it!

 

Do you have a picture of them somewhere I can look at?

[TallTayl]

People sure do pay attention to labels overall packaging actually. It all just needs to fit your brand and market.

I have used both laser and ink jet. My ink jet full color labels took a bit to cure, but were OK. Printing on crystal clear glossy stock was tricky. As was printing on full gloss stock. And it ate a ton of ink. When i broke a flimsy gear in my ink jet i didn't replace and stuck with my Brother laser printer. It is a total work horse on all paper, vinyl and laser stock. I use a LOT of crystal clear glossy labels and glossy white labels. It's great for printing on waterproof stock too.

In the end, if what you make fits your brand and pleases you it's all good. Your brand, labels and packaging all evolve.

[Candybee]

Here are a few pics of my soap and Christmas candle labels. I change out my candle labels for special events like holidays so they aren't my regular labels.

 

The soap labels are printed on 110 lb white card stock and the Christmas candle labels are printed on 2 1/5" round white photo glossy labels from Labelsbythesheet.com:

Edited December 3, 2015 by Candybee

[burnsv1]

Candybee you've probably heard this a thousand times, but those palm candles are absolutely gorgeous!  Beautiful colors and the labels are fabulous too.     

[chuck_35550]

The context of my answer was in reference to anyone starting out. Label cost is certainly a part of the spread sheet for each unit made but on a small scale that cost needs to be low. People come back for a product that delivers as expected or beyond expectations. The customer will return for a good deal. Thanks Tall for reminding me that the clear crystal gloss labels are a pain. After the ink has dried I spray them with a clear coat sealant for photos. This prevents smears and helps to reduce water damage. Water proof labels are so expensive but they are really great. The black print shows up so well on my white candles and looks really clean. Labelsbythesheet is the only game in town IMHO because you don't have to buy bulk quantities and they have a quick turn around. Candybee and  Talltayl represent the accomplished version of handmade. Lots of work and experimentation goes into packaging. I'll try to post some of my products to give you another perspective on packaging. I'm still evolving with the whole way my process goes. Marketing can go something like this: two stalls in a local flea market selling candles and one has beautifully packaged, wonderfully fragranced candles in very nice containers, while the other has mason jar candles with no labels for $5.00. The high end seller goes home with a modest amount of sales and the plain jane sells out. The high end chandler appeals to customers who don't mind spending money for style as well as function. The fly in that ointment is that there are a million low, medium and high end companies selling candles in every market and venue. Learn your craft and make a product you can take pride in and develop at your own pace. HTH