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My labels smudge. What can I do?


chevril

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Hi everyone,

 

   I have a problem with my candle labels. They smudge easily. I can apply them very carefully to avoid the smudge, but I think it will be a problem on the consumer end. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is there a way to solve it? I'm using gloss ink jet labels. If I can solve this issue I'll be ready to start selling. Thanks to anyone who can give me advice! :)

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9 hours ago, chevril said:

Hi everyone,

 

   I have a problem with my candle labels. They smudge easily. I can apply them very carefully to avoid the smudge, but I think it will be a problem on the consumer end. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is there a way to solve it? I'm using gloss ink jet labels. If I can solve this issue I'll be ready to start selling. Thanks to anyone who can give me advice! :)

I had the same problem with lotion and bath labels.  It does cost more, I purchase the Waterproof matte labels at Onlinelabels.com and bought an Epson

printer.  I found the info on a forum after Googling my fingers down to a nub lol.  The combination of both gives me labels that I can use on my scrub jars and

they don't leak ink into your tub water.  HTH

 

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2 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

Are you setting your printer for those labels?  I know even my laser jet smudges if I forget to change the paper type before printing.  Ink jet do take a bit to dry on some paper types, but shouldn't smudge once they are dry. 

No I do not change the printer settings.  I found this on the 101,000th forum I was searching thru.  She said buy an Epson, the cartridges use Dura Bright Ultra Ink (which was the key factor as I recall) and buy the Waterproof matte labels (you can buy they sheets at a time which helps starting out).  I've never had a problem with running

or smudging labels since.  All I can tell you is it has worked for me since I found that post 8 years ago :-)

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Labels are something I used to make professionally, and I can tell you the ink in printers these days is not only more expensive, its also much less quality.  When we started  I had to leverage the cost of making really nice labels on clear, or to print them myself.  To me, there is a big difference when you hold the candle in your hands, its a huge part of how your candles are valued, and therefor might be the edge in the sale.  I suggest getting professional labels made if you have a budget for it, it will likely pay off, especially if you mark up your products to cover the cost.  I use www.AwardDecals.com

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11 hours ago, juliejak said:

I had the same problem with lotion and bath labels.  It does cost more, I purchase the Waterproof matte labels at Onlinelabels.com and bought an Epson

printer.  I found the info on a forum after Googling my fingers down to a nub lol.  The combination of both gives me labels that I can use on my scrub jars and

they don't leak ink into your tub water.  HTH

 

Thank you for this info. I'm relieved to know yours can get wet without smudging! Thankfully, I've got an Epson printer, so I guess I just need the matte labels. I'm very grateful to benefit from your research ?

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10 hours ago, kandlekrazy said:

Are you setting your printer for those labels?  I know even my laser jet smudges if I forget to change the paper type before printing.  Ink jet do take a bit to dry on some paper types, but shouldn't smudge once they are dry. 

My printer has surprisingly few settings and no gloss or label setting at all.  I'll try the matte label idea and hopefully, that will solve the problem. Fingers crossed! ?

 

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On 12/17/2016 at 7:10 PM, KansasEarthandSkyCandle said:

Labels are something I used to make professionally, and I can tell you the ink in printers these days is not only more expensive, its also much less quality.  When we started I had to leverage the cost of making really nice labels on clear, or to print them myself.  To me, there is a big difference when you hold the candle in your hands, its a huge part of how your candles are valued, and therefor might be the edge in the sale.  I suggest getting professional labels made if you have a budget for it, it will likely pay off, especially if you mark up your products to cover the cost.  I use www.AwardDecals.com If anyone needs a graphic designer, I also do that personally. 

Someday, I'd love to get them professionally printed (I went thru MONTHS of alignment issues), but for now, I'll have to do them myself. I'll check out awarddecals.com for future reference. Thanks! ?

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I don't know of this will be any help to you but I had the same problem, even with my laser printer.  What I ended up doing was buying a can of clear matte spray paint,  After printing a whole sheet I would spray over it with the clear paint and never has a smudge or toner coming off since.

 

HTH

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Be sure you are buying the correct labels for your type printer.  If laser printer buy labels for laser printer and if ink jet buy labels for ink jets printers.  I have always used ink jet printers and in beginning I didn't know the difference and got labels for a laser printers and they smudge and don't dry.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On December 17, 2016 at 10:06 AM, juliejak said:

No I do not change the printer settings.  I found this on the 101,000th forum I was searching thru.  She said buy an Epson, the cartridges use Dura Bright Ultra Ink (which was the key factor as I recall) and buy the Waterproof matte labels (you can buy they sheets at a time which helps starting out).  I've never had a problem with running

or smudging labels since.  All I can tell you is it has worked for me since I found that post 8 years ago :-)

Thanks for this info. I was mistaken when I said I have an Epson, that was the brand of the last printer we had (brain glitch), we have a Cannon Pixma now. The thing guzzles  ink like a V8 engine. After what you've said about being able top use Dura Bright ink, I think we should go back to Epson as soon as we can. ?

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On December 18, 2016 at 4:17 PM, pcbrook said:

I don't know of this will be any help to you but I had the same problem, even with my laser printer.  What I ended up doing was buying a can of clear matte spray paint,  After printing a whole sheet I would spray over it with the clear paint and never has a smudge or toner coming off since.

 

HTH

Now, that's interesting! I tried hair spray and it ran, but I never thought of clear matte spray paint. Thank you, I'm going to see if the local hardware store has it. ?

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