With many other topics occupying the daily news feed, the ongoing controversy and division surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in U.S. food has faded into the background. But that doesn't mean the conversation is over. Several recent developments, including federal proposals for food labeling and a landmark lawsuit, have put the spotlight on the issue once again. So what's going on with GMO labels?

Variable data printing (VDP) and variable image printing (VIP) have been around for years, since the dawn of digital label printing. And yet many brand owners are still unaware of the tremendous benefits it offers. Far from its technical sounding title, variable printing offers clear and obvious benefits for brands– cost savings, package personalization, and design flexibility.

BOPP is an acronym for Biaxially-Oriented (BO) Polypropylene (PP), a favorite for personal care products, as well as bath & body and food & beverage brands. And it's easy to see why.

BOPP is a versatile and resilient label material available in white, opaque, metallized, or clear. BOPP labels are thin yet rugged, moisture resistant, product resistant, non-toxic, and food safe.

Label packaging seems deceptively simple when you think about the end goal. It's just a sticker, right? But considering all aspects of the label's form and function within the broader context of your brand strategy is the best way to begin a label order. These 15 questions will help prepare you to receive labels with longevity that make your products shine.

By answering these questions, you will be able to provide your customer service representative with the precise information needed to engineer the exact label that's best for your products and your brand, within budget and on time.

From small businesses to large corporations, updating your company brand is a big project. Whether you've actively controlled your brand message or it has developed organically – virtually or through consistent consumer interpretation – predicting how your update will perform and impact sales can be more mysticism than science. Even companies with the deepest pockets have learned this the hard way. Remember "New Coke"?

When ordering your labels, particularly for new label orders, there can be some apprehension about how the final printed labels will come out.  Complex label designs with multiple special finishes or embellishments may be difficult to visualize. Trying to imagine how a label design you may have only seen on your computer screen will actually look when printed can be especially challenging when:

• Labels are being printed on a metallized label material (substrate)
• Labels are being printed on a clear substrate
• Labels include foil stamping or hot stamping
• Labels include spot varnishes or special varnishes
• Labels include embossing/debossing
  
  

To help bridge the gap between concept & design and your final printed labels, Advanced Labels NW provides two types of label "proofs", Art Proofs and Press Proofs.

Have you received your free Simply Textured™ samples yet? We are excited about this exclusive label solution and encourage everyone to see and feel all 8 textures available on our sample sheet.

Custom pre-printed sample sheets, including all 8 textures, are available now.

As the dog days of summer come to an end it may be hard to believe that a certain well-know coffee chain will soon be handing out warm, custom-crafted beverages in an iconic red cup. If you are a caffeine craving devotee of this coffee-behemoth, you know the childlike giddiness you feel when your local shop first hands them out: The holidays are coming! There is built-in emotional response many people have to this brilliant, seasonal marketing strategy.

Are You Missing Sales Opportunities by Not Identifying Your “Red Cup”?

Hand applying labels is the way most companies start out, selling small quantities at a farmer's market, or fulfilling individual online orders for example.

Hand applying labels is tedious, leads to waste (damaged labels), and despite all best efforts the labels are not consistently applied. Full wrap labels are even more difficult to align, and film labels tend to trap air bubbles. As your production volume increases and fewer friends and family are willing to join you for a “labeling party”, it can take forever to get through all those label rolls. Or maybe you are just tired of paper cuts, perpetually sticky, aching fingers, and misaligned labels. So what's next?

Regulations make for dry reading, so you might want to have a cup of coffee before tackling this topic. 9 primary requirements for wine labels are covered here, with a reading time of about 12 minutes– depending on how many times you nod off in the process.

The Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act articulates the labeling rules for wine containing at least 7 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau:

“TTB’s regulations exist to prevent the deception of the consumer and provide them with 'adequate information' as to the identity and quality of the product, to prohibit false or misleading statements, and to provide information as to the alcohol content of the product.”