Lightning Labels Blog

March 12th, 2010 by Christy Correll

Registration Open Through April 29

We here at Lightning Labels are very excited that the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild's 13th Annual Conference is being held just a few miles from our headquarters this year in Denver, Colorado! The conference is open to both members and non-members of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, Inc. and will take place in the  Inverness Hotel and Conference Center Friday, April 30 through-Sunday, May 2. Registration is open through April 29, 2010.

The conference will include presentations by  well-known industry speakers on a wide variety of topics,  two special events, a vendor exhibition hall, networking opportunities, and the guild's Annual Awards Dinner. Additionally, guild members will have opportunities to work towards certification in soapmaking (from Basic to Master) at the the conference.

Are you planning to attend the conference? If so, please let us know. You might also want to make a note to stop by the Lightning Labels table in the exhibition hall. We would love to chat with you about what your business is up these days!

Posted March 12th, 2010 by Christy Correll in Lightning Labels News, Soap & Candle Labels | No Comments »

March 9th, 2010 by Peter Renton

Today, on the popular packaging blog Box Vox, Randy Ludacer featured this unique brand of Japanese spices. It is from the Japanese company Taku Satoh and as you can see it uses the color spectrum for product differentiation. This is a very clever way to give your product range an eye-catching and pleasing look.

The obvious problem is keeping the products in the correct order in the retail store. For something like spices it works well because they will usually have a wide space in the shelf to themselves and they are stored in alphabetical order. Other products might lose the effect when the person stacking the shelves puts them in any order they please.

Where I see potential for this idea is in the private label market. One example could be bath and body products sold in upscale spas. Here there is far more control of product placement and a rainbow design could really add to the ambiance of the store. With today's digital label printing capabilities you could easily include an alternating Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet background on your labels. Or you could make this an option for your private label customers. Just a thought.

Posted March 9th, 2010 by Peter Renton in 18, Packaging Design | No Comments »

March 4th, 2010 by Peter Renton

One of my favorite bloggers, someone who I have been reading for many years, is Seth Godin. I believe he is one of the smartest marketing minds on the planet, so I was very curious to read his blog post last month about packaging.

It was just before Valentine's Day and he wrote about the packaging of Madecasse, a high-end chocolate from Africa. He took them to task on their plain design and he brought up many good points. He made the case that you should narrow down your target market because you cannot please (or catch the attention of) all the people who may want to buy your product. If you try then you "muddy your brand promise and hide your story" which Godin (and I) believe Madecassa has done.

Madecassa has a high end product with chocolate that sells for north of $6 for a 2.64 oz bar. This is double the price of other high end chocolate, so I would expect them to have some unique packaging. Now, you don't have to have anything that looks expensive, but something that looks unique is essential. I like Godin's idea of putting a photo of the African workers on the front. And then telling the worker's story on the back.

The Power of a Story

I don't agree with Godin that you put nothing other than the photo of the worker on the front. While that would look different, I think you can get the same impact with a sparse front with a photo and just a few words identifying the brand and the product. But the idea of putting different photos and stories on the packaging is something I have been advocating for many years.

We all love stories, but so few people include a story on their packaging. In this case a story with a photo of a real production person could have great appeal if done well. I would have 50-100 different photos and print them so that no photo and story ever repeat inside a box. So customers would always be seeing new people, and it could become almost like the baseball card analogy Godin mentions. Digital printing technology is in place right now to make this kind of project a reality with not much additional cost.

I am amazed how so few companies use their packaging to tell a story. Some wineries use this technique on their wine labels but most other industries don't bother with it. Done well a story can be very compelling. A story with a personal photo even more so. Most companies don't want to step out of the box of what everyone else does in their industry, so they create packaging that is only incrementally different from their competitors.

If your packaging is really doing its job it should be uniquely yours. A quick glance and people should recognize your brand. Then as they interact with your product and read your product label and packaging they should feel some emotional attachment. Then they will feel compelled to drop it in their shopping basket.

Related Posts

How to Build Brand Trust With Product Packaging

Add Some Fun to Your Product Label

Posted March 4th, 2010 by Peter Renton in Packaging Design, Selling Your Products | 1 Comment »

March 1st, 2010 by Christy Correll

Lightning Labels management team pictured (left to right): Justin Babcock, prepress and IT manager; Tammie MacLachlan, customer service manager; James Lowry, general manager; Wendy Murphy, administration manager; and Peter Renton, founder, director of business development.

Lightning Labels was recently profiled in packagePRINTING Magazine as one of the top all-digital printing companies in the US.

Lightning Labels General Manager James Lowry said it was very exciting for Lightning Labels to be the cover story for the February 2010 edition of packagePRINTING.

"With Peter's leadership, Lightning has been on the leading edge of digital printing for many years," Lowry said, referring to Lightning Labels Founder Peter Renton. "The printing industry is recognizing that our world is changing and that digital is the future. Our commitment is to continue to leverage cutting edge digital printing technology in order to provide our customers with high-quality products and fast, reliable service for many years to come."

PackagePRINTING Magazine has a monthly circulation of approximately 23,400 readers and is a niche publication written for printers and converters of labels, flexible packaging, and folding cartons. Each month, the magazine focuses on an issue from the perspective of a printer. Past feature articles have covered topics such as profitability, current events that affect the printing industry, and cost reduction strategies. In addition to publishing a monthly feature article, packagePRINTING regularly covers the latest news in sustainability, design innovation, technology, online marketing, and new products that are of interest to the printer and supplier community.

Posted March 1st, 2010 by Christy Correll in Lightning Labels News | No Comments »

February 22nd, 2010 by admin

Lightning Labels has a lot to be excited about right now. We just updated our website & logo with a brand new look & feel, & have created the world's 1st label quoting iPhone app. We invite you to share in our excitement & celebrate with us. Our party favor is pretty exciting, too: no ground shipping charges on all orders placed through March! We hope you like it.

To get a quote on your custom labels & stickers order now & take advantage of this special offer, we invite you to ...

• Use our online quoting system,
• Download iLabel from the iTunes store,
• Or give us a call at 1-888-685-2235.

Remember, free ground shipping is only available through March 31, 2010 ... so plan accordingly!

Posted February 22nd, 2010 by admin in Lightning Labels News | No Comments »

February 17th, 2010 by admin

Last year I was looking at the analytics for our web site and I noticed that there were more and more people browsing our site from their iPhones. Many of these people were using our online label quoter to get pricing. So we decided to make it easier for these people and build a dedicated iPhone app that anyone could download to their phone and easily create a quote. We named it iLabel.

Yesterday Apple approved iLabel, which we believe to be the world's first label quoting application for the iPhone. Just click this link here and you will be taken to the iTunes store where you can download iLabel. Best of all it is completely free.

It is a very simple application and it mirrors the online label quoter on our web site. Just choose a shape, a size, material, laminate, number of different versions and a total quantity. Then just tap the Get Quote button and your quote is displayed. If you like the quote we have a button on the final screen that you can tap to place a call directly to Lightning Labels where you can speak to one of our customer service reps. We will automatically have access to the details of your quote when you call.

Here at Lightning Labels we have always prided ourselves on being on the cutting edge of label industry technology. We were one of the first label printers to have online quoting (launched back in 2003) and now we are the first to launch an iPhone app for label quoting. If you have an iPhone go ahead and download iLabel and now you will be able to quickly and easily get label quotes on your phone.

Related Information

iPhone iLabel App

Posted February 17th, 2010 by admin in Business of Labels, Custom Labels, Labeling Basics | No Comments »

February 15th, 2010 by admin

For several months now we have been planning a complete makeover of our web site and blog. This weekend we pulled the plug on the old design and launched our new look. Here is a link to the Lightning Labels website so you can see for yourself.

Together with this makeover we also have a new logo that you can see above. More than the new look, we are excited about having a web site that is easy to navigate and has more content and photos than ever before. And our blog is now completely integrated into the site, too.

Don't worry, our ever popular instant label quote system is unchanged. We know you love this label quoter so it still works exactly the same as before, with just one small improvement. Now, no matter where you are on our site you have one click access to the label quoter with the floating red button on the left edge of the screen.

We are excited about the new look, but that doesn't really matter. It only matters what you think. So let us know by leaving a comment below or shoot me an email to: peter@lightninglabels.com. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Posted February 15th, 2010 by admin in Business of Labels | No Comments »

February 12th, 2010 by Christy Correll

When Vitaminwater's newest flavor, "Connect," hits shelves next month, consumers will get a taste of Facebook in the form of a black cherry and lime-flavored concoction featuring eight key nutrients and caffeine. Vitaminwater fans helped Vitaminwater choose the beverage's flavor, name, and packaging design in a contest held on the popular social media networking site Facebook. The winner of the contest, identified by a Vitaminwater Facebook post as "Sarah from Illinois," was awarded $5,000 in grand prize money for her efforts.

Facebook's influence on the new beverage doesn't stop with the contest, though. The flavor's name is an homage to Facebook Connect, an API for developers to help them create apps that run on Facebook such as the flavorcreator tool that Facebookers used to enter the Vitaminwater contest.

Connect's label boasts the Facebook logo as well as references to the social networking site that Facebook users will instantly recognize such as friend requests and tagging.

Related Blog Posts

Vitaminwater Launches Label Design Contest on Facebook

Posted February 12th, 2010 by Christy Correll in Packaging Design | No Comments »

February 3rd, 2010 by Peter Renton

Earlier this week Danielle Jerschefske reported on the Labels and Labeling blog that new ISO standards are being developed for the packaging industry. This is good news for consumers and for environmentally friendly label and packaging companies. It is bad news for those companies in our industry who don''t believe in sustainable business practices.

Jerschekse points out that both consumers and packaging companies in Europe are more aware of the impact that their choices have on the environment than in this country. But having an organization such as ISO bring some standards specific to the label and packaging industry will help raise awareness worldwide. This combined with the work of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute will help motivate companies to adopt more sustainable practices.

I am confident that in the next few years a nationwide sustainability movement will ensure that all label printing companies will think of the environmental impact of the labels and packaging they produce. Consumers will soon demand it.

Photo courtesy of Bruno Monginoux

Posted February 3rd, 2010 by Peter Renton in Sustainability | No Comments »

January 26th, 2010 by Peter Renton

When you place a custom label order with Lightning Labels you have a choice. You can request a PDF proof of your artwork or a press proof (also called a hard copy proof). Here is a quick guide to help you decide which proofing method you should choose.

PDF Proofs

The biggest advantage of PDF proofs is speed. Our prepress department usually turns a proof around within 24 hours, sometimes it happens the same day. With a PDF proof you can receive and approve your proof immediately after prepress has emailed it to you. It is always going to be the quickest proofing method.

If your artwork is fairly simple, with just text and some basic graphics then a PDF proof may be right for you. You can view your proof on your screen or print it out on your inkjet or laser printer. Keep in mind, the colors will be subtly different from your finished labels. If color is critical then you should request a press proof.

Press Proofs

With press proofs you get to see exactly what how your labels will look. Your proof is printed on the same press that will print your finished labels so the color will be exactly the same. You can even cut out your label from the proof sheet and stick it on your jar or container to see how it looks there. This way there will no surprises.

If you are ordering chrome or clear material we strongly recommend you order a press proof. Color can look very different when printed on these kinds of materials, so it is always best to see the final result.

Best of all, at Lightning Labels press proofs are free, you just pay for shipping. If you can wait just an extra day (assuming you request overnight shipping) you can have the piece of mind in knowing exactly how your labels will look.

The Last Word

Whichever proofing method you choose, always proofread your label artwork carefully. It is good to have someone else proofread it as well. It is a lot less expensive to fix a problem before we go to press than after you receive your labels. When you think your art is fine, just proof it one more time. We have learned from experience that the more time you spend studying your proof the less likely a mistake will make it through to press.

Posted January 26th, 2010 by Peter Renton in Business of Labels, Color, Labeling Basics, Printing | No Comments »