Lightning Labels Blog

New Bioplastic Made from Native Grass

Switchgrass, a type of grass that is native to the North American prairie is being converted into plastic by Metabolix, a company based just outside Boston. They just recently concluded a greenhouse trial where switchgrass yielded significant amounts of what is called PHA, a polymer that can be used to make bioplastics.

The most common form of bioplastic available today is EarthFirst PLA which is made from corn, which we stock here at Lightning Labels. However, PLA is not an ideal replacement for petroleum based plastics because it takes away from the food supply. Corn that is used for ethanol and bioplastics has been partly responsible for the large runup in food prices recently.

There are many benefits of switchgrass. It is a native prairie grass that is easily grown in many areas of this country and it grows well in hot, dry conditions. So it needs much less water and fertilizer than corn and unlike corn it is a perennial. And of course, switchgrass is not an integral part of the food supply.

It may be a while before we will be able to order label material made from switchgrass, but it is an interesting development nonetheless. Right now, PLA from corn is the only viable alternative to petroleum based plastics, but that will likely change in the near future.

Article on Variable Data Label Printing

The current issue of Package Design Magazine has an article I wrote on variable data label printing. I provide some examples of companies that are effectively using this technology today as well as five ideas that anyone can adopt to leverage the power of variable data label printing.

Ralph Lauren and QR Barcodes

I was reading the latest issue of TIME magazine over the weekend and came across this interesting article about a new initiative from fashion house Ralph Lauren. In conjunction with the US Open tennis tournament beginning on Monday August 25th, Ralph Lauren is launching a campaign featuring a QR Code - these are basically a two dimensional barcode like the one pictured above. 

This is how it will work. Ralph Lauren has placed these barcodes on billboards, in store windows, in magazine ads and catalogs. You will need a cell phone with a camera and software to read the QR barcode. There are plenty of web sites that provide free QR barcode readers - Ralph Lauren has one available for download on its mobile web site. I was able to download one called NeoReader quite easily for my iPhone. When the QR reader is loaded on your phone you scan the barcode by taking a photo within this software. Then the software will take you to the web site using your phone's browser. The QR codes used in the Ralph Lauren promotion will take you a special web site created just for mobile phones where you can buy merchandise direct from your phone.

In Japan there has been widespread use of QR barcodes for a couple of years now. In this country, we are still in the very early stages, but rest assured this technology will become very widespread in the near future. I don't think Ralph Lauren will be making much money on their first foray into QR barcodes, but they are positioning their company as being on the cutting edge, and they are certainly getting good PR out of it.

The QR barcode pictured above is something I created. If you print this page and scan this QR barcode it will take you to Lightning Labels' website on your cell phone. One day soon you will be able to scan one of these codes at the supermarket to find out more information about the product you are buying. For example you could scan a QR barcode label on a banana and immediately find out when the banana was picked, where it was grown and how it was transported. All the technology is available right now to do this (check out ScanLife or Winksite if you want to create QR barcodes), so I expect forward thinking companies to start using this technology in coming months. Of course, if you want someone to print QR barcode labels then Lightning Labels will be happy to assist you.

Stop Sign Designed by Committee

Seth Godin points out this really entertaining video. It is a parody of what can happen if too many people get involved in design decisions. Because we deal with mostly small companies here at Lightning Labels we don't deal with this problem very often, but if you find yourself in the middle of a "design by committee" custom label project have everyone watch this video. It is a good reminder that if you want to make an impact often simple is better.

New Finishing Equipment Arrives Today

I have written before about our wonderful state of the art digital label printing presses we use here at Lightning Labels. We are very proud of the quality that our HP-Indigo presses are able to produce. But the printing presses are only half of the equation. Once the labels are printed they need to be diecut and slit on to individual rolls. The equipment to do these jobs is called finishing equipment.

Today we took delivery of our new Omega Digicon 2 die cutting machine from AB Graphics. It is the current state of the art as far as finishing equipment is concerned and we are excited to get it installed. At the same time we have purchased four additional pieces of equipment to help improve the efficiency of our operation here. But what does this all mean to you as a Lightning Labels customer?

For a start, once all this equipment is up and running it means we will be able to move jobs through our plant more quickly, which will reduce the turnaround time for everyone. We will also be able to expand our capabilities - with a couple of new options for you. Stay tuned here, we will make an announcement about this when we are ready for production.

Here at Lightning Labels we always like to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Now we will have state of the art printing combined with state of the art die cutting. This will allow us to provide even better service to our customers than ever before.

Bookplate Labels for Lee Iacocca

Here at Lightning Labels we certainly don't deal with famous people very often. But a couple of weeks ago we received a phone call from the assistant of Lee Iacocca, one of this country's leading business legends of the past 50 years. Mr. Iacocca was in need of some bookplate labels for his recently published book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone?

Now, I must confess I didn't even know what a bookplate label was (here is Wikipedia's definition), but I have since learned that it is a label that is typically affixed on the inside front cover of a book. Historically, it was used to identify the owner of the book, but today authors use these labels to provide autographed copies of books. Rather than signing books on location, the author signs these bookplate labels and the labels are sent to be attached to the books. It is more convenient, and frankly, I think it is more elegant and professional.

One important point to remember when ordering bookplate labels. The labels must have an imprintable surface. So these labels for Mr. Iacocca were done with our matte laminate. It not only provides a more elegant look, it readily accepts a ballpoint pen or marker.

A Pavilion Made From Labels

Last year I wrote about the bridge in France, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, which was made from label waste material. Well I was reading my copy of Label & Narrow Web magazine (a leading label industry publication) last night and I discovered he has now gone one better.

In partnership with leading label material supplier UPM and Artek, a Finnish design house, Ban has created what is known as the Artek Pavilion.  This 132’ x 16’ (over 2,000 sq feet) structure is manufactured completely from self-adhesive label waste. The waste came from UPM label manufacturing plants and was converted into a wood-plastic composite product called UPM ProFi.

Ban, UPM and Artek decided to auction off the structure (which can be taken down and reassembled easily) at Sotheby’s and donate the proceeds to charity.  It was sold for $500,000 to an unnamed New York gallery owner who planned on using it as a mobile exhibition space.

It is great to see creative recycling initiatives like this one being undertaken by a major industry player like UPM. The label industry has only recently begun to embrace sustainability, and Europe is certainly far ahead of the United States on this issue. I hope and expect to see more initiatives like this one as label printers start demanding more action on sustainability from their suppliers.

Denver's Fastest Growing Private Companies

We are delighted to announce that once again, Lightning Labels has been honored as one of the fastest growing private companies in our region. The Denver Business Journal compiles this list every year, and this year was our best ever result on the list. In our revenue category (small-medium businesses with annual revenues between $3 million and $7 million) we came in 7th.

To qualify for the list, the Denver Business Journal compared revenue growth from 2005 to 2007 and Lightning Labels came in at an even 150% growth during that time period. Thanks must go to all of you, our customers, for helping to make this growth possible.

Digital Label Printing Creates Less Waste

One of the biggest advantages of digital label printing over traditional flexographic label printing is that less waste is created during a print run. This aspect is rarely considered by label end users, most people focus on just three things - quality, turnaround time and price. But if you are looking for label printing that is environmentally friendly then you really need to consider digital for the small amount of waste that is created.

Allow me to illustrate with an example of a typical job we print here. We receive an order for five different labels, a quantity of 500 each, and a size of 2" x 6". We print on material that is 12" wide, so we can print 5 labels across the roll which means for a total of 2,500 labels, allowing for a small 1/8" gap between labels the total material needed for this job is around 260 feet. We would produce 30-40 feet of waste to setup the press, so the total job would require less than 300 feet of material.

Now, let's assume this job is run on a traditional flexographic printing press. With an experienced operator you are looking at around 200 feet of waste to get the first label setup. Then probably around 100 feet of waste between jobs for a total of around 600 feet of waste. And that is with a good operator. It wouldn't be unusual for a job like this to create waste in excess of 1000 feet of material. This waste material typically goes straight to the landfill.

So, for a job that actually requires 260 feet of material, a best case scenario for flexographic printing is waste of 600 feet. Less than a third of the material is actually used productively. If the consumer knew how much waste was being created by traditional label printing, they would demand these customers switch to digital.

For very long runs of tens of thousands of feet of material, traditional label printing can make sense. But how can we justify using a printing process where the majority of the material used goes to waste. If you don't have a large label order and you are concerned about the environment, there is only one responsible choice: digital label printing.

The Top 5 Worst Fonts

Adam over at the PrintCEO blog yesterday pointed out a print design blog that provides a list of the top five worst fonts. I have provided the list below in graphical form so you can see the fonts they are talking about.

Before going any further, I need to point out the obvious - that this is a totally subjective list, just one print designer's opinion. Having said that I think these fonts are all overused today. PCs and Macs both come with a large variety of free fonts and there are thousands of inexpensive fonts at places like fonts.com and Font Shop. So there is no reason to use the same fonts that everyone else is using.

There is one point this designer makes that I completely agree with. Apart from Times New Roman, these fonts are not very easy to read, so they should be used sparingly. And if you want to draw attention to your label finding an unusual and rare font is an inexpensive way to add impact to your labels. Just make sure it is easy to read.

Some Great Labels from The Bubble Roome

If you are interested in label and package design you really should read The Dieline, the leading package design blog. Every day they feature some wonderfully designed product packaging. This morning, I was reading their latest entry and I was delighted to see the products from one of our customers, The Bubble Roome, featured.

David Johnston is the founder of this bath and body products company based in Brooklyn, NY. He has an advantage over many of his competitors in that he has a background in design. He has designed all the labels himself and he has done an excellent job. Here is what he has to say about his unique label designs:

I wanted to base the design concepts on turn-of-the-century apothecary labels, but knew that that wouldn't be enough ... I also wanted to add the use of pattern and color that the Victorian's used and their delicate and intricate type design. But I didn't want this to look too retro, I wanted it to be updated, to reference the 1900's without creating something too reverential or precious ... The label placed on the look of The Bubble Roome? Neo-Victorian.

We love printing labels like these. With bright colors and fine details, they really show off the quality of our HP-Indigo digital label printing presses. High quality design combined with high quality label printing gives any product the best possible advantage on the retail shelf.

13 Product Label Design Tips

I have been a big fan of MarketingSherpa for many years now. They are specialists in tracking what actually works in all aspects of marketing and they produce interesting articles and case studies on a regular basis. So, when a couple of months ago they asked me to do an interview on label design I jumped at the chance.

The title of the article is Label Design Primer: 13 Tips to Help Your Product Get Noticed on Store Shelves, and you can read the full article here. But you need to be quick, it is only available to everyone for the next week (until July 8th). After that you will have to register at MarketingSherpa before you can read the entire article.

Regular readers of this blog and our newsletter will recognize some of the points here. Basically, I talked about what you need to do to get your label to stand out from the crowd. While there are no hard and fast rules that guarantee your labels will get noticed, by following these tips you will be doing a better job than most of your competition.