Lightning Labels Blog

Can You Tell Where a Product is Made by the Barcode?

Recently, I have noticed some emails and Twitter conversations claiming that you can tell where a product comes from by the first three numbers of a barcode. The idea being that you can avoid products made in certain countries such as China just by looking at the barcode. This is not really true. So I thought I would clear up some confusion here.

The problem stems from a misunderstanding of the EAN-13 barcode which is shown above. The EAN barcode (typically 13 numbers) is the European and Asian version of the American UPC barcode (that has 12 numbers). Now, there are dozens of countries in Europe and Asia and most of these countries have their own organizations for issuing barcodes. The first three numbers of the EAN-13 barcode do indicate which country issued the barcode. But the important point to note is that it does not indicate where a product is manufactured just the country that issued the barcode. For example a company in Germany may source a product from China but apply for a barcode in Germany so it will have the German prefix on the barcode.

Having said all that, for US consumers most products use the good old American UPC barcode pictured above (which turns 35 this month). This is a 12 digit barcode and with this barcode there is no way to tell where the product was made. Take a look at the barcodes next time you are at the grocery store. Most products, even those made in Europe and Asia have the 12 digit UPC barcode. The distributors for those products most likely applied for a barcode in this country and so they carry the UPC barcode.

The bottom line is if you want to know where a product is manufactured you need to read the label carefully. Most (but not all) products will display a country of origin on the label. If that doesn't work the only other option for you is to do a bit of research and try and work it out for yourself. The reality is that looking at the barcode really won't help find out where a product is made.

Additional Resources

Explanation of barcode changes that occurred in January 2005

Search the GS1 database to find out which company owns the barcode

EAN barcode explained on Wikipedia

The Cost of Printing Labels Yourself

Many Lightning Labels customers started out printing labels on their home ink-jet printer. This is a great place to start because it is relatively inexpensive and you can print very small quantities of labels as you need them. Of course, you want your labels to look great so you print them in photo quality mode. Then you start to notice how quickly you are going through ink.

Ink for home ink-jet printers is one of the most expensive liquids in the world. For colored ink you can pay around $20 for a cartridge containing just 11ml of ink. That equates to around $7,000 for a gallon of ink. Certainly makes gasoline prices look cheap. But a more important question is how many labels can you print from a cartridge of ink? The answer is, of course, it depends. It depends on the size of your labels and how much ink coverage is needed.

You can get some idea by looking at the cost to print 4x6 photos. A couple of old studies pegged ink costs somewhere around 20c a label to produce a 4x6 photo. I don't think ink has gone down that much in recent years so that is probably still accurate. The costs vary widely from brand of printer and where you buy your ink. Then you need to take into consideration wear and tear on the printer and the cost of your time while printing the labels (and removing the inevitable paper jams). And you will need to factor in the cost of blank labels.

Printing labels yourself is an excellent way to get started if you need product labels. What we have found is that as time goes on, it is not just the cost but also the hassle of printing labels in-house that drives people to look for a professional label printer. Best of all, as your volume increases you may be surprised to find that it is actually less expensive to outsource this very important part of your business.

Photo courtesy of justinbaeder.

Making Cents of Press Proofs

If you are like most people — and especially if you are a business person — you appreciate any opportunity to save time and money. When placing a print order for the first time, requesting press proofs is one measure you can take to ensure you save as much of these precious commodities as possible.

Press Proofs are ...

• Printed on the same equipment and material used in the final press run.
• The ONLY type of proof that allows you to see the true color of the final product. Because most inks are somewhat transparent, their final color is affected by the color and opaqueness of the material they are printed on, as well as any applicable lamination.
• Not usually needed when placing an identical re-order.
• May not be beneficial if placing a re-order involving a minor change from the original order.

Press Proofs are not ...

• Simulated proofs. Any proof not produced on the actual press your print job will run on is a simulated proof, because this type of proof can only simulate what your final product will look like. A press proof, on the other hand, is in fact the final product.
• Pre-press proofs.
• Inkjet or laser printed proofs.
• Velox proofs.
• Epson color proofs.
• Matchprints.
• Digital proofs such as pdfs.

How Press Proofs Can Keep Your Sanity Intact & Your Money in the Bank

Because press proofs are the only way to see what your final product will look like when placing an order for the first time, they have the potential to save you added expenses, as well as needless headaches. If you do not request press proofs when ordering new labels or designs, you run the risk of purchasing an entire order that may not turn out exactly as you expected. When this happens, you either have to live with a product that is below your standards — and in some cases completely unacceptable — or place the order all over again. And you know what that means: More time. More money.

Here at Lightning Labels, we strongly encourage new customers placing an order for the first time to request a set of press proofs. This is especially important when using unusual materials (such as clear labels) that can produce unexpected results when applied to colored products. Unlike any other label printer we know of, we even offer the first set of proofs for free with every new order. That's right, I said free. (Other printers typically charge from $75 to $150 per set.) Yes, we do require the customer to pay for the shipping and incur a minor delay while the proofs are printed and shipped; however, we believe these minor investments are well worth it.

So if you are placing a label order for the first time, you might want to consider requesting a set of press proofs. Knowing exactly what to expect when your final order arrives will give you peace of mind, and might just end up saving you time and money as well.

Related Posts

http://blog.lightninglabels.com/blog/2008/02/the-dangers-of.html
http://blog.lightninglabels.com/blog/2006/06/the_label_print.html

Label Applicators - a Huge Time Saver

When you first call Lightning Labels to place a custom label order one of the questions you will be asked is whether your labels will be applied by hand or machine. The reason we ask this question is because an automatic label applicator will require the labels to come off the roll in a certain direction - known as unwind direction.

Now, we know that many of you apply your labels by hand but as your business grows you will find that applying the labels to your products takes more and more time. You can be much more productive with a label applicator. There are a large variety of machines, from simple label dispensers that cost just a couple of hundred dollars to fully automated systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars. You can buy applicators for applying labels to bottles, jars, lip balm canisters, lids - just about any product container or surface you can imagine.

Following is a short list of companies that offer label applicators. But first I should note that Lightning Labels does not have a relationship with any of these companies and does not endorse or recommend them. This list is just provided as a starting point for those considering purchasing a label applicator. Here is the list:

• Dispensa-matic - simple and inexpensive label dispensers. Also has some low end applicators for bottles.
• CTM Labeling Systems - a range of semi-automatic applicators to high speed, high accuracy custom labeling solutions. All machines are made in the USA.
• Busch Machinery - a large selection of automatic label applicators for a variety of container shapes. They have an excellent buyers guide where you can learn all about label applicators.

As your business grows you will find adding a label applicator will help make the task of product labeling more efficient and productive.

Understanding Bar Codes

Where would we be without the humble bar code? We would certainly be spending more time in the supermarket checkout line. Pretty much every retail product you buy these days has a bar code. This bar code is known as a UPC code and looks pretty much like the one above. I have written before about how you can obtain a UPC code, but here I am just covering the basics of the bar codes themselves.

The UPC (Universal Product Code) bar code is a 12 digit code used by manufacturers to identify themselves and their products. The first six digits are the manufacturer's number provided to them by the Uniform Code Council (now known as the GS1 Symbology Committee). The next five digits are the manufacturer's item number that is allocated to a specific product. Every single product a manufacturer sells including the same item of a different size carries its own unique five digit number. The last number is a calculated check digit that enables the scanner to verify that the number is correct.

Here at Lightning Labels we create UPC bar codes pretty much every day. We use the inbuilt functionality in CorelDraw to create a graphic file of the UPC, but you can also use a software package from such vendors as IDAutomation or Hallogram.

While most of the bar codes we do are UPC there are other bar codes we produce from time to time. The bar code above is what is known as a Code 39 (also known as Code 3 of 9). It is often used on name badges, to track inventory, and the post office uses it to track packages. You can encode letters and numbers, and often you will encode a start and stop character at the beginning and end of the data. If you want to keep track of your products internally this is a good bar code to use - we have a couple of customers who regularly request variable bar code labels using Code 39.

The bar code above is a Code 128 bar code. It is what is known as a high density symbology that encodes numbers, symbols, upper and lower case text as well as returns and tabs. It is known as high density because it takes up less space than other bar codes (such as code 39) as you can see here. To create a bar code 128 you will need a start character, a stop character, and a checksum character. We use the Code 128 Font Advantage Package from IDAutomation to create these bar codes - it comes with the Code 128 fonts and an Excel macro that you can use to generate the correct start, stop and checksum characters.

The world of bar codes can be quite complex and is changing rapidly. But these three bar codes are the most common - and the UPC bar code is so ubiquitous it will be around for a long time to come.

The Matrix of Labels

The matrix I am referring to with this title has nothing to do with a new Keanu Reeves movie, the matrix I am discussing here is part of the die cutting process. In a previous post I demonstrated how die cutting works, the diagram above gives you a different perspective on this process.

As you can see here a printed roll of labels begins as just a long uncut roll. As the labels pass under the die, the pressure from the sharp edges of the die cuts the label material and so the labels get their shape. To make the labels easy to apply the material that is between the labels is removed. This material is what is called the matrix. As you can see in the above diagram this matrix is removed and wound on a roller. So when you receive your labels they are easy to remove and apply.

This diagram is reproduced with the permission of Labels & Labeling magazine, and comes from their Label Encyclopedia, a valuable resource for anyone interested in the label industry.

File Formats and Cheap Label Design Software

Every few days we get a new customer who sends us some label artwork in an unusual file format. Just browse the aisles at your local Office Depot or Staples and you will see plenty of inexpensive choices of label design software in the $20-$30 range. Most of this software saves the graphic files in a proprietary format that no other program can open.

The main advantage of this kind of software is that it is inexpensive and it often comes with lots of templates that makes it relatively easy to create simple labels. This is probably all you will need if you intend on just printing your labels at home on your inkjet printer. The problem occurs when you try and send this file to your local printer to get professionally printed labels. Most label printers will not be able to use your file.

Don't worry, all is not lost. Most of these packages have a way to export the graphic file to an industry standard format such as a TIFF, JPEG or PDF. These are the kinds of files that every professional printer should be able to use.

For best quality printing we recommend you use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to create your labels - this software will enables us to print high quality labels. Now, I realize you are looking at more than $500 for either software package, which may be out of reach for a startup or small business. In that case I recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements - which you can find online for less than $90. It has many of the features of its expensive sibling and can save to all the standard file formats.

Whatever software you use, just make sure that you can save your file to one of these standard industry formats. There is no point creating some nice looking labels yourself and then having to start over from scratch when you want professionally printed labels.

Die-Cutting: an Integral Part of Label Printing

When you buy blank labels from an office supply store they are always die-cut into shape. Then you print on these blank die-cut labels. In the world of professional label printing it works the other way around. We load a roll of blank label material into our digital label printer and we print on this material. Then we die cut the material into shape to create finished labels. Sounds easy, right.

Die cutting is actually a very complicated and intricate process where dozens of variables have to come together to produce a good looking finished label. Take a look at the above diagram. The cutting blade of the die has to cut through the label material with just enough strength to ensure a clean cut, but not too much strength that is cuts into the backing paper. As you can see here, this requires a great deal of precision.

The other difficult part in die-cutting is precisely aligning the die. While we certainly strive for a perfectly die-cut label, we are dealing with a roll of material this is moving through a machine, so some tiny shifts can occur. The tolerance for our die-cutters are plus or minus 1/32". For most labels you will never notice this tiny movement, but if you have a very thin border it can become noticeable. Now, we work hard to keep this movement to an absolute minimum, but the reality of working with a mechanical machine is that we can't eliminate it.

So, next time you peel off a beautifully die-cut label take a second to appreciate the effort and precision that went into bringing you this label. While we love to talk about the brilliant quality of our digital label printing, it is the die-cutting that provides you with a label you can actually use.

Professionally Printed Labels vs Do-It-Yourself

This email came in from a customer yesterday and I think it illustrates a good point for those considering switching from homemade labels to professionally printed labels:

"Just wanted to give you some feedback now that I’ve had the chance to use the labels.  Overall I’m very pleased with the design and the printing.  That BOPP material is terrific.  Regular paper labels will smear with a drop of moisture.  They also won’t tolerate containers rubbing together during transport.  The BOPP material doesn’t have any of those problems.  Also the adhesive sticks very well, but is forgiving if you have to remove the label to reposition it."

When you print labels yourself using inexpensive paper material there are several factors working against you. Paper labels are not durable at all, the ink will smear easily, and there is no protection for normal wear and tear. The labels might look fine after you put them on your bottles or jars but the question is will they look fine when they are in the hands of your customers?

Here at Lightning Labels our most popular material is our white BOPP. It looks great when printed, it is waterproof and oilproof, and it will hold up very well to normal wear and tear. To protect the printed ink on your labels we apply a thin laminate which further enhances the durability and visual appeal of your labels.

Now, I realize that for people just starting out homemade labels may be your first choice. But to compete with established companies you need professionally printed labels. They will not only enhance the look of your product, they will improve its durability. You can be confident that your labels will still look good after traveling halfway across the country in the heat of summer.

Multiple Label Versions Key for Best Pricing

One of the major advantages of digital label printing is the ability to gang-run multiple label versions together. With traditional flexographic printing, every different label would be a separate job and would work its way through the printing workflow as a standalone job. With digital label printing it is quite common to have dozens of different label versions printed together on the same job.

If you want to order short runs of multiple label versions, then you really have no option but to have them printed digitally, particularly if they are full color labels. With plates running anywhere from $40 - $70 for each color, multiple label versions can quickly become very expensive.

Here at Lightning Labels we charge just $5 for every additional label version of the same sized label using the same material. To take an example, say you have 10 different label versions and you just want to order 100 of each for a total of 1,000 labels. You would pay just $45 more (9 times $5 - the first version is free) than if you ordered just one version of 1,000. These prices are calculated automatically for you on our Instant Online Label Quoter.

Gang-running multiple label versions together will ensure you get the best price for your labels. We regularly do label jobs where there are more than 100 label versions on the one job. These customers know the pricing benefits of running multiple label versions together.