the labeler BLOG

by Gina Lisella 05 Dec, 2023
Designing a label can be an involved process; logos, fonts, layout, material, and finish all must be taken into account. Then there’s the product-specific copy and information to include. It’s easy to get hung up on any or all of these things, but don’t forget to consider the importance of color selection While you may be choosing your colors based on your product or on your own color preference, you always want to make sure your colors are communicating the right thing to potential customers.
by Gina Lisella 30 Nov, 2023
Our friends at Ananda Hemp shared this excellent article to provide some insight into labeling requirements for hemp and CBD products!
Press operator printing labels
by Gina Lisella 21 Nov, 2023
As part of Inovar Packaging Group, Dion Label Printing is working to creating a world-class enterprise by building an innovative platform to drive sustainable growth and handle the increasingly complex demands of our diverse range of customers. Over the last several years, our parent company Inovar has acquired new facilities at a quick pace, including, most recently: Cimarron Label in Sioux Falls, SD and Amherst Label in Milford, NH. Acquiring is a major part of Inovar’s strategy to grow the company and better serve our customers and our internal teams, and we are concurrently working to expand our capacity, capabilities, and service offerings in other ways. To that end Inovar has recently moved into a newly renovated headquarters building in Dallas, TX. Located just a short distance from Inovar’s previous facility headquarters, the new location was built to showcase the mission of our brand. At triple the size of the last facility, this brand new building with its huge increase in both office and production space will enable us to provide even more solutions and support to our customers. The new facility is not just larger, however. In order to increase our capacity, capabilities, and offerings, and give our customers the highest quality labels and packaging solutions, we’ve added two new flexographic presses and a new digital press. Our Director of Marketing, Ashley Stewart, states, “the additional capacity, services, and embellishment capabilities will greatly increase our ability to meet all the requirements of even the most demanding brands. The team is thrilled to debut the new facility and showcase our capabilities to our existing and future customers.”  We also have other expansions in the works. An addition of almost 20,000 additional square feet of production and warehousing space will expand Inovar’s Milwaukee, WI, location, Flexo-Graphics, and its presence in the area. We are excited for the opportunities our growth provides us to continue our rise as a premier label and packaging solution provider. Contact us today and let our growth help fuel yours.
MI CBD capsules
by Gina Lisella 07 Nov, 2023
As more states legalize the recreational use of cannabis, the growth projections may make established and hopeful cannabis brands optimistic for a surge in sales; the industry, however, faces a number of unique challenges. Strict regulations that vary from state to state as well as a surge in counterfeit products entering the market are two potential factors that could inhibit potential growth for cannabis brands. One of the best ways to both take advantage of the market growth and meet prospective challenges is with your product label. But not just any old label will do. You need a top-quality label that stands out from the competition. The experts at Dion Label Printing are here to help you create the best cannabis product label for your brand with these three solutions: 1. High-Impact Design Options When it comes to label embellishments, we have got you covered. We offer a huge variety of specialty materials, coatings, and effects to help set your product apart. A few of our decorative label options include: Metallic materials and inks Textured papers like linen Holographic effects Cold foil, hot stamping, and embossing Varnish options like soft-touch, textured, and raised printing We also offer a number other high decoration label solutions, from custom die cuts to Cast and Cure™ effects and much more. If you’re looking for a way to make a statement with your label, we suggest you book an Innovation Meeting with us . As part of Inovar Packaging Group, we have a unique Innovation Book that offers you a hands-on experience with most of our label embellishment options, and we’ll work directly with you and your designers to create a label that accomplishes all your design and packaging engineering goals. 2. Specialty Solutions Another wonderful way to differentiate yourself as a cannabis company is through specialty packaging. While there are many factors that go into consumer buying decisions, packaging shape and overall look and feel play an extremely important role, especially in the vast and varied cannabis industry. Uniquely shaped product containers and packaging make a huge impact on potential customers and are sometimes required for cannabis products. However, labeling a container that is not a standard size or shape can be difficult or nearly impossible. Shrink sleeves offer the perfect solution. A shrink sleeve is a 360-degree printed piece of film that shrinks with heat or steam to fit around various shaped containers. Shrink sleeves can be designed to cover an entire product container or only a portion of the container. Consumers are drawn to out-of-the-ordinary containers, and when competition is fierce, a unique container with a perfectly fitted shrink sleeve can be a spectacular way to outpace the competition. Learn more about some of the unique advantages shrink sleeves provide for cannabis brands here . Dion Label Printing has another versatile solution for cannabis brands: flexible packaging. With our eleven nationwide locations, our range of capabilities is vast. The benefits flexible packaging offers to consumers are many, and we offer a variety of flexible packaging options like sample pouches, single-serve pouches and more. Our flexible packaging options enable your art to be the packaging, and flexible packaging options can complement the design and branding of your other products with traditional labels. We carry FDA-approved materials and offer a variety of size options. Learn more about flexible packaging here. 3. Unparalleled Quality In any growing industry, the quality of the label and packaging you use for your products are essential. Peeling or illegible labels or broken-down packaging do not inspire consumer confidence. There are innumerable sources for labels and packaging in this digital age, but just as you don’t source your product from irreputable sellers, you need to find a label supplier you can trust. Quality labels begin with selecting the proper materials for your product and your brand. Our experts will ask you the right questions and help you find the materials that will work with your application, design, and budget. We have a dedicated prepress department (this is the printing term for art department) who will work with you every step of the way to make sure your design, product and ingredient description, and any other information on your label is perfect. Once you sign off on your final art proofs, your label will receive a 50+ point check as it moves through production, and further checks after printing is complete from our quality control department. Dion Label Printing is uniquely poised to provide unparalleled quality labels and packaging for cannabis companies of all kinds. We have been providing superior quality cannabis labels for years. We are a trusted partner of many large cannabis companies, and we know the ins and outs of packaging for the industry. In a market where the potential for success is huge but competition is fierce, make sure you have a top-quality label to achieve your goals. Contact us now to get started.
person using laptop with customer portal on screen
by Gina Lisella 24 Oct, 2023
Not only does Dion provide you with impeccable quality labels and outstanding customer support, now you will be able to conveniently check your order status, product details, and much more directly from your device! With our online portal, you can track orders, compile communications and get labels faster.
Label being applied to spirits bottle
by Ashley Stewart 10 Oct, 2023
Autumn for New Englander’s means apple picking, pumpkin carving, and trips to favorite local orchards. Echo Hill Orchards Winery & Distillery is one of those local favorites that many from the Dion team frequent for apple picking, fresh crafted wine and distilled spirits.
Recycling symbols with packaging types around it
by Gina Lisella 26 Sept, 2023
According to Forbes , over 58% of all consumers report they would pay extra for goods that are environmentally friendly, and, incredibly, nearly 90% of Gen X consumers say they are willing to spend more for sustainable goods. Between the consumer demand for more sustainable product options and legislative requirements expected to come in the next few years, now is the time to take action for sustainable labels and packaging. Dion Label Printing is your printer of choice when it comes to sustainable solutions. We work to build custom sustainable solutions that take into account our customers’ unique budgetary, design, supply, and production requirements. Whether you're new to sustainable packaging solutions or have been committed to sustainable practices for years, the experts at Dion will help you find the right option for your brand and application. Here are the top three options to consider when you’re ready to become more sustainable in your packaging choices: 1. Make your packaging recyclable While the recycling stream can seem opaque, our Association with the Association of Plastic Recyclers and decades of experience in sustainable labeling practices position us as an industry leader when it comes to sustainability. We offer a great number of options for making your packaging recyclable, and the first step will be to talk about your primary packaging container. Once we’ve established your primary packaging container, we can then guide you to the right pressure sensitive label material, ink, and adhesion to ensure your product can be recycled. We offer label materials that can be recycled with many container materials, including PET, Glass, Aluminum, HDPE Multi-Colored containers, and more. You can read a breakdown of some of the most common packaging container types and the corresponding label materials that will enable your package to be recycled here , or just reach out to us and we’ll guide you to the right material choice for your specific product. 2. Use Recycled Materials Another way to create more sustainable label and packaging options is to use recycled and sustainable materials. Dion offers many label materials that are made up of recycled content or other materials that are more sustainably sourced. We have a wide variety of materials made from different amounts of post-consumer waste (PCW) material available, from 30% PCW to 100% PCW material. Some of our popular materials we offer with PCW content include: Clear, white, or silver BOPP Clear, white, or silver polyester Semigloss and dairy grade paper Textured and specialty paper Lately we’ve also been able to source more label materials with liners comprised of recycled content as well. You can learn more about our variety of recycled material and liner options here. 3. Reduce your packaging Choosing label and packaging options that reduce the waste associated with traditional packaging can be a high-impact way of attaining more sustainable business practices. Besides choosing primary packaging that uses less material, we can help you reduce your packaging with thinner label liners for pressure sensitive labels. We can help reduce the amount of label waste by substituting a thinner liner for some label materials. Using a thinner liner for your labels reduces your environmental impact of course, but it also can provide up to 15% more labels per roll. Some of the label materials we can substitute a thinner liner for include clear, white, and metalized BOPP, and paper. The liner options that can be substituted are paper, PVC, or PLA material As part of Inovar Packaging Group, select locations have also begun to offer a label liner recycling initiative. It is currently focused on clear release liner only (PET liner). After a full truck load of liner is accumulated, the material will be recycled through the RafCycle Program at Raflatac into either new label materials, paper or PET products, or other innovative circular solutions. If you’re interested in learning more about this program or to find out if there’s a collection location near you, contact us here . And check out this post if you’d like to discover other ways we endeavor to reduce environmental impact.  It’s important to note that we are always working toward more and better options, and there are many factors we take into consideration when we build a custom sustainable label for you; when it comes to any sustainable label and packaging choice, your application method is going to play a big role in the implementation and feasibility of different options. The best way to get started is to contact us directly so we can simplify things and guide you to right sustainable choices for you.
RFID tag embedded in prime label
by Gina Lisella 12 Sept, 2023
Regardless of your product industry, if you have any aspirations to sell in large stores or are looking for inventory or other tracking solutions, you’ve likely heard of RFID tags. RFID tags are a type of tracking system that use smart barcodes via radio frequencies (hence “RFID) to identify items. The radio waves transmit data from the tag to the reader to a computer program. Retailers such as Walmart are rolling out national RFID initiatives to improve inventory accuracy, provide a better in-store experience and drive more accuracy for online and pick up orders. What’s more, in the coming years Walmart, and likely other retailers, these initiatives will become mandates of RFID tags for many product types, requiring brands who want to be sold in stores to have RFID tags or labels on their products. As part of Inovar Packaging Group, we’re excited to announce that several of our sister locations have become early adopters of this technology and are poised to help you get started on the process of migrating to RFID labels. We can help identify the appropriate tag for the project scope, submit it for approval with the Auburn RFID Lab, and provide tag samples for testing. What type of RFID tags does Inovar Provide? Our RFID tags are inlaid into a prime label, enabling you to maintain your branding and design while meeting standards required for ARC approval, which is currently Gen2 Ultra-High Frequency RFID inlays. The ARC program ensures that RFID tags meet or exceed the levels of performance and quality necessary to provide benefit to the end user in a consistent and cost-effective manner. The team at Dion Label Printing understands our customers’ need for RFID labels to comply with retailer initiatives and, we’re available to provide packaging support. We offer:  Retail program compliance Full-service encoding/verification Certification samples program Tag selection service Single-ply/multi-ply RFID label construction Multi-location manufacturing Keep in mind that when going forward with RFID labels, there are factors such as product type, container type, and label size that will need to be addressed. The team of Label Solutions Specialists is ready to help you assess your needs and get started. There’s no time like the present, as these mandates will continue to come down from retailers and companies will reach RFID capacity quickly, so don’t hesitate to get the ball rolling today!
Nutrii Supplement collagen
by Gina Lisella 29 Aug, 2023
The supplement industry has been experiencing steady growth in recent years, with the global market valued at $128.64 billion in 2022 with a CAGR of 8.68, according to Fortune Business Insights . This growth can be attributed to factors such as increasing health awareness among consumers, the rising prevalence of self-medication, and the expanding availability of supplement and nutraceutical products. The industry still faces challenges, however: intense competition, regulatory issues, and the need for innovation in product development and marketing strategies are just a few of them. In this industry, companies must constantly innovate and adapt to succeed and grow. One important feature that helps companies stand out in the market is their product labels. Supplement and nutraceutical product labels serve as a critical tool to communicate important information about products to consumers, including their ingredients information, dosage instructions, potential benefits, and much more. With the increasing prevalence of self-medication and the availability of supplements marketing to address a variety of health concerns, consumers are taking a more active role in managing their health. As such, companies that invest in clear and informative labels can build trust with their customers and increase their market share. In today's changing landscape, supplement companies must prioritize label design and messaging to stay ahead of the competition and meet the evolving needs of their consumers. Dion Label Printing is the premier label printer for supplement companies and with over 60 years of experience, we fully understand the unique needs of this industry. Here are three label features that are integral for supplement products that we proudly offer to help our partners get the impact they require from their labels: 1. Extended content labels One effective way for supplement companies to optimize label space and communicate essential information to consumers is through extended content labels (ECLs). These labels provide additional space to include regulatory, ingredient, dosage, and other pertinent information that may not fit on a traditional label. ECLs offer a more comprehensive and user-friendly approach to product labeling, ensuring that consumers have access to all the necessary information they need to make informed decisions about their health. By leveraging ECLs, supplement companies can differentiate their products and build brand loyalty by providing a transparent and informative label that prioritizes the needs of the consumer and meets regulatory requirements. As the industry continues to evolve and face new challenges, companies that invest in innovative labeling strategies such as ECLs will be better equipped for success. Learn more about our many types of ECLs and the benefits they offer your brand here. 2. Security features To help you further enhance product safety and build trust with consumers, Dion offers a range of security features for supplement labels. These features include tamper evident labels such as shrink sleeves and black light additives, as well as consecutive numbering and inventory control features. With these security measures in place, companies can prevent counterfeit products from entering the market, ensuring that consumers receive authentic and safe products. In a highly competitive industry where consumers prioritize safety and reliability, investing in security features for product labels can set your supplement brand apart and help you build a loyal customer base. Dion's commitment to product safety and security is an important step towards meeting the evolving needs of the market and ensuring the continued growth of your brand. Discover which tamper evident security features are right for your product here. 3. Unparalleled Quality Dion is uniquely poised to provide unparalleled quality labels for supplement companies of all kinds. In a market where consumers prioritize safety and efficacy, your label is a critical tool for communicating important information about your product and showing customers that you are a trustworthy brand with quality products. We are compliant to FDA Title 21 CFR Part 11 and the EU’s EMEA Annex 11. We are also a GMI Certified Platinum printer which is a testament to our own commitment to quality, ensuring that every label that leaves our building meets the highest standards. Find out what our GMI certification means for your brand in this short article.  As the industry continues to evolve, our dedication to innovative solutions, service, and quality makes us an essential partner for supplement companies looking to grow and meet the evolving needs of their consumers. Learn more about how seriously we take our mission to produce the best labels on the market here or request your free quote today to get started.
Kin & Kind Pet Labels
by Gina Lisella 15 Aug, 2023
Choosing the right material for your pet labels may be more important that you think. Because more and more people are prioritizing the purchase of pet products, especially those that improve their pets’ health and wellness, your label needs to communicate to potential customers exactly what type of brand you are. If your label is peeling, out of registration, or has faded colors, there’s a good chance a customer will skip right past your product on the shelf and move to one of the many other options. Luckily, Dion can help make sure you have the right label, whether your product is a bag of treats or a bottle of pet shampoo. The first step toward determining what type of material will work for you products is assessing your packaging. Pet products come in nearly every type of package imaginable: bags, plastic and glass bottles, boxes, etc. And not every type of label material will adhere well to every type of packaging. If you’ve never considered the problems that may come from choosing a label material that doesn’t adhere properly to your packaging, you’re not alone; luckily, our experienced label team at Dion will work with you every step of the way to make sure that the labels we create with you will work with your product packaging, no matter what type it is. Our team will advise you on what material options will work best and send you material evaluation samples to test for every unique label project. Don’t set yourself up for the unpleasant surprise of finding your label peeling after a few weeks on the shelf—let the experts at Dion guide you to the right label material and peace of mind. After Dion has helped you determine what materials will give you the best adhesion and stability, it’s time to figure out what message you want your brand to communicate with your label. It’s more than likely that your brand already has a mission and brand identity if you’re ordering product labels. But it’s important to keep in mind that your label itself is one of the first and most direct ways that identity will be communicated to potential customers. If your primary brand mission is to promote a pet’s health through natural and organic ingredients, you may want to consider a post-consumer waste recycled material. On the other hand, if your brand is selling products to give those fur babies a bit of luxury, perhaps a metallic or textured material is the right choice for you. We have an extensive inventory of substrates and decades of experience working with pet companies, so we are always able to help you get both the look and the quality of your label just right. And while pups and kittens are much more concerned with the tasty treat inside the packaging, their people are constantly influenced in their purchasing choices by the image product packaging communicates. Want to learn more about the ways to create a rousing pet label? Reach out to a label specialist today!
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