Show Your (Brand’s) True Colors

Part 1 of a 3-part series on color management.

Brand consistency is critical; you know that.

Your brand identifies your business to your customers and clients, to competitors, to the public at large. Your brand stands for everything you do to make your business stand out.

Color management has a lot to do with brand consistency. Even if your company doesn’t have “official colors” for your brand -- and chances are you do, with specified hues expressed in numbers matched to a particular shade in a color sample book -- people can often tell one brand from another by color alone, even before they see a distinctive logo. Think Home Depot. Think UPS.

So it’s important to get those colors right, especially across all forms of print collateral -- business cards, brochures, billboards, product labels -- by which most people encounter your brand.

It’s not enough to see the colors on your desktop computer and say, “That looks right. That’s what I want.” Different computer monitors display the same color different ways, and they’re all different from what appears on paper, just because of the difference between colors made of lit-up pixels and colors made of mixed inks.

Even your own eyes might fool you, because your brain interprets the information provided by your eyes and compares it with your experience of what things “should” look like.

Those of us who remember taking photos with film cameras and getting photos back from the drugstore might remember how photos that were taken under fluorescent light looked green, when we clearly don’t remember the actual scene looking that way. (Forgetting to select the proper “white balance” on your digital camera can give you the same results.)

A printing professional, whether she uses a computer screen or a grand digital or HD flexo press, controls color not just by looking at the image and matching by eye, but by analyzing the components of the color, reducing them to numbers and using those numbers to command a press to duplicate that color exactly.

Also, the printing professional will have charts and other tools that help her keep track of what colors are possible to depict in different media, from the point its on screen to in print.

The printing professional will have specialized graphics computers with monitors that have been calibrated to display colors faithfully and matched to an objective standard.

The laptop or tablet on which you view your company’s web site, your financial spreadsheets, and your company e-mail likely doesn’t have that.

The printing professional may be working with specialized software that communicates with press equipment and enables her to more accurately reproduce defined color.

The printing professional may even be working in a room lit by special lights designed to make colors appear as they truly are – allowing for continuity in color evaluation.

What does that all mean for you, the brand owner? 

• It means you get printed material that accurately and faithfully represents your brand.

• It means your unique identity is kept unique.

• It means you’re showing your true colors.

Read Part 2 & Part 3.

Century Label: Digital Printing of Shrink Sleeves Makes Products Pop -- and drives 70% YOY growth for the company

WhatTheyThink's Eric Vessels talks with Heidi Chambers, Director of Sales at Century Label, about opportunities in digitally printed shrink sleeves with 70% year-over-year growth. With 360 degrees of graphics, shrink sleeves deliver labeling that make products pop, and extended gamut printing on HP Indigo WS6000 and 6600 presses ensure excellent quality for the company and its customers.

Article as published on WhatTheyThink on June 2, 2015.

HP + Dscoop - Driving digital print innovation

Heidi Chambers, Director of Sales at Century Label, talks about how the Dscoop community listens to the digital print industry to identify upcoming trends and respond to them.

Century Label Makes a Splash with Dissolvable Stickers & the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press

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Based in Bowling Green, Ohio, Century Label provides high quality label and shrink sleeves for manufacturers and distributors of nutraceuticals, foods and chemicals. Replacing its HP Indigo WS4500 Digital Presses, Century Label installed two HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses, increasing print capacity and quality as well as expanding the range of jobs and customers it can serve. When the company was contacted by a leading maker of greeting cards with a project featuring well-known cartoon characters, Century Label turned to the advanced color-matching capabilities of its new HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press.

Charged with printing 12,000 water soluble stickers of 26 different character designs, Century Label developed dissolvable stickers using its SmartSolve label stock. However, color-matching the licensed artwork colors of the beloved children's characters presented another challenge entirely - and an opportunity for the company to show off its new color-matching technology.

Using the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press's extended gamut, particularly the violet ink, Century Label hit even the most difficult colors spot on. Additionally, the wider web of the HP Indigo WS6600 allowed for more stickers per frame, enabling the company to produce the project faster and with less waste.

"Digital printing has been a high-growth area for us. We love what digital has done for our business," said Seth Hill, director of manufacturing and distribution, Century Label. "In general, our focus has changed and we are going after larger jobs now. This speaks a lot to our enhanced color management capabilities with the HP Indigo WS6600 and WS6000. We have put a lot of effort into driving our color management and that is giving us business growth."

Since installing the two HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses, Century Label's business has continued to grow and flourish, doubling its digital output and printing larger run lengths not possible with previous devices.

Article as published on WhatTheyThink on September 3, 2014.

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Labeling Innovations: Good for Planet and Profit

What companies are doing to make product labels sustainable.

It's no secret that natural and organic labeling is undergoing a change amid consumer and government scrutiny. In May of this year, Kellog agreed to drop terms like "All Natural" and "100% Natural" on some of its Kashi and Bear Naked brand product labels as well pay more than $5 million to settle a class-action consumer fraud lawsuit (1). While the company's representatives stood by their advertising practices, this is only one of many examples of lawsuits and bad press as consumers demand accuracy in labeling.

But as the trend is underway, labeling language isn't the only thing changing. One other trend is flying under the radar: sustainability. Several companies are making innovations in product labeling, using sustainable materials and production methods to make sure that regardless of what the label says, it will help the environment and possibly your profits.

Why Go Sustainable?

While many may have a general idea of the benefits of sustainable product labels, it is important to be fully informed, particularly if they are on the edge of making the switch. Rob Tossberg, owner of Plan It Green Printing, Los Angeles, CA, states, "typical paper production causes many problems including but not limited to, water pollution and deforestation."

While these environmental issues are certainly important, where all our participants came together is the potential branding benefits of sustainable product labels. Micheal Lane, CEO of Lofton Label, Inver Grove Heights, MN, remarks that the environmentally-friendly, natural look of the substrate is a natural fit for the natural and organic product makers. The visual indicators associated with sustainable labels, like natural fibers from the substrate, "cosmetically supports the natural brand message" as he puts it, reinforcing the company's commitment to sustainability in the consumers's mind.

Even larger companies or those not exclusively dedicated to natural products stand to benefit from making the switch to sustainable labels. Heidi Chambers, director of sales of Century Label, Bowling Green, OH, believes companies of all sizes are "diligently searching for ideas to increase sustainable business practices, realizing that the long-term social and ethical benefits prove to be a responsible decision."

As for the controversy over labeling language, our experts are mixed on how it factors into their work. Tossberg acknowledges that the debate is bleeding into the work of label makers, and that it is a natural and positive progression. Lane, however, doesn't see his company affected at all by these developments. As he explains it, "the degree to which a product contains natural and organic ingredients or not is not something we take into consideration. This is decided by the marketing manager for the product in question." His vision is to provide as many green labeling materials and options as possible in order to reinforce a product's natural and organic brand in the marketplace.

Sustainability: A Two-Part Question

Lane considers the differences between traditional and sustainable labeling to be a two part discussion involving materials and production. As he explains it, when it comes to substrate manufacturing and conversion, all labels go through a relatively similar process, but "the difference between green and regular labels comes from the substrate ingredients used in the manufacturing process." When it comes to substrates, Lane favors papers with a high amount of post-consumer waste and/or burlap waste. One substrate that Tossberg utilizes is an offset stock made from wheat straw and FSC Certified paper. His aim with this choice is "create a paradigm shift where paper is made from cast off wheat straw and not from trees."

As for eco-friendly inks, several options are available, says Tossberg. When doing offset or flexographic printing his company uses either soy-based, water-based or U.V. cured inks. Lane's company also uses water-based inks when creating sustainable labels.

When it comes to the role of plastics, particularly shrink film, in sustainable label making, opinions are mixed. Lane recommends steering away from shrink labeling, saying that "shrink sleeve material has proven to be a determent to product recyclability by contaminating downstream-waste recovery operations."

While this is a cause for concern, for those who need shrink sleeves for their product labels (particularly those working with food), Chambers says that there are new innovations underway that may help those reliant on shrink sleeves still work toward sustainability. She recommends PETG or PETG LV sustainable film, new options that offer sustainability along with lower shrink force and a versatile shrink curve. Her company also offers the ability to apply a vertical perforation to the length of a shrink sleeve label, allowing for easier removal and separation from recyclable plastics.

For other plastic-based labels, Chambers brings up a unique corn-based polyactic acid polymer (PLA), that her company uses. This polymer is recyclable and usable in industrial composting. Tossberg notes that industrial composting should be on every sustainable label maker's radar due to recent advances in the field—what once took 16 weeks to compost now takes two! Another innovation from Chambers' company are SmartSolve labels. This label pairs a water-soluble paper stock with water-soluble adhesive for a label that can be removed easily with plain water and minimal residue. Chambers says that this may be valuable for end-user customers interested in up-cycling product containers. Tossberg's company offers a similar option: dissolvable stickers made from wood cellulose.

The Printing Decision: Digital or Flexographic?

While the first part of the sustainable label question regards materials, the second regards production. As Tossberg explains, while traditional label makers tended to utilize offset and flexographic presses, digital presses are also becoming more viable. At the same time, he reminds us that "there is no black and white when it comes to green printing." While he states that digital printing uses less electricity and doesn't require film or plates, there are pros and cons to each choice. When it comes to making a decision, Tossberg recommends the best option is working with clients "based on budget, quantities, stock and 'look' to decide which press is best suited to the job and the environment."

There are also other opportunties in the label production process to promote sustainability. Lane notes that several companies are beginning initiatives to recycle the liner that carries the finished labels, especially in the European Union. His company currently recycles 100% of liner production waste, which directly reduces the amount of waste that goes into landfills.

Reference
1. Reuters, "Kellogg to Drop 'All Natural' From some Kashi Product labels" http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/us-usa-kellogg-labeling-idUSKBN0DP1GX20140509, accessed August 25, 2014.

Article as published in WholeFoods Magazine and wholefoodsmagazine.com.

EskoWorld Focuses on Customized Packaging, Branding

Esko has announced that it recently concluded another successful EskoWorld user group meeting. The event, held June 15-18 at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin hotels in Orlando, FL, USA, was host to more than 700 users, industry partners, product specialists and support staff, who exchanged ideas along with product and application knowledge. Sessions offered insight into the breadth of the Esko experience, including flexo platemaking, packaging prepress, color management, structural and 3D design, brand management, digital label and large format print and digital finishing.

The curriculum of more than 90 sessions included special guest speaker contributions from the Disney Learning Institute, Wallace Church Agency in New York City and selected customer presentations.

"EskoWorld had an expanded audience this year by appealing to more companies, but also by encouraging companies to send more participants. They see the value in this event, " says Carsten Knudsen, Esko's president and CEO. "EskoWorld continues to offer an opportunity for our customers to converse with each other and interact with Esko product management. We are very careful not to make this event a sales show, but rather a user event - a learning experience where people can develop a better understanding of the business we are all in. We have always focused on printers, converters and tradeshops, but this year we made a specific effort to expand the program to include useful tracks for brand owners. We had a large group of brand owners at EskoWorld for the first time, focusing on their workflow and approval cycle challenges they face every day."

Customized Package Design and the Importance of Branding
"Esko has significantly changed our company from where we were a few years ago to today. This was my fourth EskoWorld. EskoWorld always offers a great opportunity to network with people, who give me great ideas to bring home to my company," notes Amanda Webster, prepress production supervisor at the Bowling Green, OH based Century Label. "I felt that a significant focus was ade to bridge the communication gap between the brand owners and print providers in teh supply chain. Some of the relevant technologies were Esko's 3D solutions, and the ability to use PantoneLIVE to match brand owners' color expectations with print capabilities. I also had a chance to see the new Automation Engine 14 and learn what changes were being made in the software structure - and I highly appreciated the opportunity to provide input during the roadmap sessions. Esko listens to its customers and seriously reviews concerns that are translated into fixes and software updates."

EskoWorld hosted two presentations from the Wallace Church and Disney. They both covered topics facing all partners of the supply chain: How to engage consumers on a personalized basis, and how to maintain brand loyalty.

Rob Wallace, chief brand advocate at Wallace Church, a Manhattan and San Francisco-based brand identity strategy and package design consultancy, offered the Keynote "Hyper Customization-Engaging Consumers with Personalized Package Design." It explained how new advances in digital printing make it viable for marketers to engage consumers on a truly individual basis. Church offered a next generation vision for how brand messaging can be hyper customized.

Another highlight was presented by The Disney Institute, "Disney's Approach to Brand Loyalty," providing their perspective about managing the Disney brand. EskoWorld also provided a number of sessions from brand owners that provided their unique perspectives about how they view the packaging supply chain.

Focused Demo Lab Area
Esko also staged a demo lab where users could speak with solution experts or sample the latest software. The labs also housed two Kongsberg tables including the new Kongsberg C Series - the largest fully functioning table in the industry.

"I attended EskoWorld to review a lot of new technology," says Tim Gustafson, press/prepress manager, Professional Image, Tulsa, OK. "I specifically wanted to see the new RIP in Suite 14 that uses an Adobe kernel rather than an Esko Kernel. I also liked many of the color management sessions - for example, the class about PantoneLIVE. Matt Furr offered a very good presentation about his Clemson master's thesis research with 7-color extended gamut printing. I've returned to our company with a good idea how to use Max GCR to manage easier and to synch profiles to run GRACOL and connect them together. It was definitely worthwhile to attend EskoWorld."

The next EskoWorld event is planned for June 2015 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA.

Article as published on labelandnarrowweb.com on July 29, 2014.
Article as published on whattheythink.com on July 25, 2014.
esko.com

Local Printing Firm Helps Commemorate Baseball Partnership that Changed History

When Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) saw a unique way to help commemorate its Branch Rickey-Jackie Robinson Week and their historic partnership in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, the university found itself relying on Century Label (Bowling Green) to pinch hit in the process.

At issue was a unique and recently patented dual-cavity bottle called the Smiler – and OWU’s fast-approaching Rickey-Robinson celebration, which took place from Jan. 24-27, 2011. Shaped in the form of a sphere, the bottle had a shrink-wrap label to make it look like a baseball. And that’s what caught the attention of Mark Cooper, OWU’s director of Marketing and Communication.

“When I saw it,” Cooper said, “I knew the custom-printed, baseball-shaped bottle would make a great souvenir for our Rickey-Robinson event. We filled it with candy and placed one of several motivational quotes in the separate compartment underneath. One bottle contained a unique quote and the random recipient of that bottle won a prize. It made our celebration even more special.”

But it was December 17, 2010. And the bottle, due to be introduced during the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas in early January, was available only in prototype form – and with only a limited number of non-custom labels. There were no customized shrink-wrap labels for the bottle that Cooper wanted to use as a commemorative souvenir. Nor were there any customized labels for the caps.

This is where Century Label came in. Contacted by its business partner Emergent Technologies (the developer and license holder for the patented bottle), Century stepped up to the plate to fast-track the labels needed for the project. And OWU was able to introduce - for the first time ever - Emergent’s patented dual-cavity bottle in helping commemorate Branch Rickey – Jackie Robinson Week. (For more info, see: http://rickeyrobinson.owu.edu/.)

“Creating the shrink sleeves for this unique shape was a great opportunity for our company,” said Mark Dally, Senior Account Manager with Century Label. “We faced many challenges in the process, but we were able to come alongside our customer and in the end, provide them with a finished product that matched their original concept perfectly.”

Bowling Green-based Century Label has been providing award-winning custom and specialty printing since 1980. With onsite printing facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, and an experienced production team, Century Label specializes in precision printing and customer care. For more information, visit CenturyLabel.com.

Hanging with Style: Digital Neck Hangers Provide Marketing Flair

Tommy Johnston, regional sales manager, Easley Winery, Indianapolis, is a firm believer in creative ways of going to market. Neck hangers, printed digitally on one of the HP Indigo digital presses at Century Label, Bowling Green, OH, are part of his innovative approach to retailers and their customers. Johnston calls them “neckers.”

“The necker for our popular Reggae Red Wine was a co-op program in Ohio and Kentucky with Coconut Jack’s Coconut Rum,” he says. “It features the recipe for a drink called Reggae Jam that’s a mixture of the wine and coconut rum. We wanted people to pull the product off the shelf and it worked. The Neilsen rating in Ohio for dollars spent on this product has doubled.

“We forged a good partnership offering reasonably priced ingredients that are appealing to people. And, retailers want a one-stop shopping experience for customers to increase their ‘basket ring.’”

Launched in 1974 by Indianapolis attorney Jack Easley and his wife, Joan, the Easley Winery today remains a family business that makes more than 20 wines and Indiana champagne, plus mead and several fruit wines. Easley wines can be found in a selection of grocery and retail chains in a five-state area—including Giant Eagle, Kroger, Biggs, Marsh, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and CVS.

New to Digital

“We’d never used digital printing before,” Johnston says. “It offered so much more than I expected. It allowed us to really merchandise our product and make it look top-of-the line. We’re thrilled with the quality and appreciate the fact that we only have to order what we want and need. We’re also passing out the neckers at trade shows as a takeaway.”

He also points out that neckers are a superb way to offer consumers more information. In addition to suggesting drink recipes or food pairings, neckers can carry the things like the wine’s point rating. “That stands out,” Johnston says.

Mary Ann Morse, a customer care representative at Century Label, points out that Easley was excited about being able to produce a bright colorful piece. “Given the cost of the number of plates, another process would have used to achieve this result, they would have had to go with a one- or two-color necker,” she says.

Century Label has over 30 years of award-winning printing experience, providing custom printed products to businesses and individuals nationwide. It has been using HP digital equipment for the past 10 years. Its current HP Indigo lineup, the webfed ws4500 and its new sheetfed 5500, provide the company with the ability to offer a wide range of specialty printing products and services. The company’s website devoted to showcasing its capabilities.

Local Colors

The HP Indigo press ws4500, which ran the Reggae Red neck hangers, is a high-productivity, cost-effective digital solution. Designed for high-volume 24/7 operation, it has an economic run length of 6,500 linear feet. It can print with IndiChrome and up to seven colors, including spot colors and white.

The HP Indigo digital press 5500 offers a wide color gamut, with up to seven-color printing. It has special and spot color capabilities, including new photo inks—light cyan and light magenta, digital matte, and brand colors—with the ability to print thick substrates.

Bob Petrie, Century’s vice president of wholesale marketing, says that although the new sheetfed Indigo’s first tasks have been fulfillment for the company’s WebChannel business, they are looking to print shorter run labels on this press. “We use the ws4500 as a production press,” Petrie notes. “However, we fully intend to look into also running pressure sensitives on the 5500.”

More neckers for Easley are also in the future for Century’s ws4500. Johnston says he’s planning one with a “going local” theme. “We’re in Indiana and the Midwest,” he says. “Why not support your local economy by buying locally?”

Article originally published in the April 6, 2010 Issue of Package Design Magazine. Article also reproduced here with permission from Package Design Magazine March 2010 issue (Vol. 8 No. 2).

Shrink Labels on Probiotics

PHD Probiotics come in colorful shrink labels produced digitally by Century Label, and feature an unusual dispensing cap developed in Sweden.

Great tasting, effective probiotic gut bugs" is how CEO Katherine Otway of Mass Probiotics describes the company's new probiotic-enhanced flavored water, Probiotic Health Daily (PHD). While many people are consumers of probiotics, such as acidophilus in yogurt or pills, Mass Probiotics has introduced the first flavored water format for probioitics.

Currently being sold in Whole Foods Market and other natural food stores in California, as well as on the company's website, there are two flavored waters plus three powder packs available. Both the flavored water and the probiotic powder versions have a Berry Balance formula containing six probiotics to balance digestion, and Citrus Boost contains strains specifically selected for the immune function. There is a third product, Orange Detox, which is available only in powder, with strains chosen to help cleanse and reset your system. The young company has already been named by Business Week magazine as "one of America's most promising startups," and Katherine Otway has been on a whirlwind hosting/tasting tour of Whole Foods stores in California.

"Key to the product's effectiveness," Otway says, "is the fact that our company founder, Dave Tabaczynski, is a microbiologist with a deep understanding of probiotics. He has designed truly beneficial probiotic products that are extremely innovative in the natural foods space." She went on to describe Dave as "someone who cares a great deal about what we are doing at Mass Probiotics. The company was formed in 2006 with the mission of making people's guts healthier."

As with many new product introductions, labeling plays a major role. Otway says, "Our label has to do some heavy lifting from an educational standpoint. It's our most important form of advertising." Citing elements of the brand and performance parameters of the PHD line, Otway stresses that "to be effective, the label must 1) catch the eye of the consumer; 2) educate about probiotics and their benefits; and 3) build the PHD brand. Another important challenge of the beverage label is to provide instructions for use of the beverage's cap, which stores the probiotics and dispenses them into the water at the time of consumption."

Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, USA, manufactures the Berry Balance and Citrus Boost shrink sleeve labels for Mass Probiotics and also does postcards for the company's trade show booths. Century manufactures short-run digital shrink sleeves, pressure sensitive labels and commercial digital sheet products.

In each 16-ounce bottle of PHD are 20 billion CFUs (colony forming units) contained in the Life Top cap, which Mass Probiotics has licensed from Cap Able, a Sweden-based firm. The probiotics are released into the flavored water at the time of consumption and thus do not suffer degradation from being on the shelf. The products are described as lightly sweet and refreshing, and one bottle contains a mere 90 calories. And PHD "to go" drink mixes are in a convenient add-to-water format with similar formulas. Finally, Otway says, "All of our PHD products have more probiotics and better prebiotic fibers than other drinks on the market, which enhances the effectiveness.

Probiotics are defined by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) as "live organisms administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host." They are generally used to promote the health and function of the immune and digestive systems and can be especially important for our health during the flu season.

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the November 16, 2009 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.

Winning by a Neck

The neck hanger on Reggae Jam wine is printed on an HP Indigo digital press.

Image is No. 1 in importance in our business," says Tommy Johnston, sales and marketing director for Easley Winery of Indianapolis, IN, USA. "You first have to get the prospective customer to go to the shelf and pick up the bottle. If it passes muster by catching their eye, then price and the actual type of wine become important. Once they buy it and try it, they'll come back for more. We use a catchy necker on the bottle, which lets them find our particular wine quickly among dozens or more of other bottles. It just jumps out at them from the shelf."

Easley Winery is relatively young by winery standards but only because they're in Indiana, a state where holdover Prohibition laws made it illegal to make wine in the state until a group of would-be winery owners banded together and got the law amended in 1974. The Easleys have a vineyard on 14 acres in Southern Indiana and they buy from five other vineyards in Indiana and a few more in nearby Michigan.

Johnston is ecstatic over what he calls the necker, a digitally printed hang-tag that fits over the neck of the bottle and made by Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, USA. They used the necker for a co-op promotion on their highly popular Reggae Red, a sweet wine that won a gold medal at the Taster's Guild 2009 International Wine Competition. "We were recommending one part Coconut Jack's Coconut Rum with three parts of our Reggae Red as a great casual drink," Johnston said, "and the necker really contributed to successful sales."

Being a local winery, Easley has had some success with restaurants that want to go local, but conversely, being local sometimes makes it more difficult to get in on the menu in some establishments. Through promotions and persistence as well as the neckers, Easley now has its wines in a good many grocery and retail chains in a five-state area including Giant Eagle, Kroger, Biggs, Marsh, Target, Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS.

"We're already looking down the road to the next generation of neckers for the fall," Johnston said, "so we're ordering bamboo racks to tie in our Reggae Red with Coconut Jack's as an adjunct to the popular Corona beer line."

Johnston says that he'd recommend Century Label to anyone, "and I really appreciate what they've done for us. They are close enough for us to visit and exchange ideas, and their professionalism shines through. They provide us not only with reasonable quotes, but they also can turn out labels that are cost effective even in smaller quantities."

Robert Petrie, VP of wholesale marketing at Century, says, "Sales of the digitally printed neckers or hang tags are taking off, and are a great complement to our digitally printed wine bottle sleeves. Our digital printing capabilities enable us to do test marketing and trial runs very efficiently and effectively. We pride ourselves on prompt order fulfillment with fast turnaround times, incredible accuracy, and above all, customer satisfaction."

Century Label currently has significant sales in distribution markets throughout the United States, including label printers. "Our Wholesale Division has experienced tremendous growth in recent years," Petrie says. "This growth can be directly attributed to the personal, knowledgeable, experienced sales team we have, working with distributors to make sure their needs are met. We also have such a diverse body of equipment and printing techniques that we are able to offer nearly anything a distributor envisions in the label field from digital printing and hot stamping to digital die cutting and eco-friendly materials. It is our combination of industry experience, printing technology, and a committed team that understands our clients' concerns, that has made the Wholesale Division a success.”

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the October 7, 2009 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.

Wrap Artist

Shrink sleeves printed digitally by Century Label featured on energy drink cans.

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there especially if it's Xbrand Fluids energy drink with custom process color full-wrap sleeves. With a claim to fame as the "smallest minimum order" in the energy drink field a single case of 24 cans and very fast delivery, X Brand Fluids of Las Vegas, NV, USA has staked out a niche in the highly competitive energy drink field and has customers all across the country.

Other private label manufacturers have minimums starting at a pallet (2,880 cans) all the way to full containers from overseas (300,000 cans). Even a trial order can be 3,000 cases of 24 cans. "We basically have no minimum order policy," says Jason Vigil, general sales manager for Xbrand. "We'll ship out one case of 24 cans!" As far as pricing goes, he says, "We have the best prices in the industry and we offer full shrink sleeves on every order, while most others use a small sticker on smaller orders."

The company offers a regular energy drink as well as a sugar free or diet version, Vigil says, adding that it will produce a custom formula if so desired by the client.

Xbrand comes out ahead on delivery as well by getting its product to the end user in three weeks or so, including the time to design and produce the full color sleeve. The company's web site includes a host of features, including a do-it-yourself design portal, three sizes of portable coolers, testimonials, samples row after row of drink cans done for customers, closing in on 200 already.

According to Vigil, the two year old company has surpassed each month's sales right from the start. Asked about the customer base, he says, "We would much rather have 2,000 people doing a case a week than 10 large companies, because if you lose two of those 10, you can be in a world of hurt!" In one day late February, three online orders came in for one case each, and another order was for a couple of pallets: 320 cases each.

The Xbrand testimonials show everything from a major marketing firm to a Las Vegas wine lounge, from an online traffic metrics company to an environment and transportation planning company. The company does business with four Tropical Isle New Orleans bars as well as Dr. Horsepower, a high performance racing parts web supplier and a home mortgage web site, Low VA Rates. There are customers who sell performance fight gear as well as independent gyms. Others include mom-and-pop bars and lounges, gyms, and independent and small chain restaurants.

Locating in Las Vegas was a simple decision, says Vigil. "A large percentage of our sales are to companies looking for an edge with their trade show booth or a modern giveaway at their convention meeting," he says, "and Las Vegas attracts over 24,000 conventions a year with some six million-plus attendees."

The secret to such small quantities of labels is digital printing, of course. For its sleeves, Xbrand Fluids turns to Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, USA, which uses an HP Indigo digital press for its short run work. "Century Label has been nothing short of unbelievable!" says Jason Vigil, general sales manager for Xbrand. "They bend over backwards to provide us with the quality and delivery we need. We went to them with an idea and a business model, and after reviewing our plans with Mark Dally of Century Label, they took it from there."

Bob Petrie, Century Label's VP of wholesale markets, says, "What we really do is help our shrink film and shrink sleeve customers by making what can be a complicated product into an easy one-stop experience." Century Label assists its customers with all aspects of production: from design to film selection to determining how the package will be filled. The company can provide product individually cut or in rolls.

"Customers require extremely high quality graphics and printing, which we provide," Petrie adds, "and our HP Indigo ws4500 gives us virtually unlimited flexibility without the high dollar costs for gravure, offset or flexo plates." Century prides itself on short turnaround times and will do very short runs for prototypes, initial rollouts for shows, and so forth. "Our motto is 'We are easy to deal with'," says Petrie, and this is borne out by customers' comments on the Century website.

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the April 8, 2008 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.

Fruits of Labor

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A visit to Robert Rothschild Farm, in Urbana, OH, USA, a quiet town located west of Columbus, is a visual treat. Flowers abound from spring to late fall and the weathered clapboard building that houses production, office space, gift shop, and restaurant looks as neat and tidy as when it was built. A tour with Robin Coffey, director of marketing, begins with the story of the founders, Robert and Sara Rothschild. In a twist on the wagon trains migrating West scenario, Bob and Sara journeyed to the heartland of Ohio from - ready? - Napa, California. Tired of civil engineering and the California lifestyle and yearning to get back to the land, the Rothschilds found acreage just east of Urbana, a small farming and college town of 10,000. Other than knowing that they wanted to grow raspberries, raise their children in a peaceful setting and live off the land, they had no real knowledge of farming Ohio-style.

After two years of crop failures due, they succeeded with a bumper crop of raspberries and strawberries. But there were too many to sell to passersby, so they had to do something with the excess. Another farmer's wife, a part-time worker at Rothschild's farm, suggested they use her kitchen to make real homemade raspberry jam from fruit, sugar and pectin. They made 400 cases of jam on her kitchen stove and ended up selling every one of them.

During a vacation in Europe, the Rothschilds came across some stunning glass containers which they felt would really showcase their new products. In 1984 they displayed their newly packaged wares at the New York Fancy Food Show. Since then they have won eight gold medals at the Napa Valley Mustard Competition, and a host of gold, silver and bronze medals at various competitions around the USA.

The phrase "Experience simple elegance" shines forth from their labels, which adorn Rothschild's 120-plus products sold in more than 5,000 stores across North America and the Caribbean, as well as on the company's web site. The more than 5,000,000 labels a year which adorn the Rothschild products are manufactured by Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, fewer than 100 miles away. Century produces digital labels and offers its customers small quantities of high quality, process color labels for product trials, shows, etc. Coffey says that "their ability to do digital printing is a real bonus when we want to do mockups for tradeshows, and their proximity lets us get together for brainstorming as well as making it easy to do press checks."

The labels have evolved in recent years. "From 2001 back, the label was a very dark green with hot stamped gold foil, but the product name didn't stand out. We transitioned in 2002 to a cream background with a small amount of green to retain the continuity," Coffey says. In 2004, "Century helped us achieve the transition to an even lighter background, with a more defined raspberry vignette/watermark, retaining some of the gold foil stamping as well as a return to the original dark green color, but with a much smaller band."

Mike Manahan, general manager at Century Label, says his company looks at Rothschild production runs to figure out EOQs (economic ordering quantities). They have also insituted a stocking program at the Bowling Green facility so they can stay on top of runs, minimize orders and rotate inventory. Century Label prints on flexo presses and on an HP Indigo ws4050 digital press.

"Rothschild's business is filling orders; lead times are critical," says Manahan. "They don't need to be spending time figuring out if they have enough or too many of a given label. By working closely with them we can do that for them." The printer does a strong buiness in prototypes of short runs. "In reality, we do prototypes daily for major national brands, usually for the vendor who is going to do the long runs," says Manahan. "We do sales samples, short run shrink sleeves, proofs, and 'show and tell' board room samples."

Century has set up a web site which gives customers, prospects and long run label companies the ability to do designs, get pricing for up to six colors plus an imprint, foil stamping, and so forth.

Rothschild's business is growing rapidly but internet sales account for only about 4 percent of the total. Retail operations (at the Farm Market and the company store in the Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Dublin, OH) account for another 10 percent. "The vast majority of our sales is wholesale to upscale grocers and specialty stores," Coffey says. Like most other specialty or gourmet food producers, Rothschild also does some private third party labeling and even manufactures some products to third party specifications.

Twenty new products were introduced in 2006 at the January and July Fancy Food Shows, and Coffey says that they are working on an organic line of products. There is a quality assurance lab adjacent to the production area and every batch is tested. Asked what the best seller was, Coffey doesn't hesitate: "Raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip, by far. Nothing else is even close!"

The 175-acre Robert Rothschild Farm is proving daily that the gourmet food business is a great business to be in. After working in the fields and nurturing the crops and monitoring production for years, Robert and Sara Rothschild retired from the business, and in 2001 Bob "passed the jar" of leadership to Mary O'Donnell, president and CEO of the company.

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the August 28, 2006 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.