Female consumer wearing gloves and mask, inspecting labeled food packages during COVID pandemic.
By CTM Admin Labeling 0 Comments

The COVID Pandemic’s Effect on the Packaging Industry

Even though infection rates are decreasing in the U.S. and vaccines are being shipped around the world, we’ll still be dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for some time. Computer chip and bicycle shortages are predicted to last until at least the middle of 2022, while there are smaller shortages across nearly every industry and supply chain. 

The pandemic itself has also changed attitudes toward how we manufacture, package and consume products. But what are the short-term changes, and how will the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic affect the labeling and packaging industries going forward? Read more

Several bottles of kombucha with labels that meet legal requirements sitting in a large bucket of ice outdoors.
By CTM Admin Labeling 0 Comments

Everything You Need to Know About Kombucha Label Requirements

Whether it’s due to its love-it-or-hate-it taste, perceived health benefits, or novelty among less-natural beverages, there’s no question that kombucha beverage sales are skyrocketing. Over the past 15 years, the market for this fermented tea has grown from almost nothing to over $1.5 billion in annual sales. There are even hard kombucha products entering the market as a gluten-free alternative to hard seltzers and beer. 

While this fermented beverage has been around for centuries, it’s hard to classify. Is it a soft drink? A supplement? An alcoholic beverage? With so many possibilities, how can you be sure your custom kombucha labels comply with labeling requirements?  Read more

Three shelves in a retail store full of various craft beer cans with shrink sleeve and pressure-sensitive can wraps.
By CTM Admin Labeling 0 Comments

Complete Guide to Craft Beer Can Wrap Labeling–Shrink Sleeve vs. Pressure-Sensitive

The market for canned craft beer has exploded in the past few years, thanks to more cost-effective production and life cycle, as well as sustainability and reduced environmental impact. But, if you’re switching to can production, you need to make several choices regarding new product labels. 

Are pressure-sensitive can wraps or shrink sleeve can wraps a better fit for your production system and your marketing? What features should you look for in a can label? How does a can labeling system fit into your production system? 

Here’s what you need to know, so you can make an informed decision about your labeling needs. Read more

Male consumer staring at several shelves full of craft beer options and observing label design.
By CTM Admin Labeling • labeling systems 0 Comments

Important Guidelines For Designing Attractive Craft Beer Labels

There are over 4,000 craft breweries in the U.S, making craft brewing one of the most competitive markets in the alcoholic beverage industry.

So, how do you help your craft beer brand stand out from the other IPA‘s, pilsners, lagers, imperial stouts, and pale ales in the crowd? And, how do you ensure you’re compliant with regulations and give consumers the information they need on your beer can and beer bottle labels? Here are some things you should consider for your next beer label design. Read more

Business owner doing calculations to figure cost of custom product labels.
By CTM Admin Labeling • labeling systems 0 Comments

Factors That Affect the Cost of Custom Product Labels

Any producer of consumer packaged goods is familiar with analyzing production costs, because these costs ultimately affect the final pricing of the product. Custom label printing is one of the important factors in the equation. (Things like label size, print method, required tooling and the number of colors you use are all factors that will influence the unit label price.)

Many aspects of the label printing and application process can be customized to fit your production needs, which leaves you with several choices to make when you’re preparing a new label design. You may find that you have extra costs associated with label materials and processes you don’t need, or materials that won’t work with your production system and packaging needs. So, how do you make the right choices to lower costs and get reliable, affordable labels? Read more

Three shelves in a supermarket full of various energy drink products displaying labels that meet legal requirements.
By CTM Admin Labeling • labeling systems 0 Comments

Important Requirements for Energy Drink Labels

Many people view energy drinks as a great alternative to coffee–functional beverages that help them wake up in the morning and maintain energy levels while offering unique flavors. For others, these drinks are viewed as a health hazard, causing anxiety and health problems while encouraging excessive consumption. 

The clash between these two sides places the energy drink industry in a tenuous position, trying to offer their customers the drinks they want while keeping up with the demands of government regulators and health organizations. How do you negotiate these differences to create energy drink labels that meet regulatory requirements and keep customers informed?

Read more

Ice cream container with cold-resistant label surrounded by ice in freezer.
By CTM Admin Labeling 0 Comments

Considerations for Cold Temperature Labeling Solutions

The combination of low temperatures and condensation can wreak havoc on your adhesive labels, causing problems with application and durability. Whether you’re applying barcode labels prior to shipping a product or you require cryogenic labels in a healthcare setting, cold temperature labeling solutions can be a source of great frustration.

How do you address issues with your label design? Do you need a different label substrate, or can you solve cold temperature labeling problems by changing your production process? Read more

Automatic Bottle Labeling Machine–Vertical Trunnion Roller--loaded with beer bottles.
By CTM Admin Labeling • labeling systems 0 Comments

Manual vs. Automatic Labeling: Is Your Business Ready to Make the Transition?

Is business growth forcing you to re-evaluate your production systems? While some processes may be easy to scale, there’s a hard limit on what you can do with manual product labeling. For instance, you may find that it’s relatively easy to double the output of your existing production line, but it may result in a major bottleneck related to packaging. 

However, even though buying an automatic labeling machine and setting it up takes considerable capital, once you take into account the savings in labor, production and lost product costs, automatic labeling can significantly cut your labeling costs. 

So what factors do you need to consider when contemplating manual labeling vs. automatic labeling?

Read more

Close-up of a variety of liquor bottles with colorful labels--tequila, rum, gin, vodka.
By CTM Admin Labeling • labeling systems 0 Comments

Everything You Need To Know About Labeling Requirements for Hard Liquor and Distilled Spirits

Each year, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) conducts the Alcohol Beverage Sampling Program (ABSP). This program gathers a random selection of spirits and tests them for compliance. Of the bottles selected, 40% are deemed to be in violation of labeling regulations in some fashion. 

Which TTB label requirements are most commonly violated, and how can you avoid mistakes on your distilled spirits labels? Let’s take a look! Read more