Upmarket Honey packaging and labelling ?

[enrico]

I Think I'll go with this one but not 100%

Is the weight the right size lettering, looks a little small to me! Just being picky cos I love the design!
E

 

[itma]

I Think I'll go with this one but not 100%

Very smart.
Did someone see a bee & brood yearly population graph?

However, I think its projecting an unhelpfully high-tech 'processed' image rather than indicating a simple, pure, un-messed-about, natural product.
And as per Enrico, the weight lettering looks as though it might be smaller than required, plus with only a best before year, it needs a lot number.

I'd suggest that for pro labels and hobby quantities, the thing is to have "see lid label for lot and best before" (or somesuch) on the pro labels. That or have all the statutory info on a second home-printed label and just (as per JBM) have the 'branding' stuff on the pro label.

 

[theeggman]

Opinions please.

Polite ones as SWMBO will be looking over my shoulder.

The attached files are possible labels for our first honey for sale.

Which piccy would you choose?
I can't add the potential label as they are in the wrong format, Avery Design Pro, which by the way is brilliant.
For reference, to get 4+mm type face of the weight we used 18 sized font.

The stock ones from T's etc. are naff so we thought we would try to do better.

Tim.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Very colourful. I think there is something in the honey regs about having a bee on a flower as a label, denotes that that's where the honey is from so unless you can prove it is then it's not allowed. If you're not selling then you can have what you like. I vote for the first picture

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

second for me

 

[theeggman]

Thanks folks.

Back to reading the regs.

We used to produce Free Range Eggs so are very used to reading nonsense regs.

Tim.

 

[REDWOOD]

I'm still scratching my head, I think I will start a customer survey to find out what they expect a label should look like on a jar of pure natural honey. I don't sell to the public only people I know but I would like it to be seen by their friends and family's and find it pleasing

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't sell to the public only people I know

We'll see next year if you start catching up with my hive numbers!

 

[REDWOOD]

Mm I thought I was getting close this year but you have blown me out of the water although I do have an expansion plan but probably not as big as yours

 

[itma]

A couple of points, updates since my last post on this thread.


For anyone using a colour inkjet printer and looking for an 'upmarket' vibe, they might take a look at Avery label J8109-10 which is a *glossy* label (for inkjets - doesn't seem to be suitable for lasers).


I was wondering about the same size "brown paper" ("Kraft") version (ooh - 'natural' !!! ) of the same size label (which seems to be laser-friendly) … and discovered that that size wasn't known to DesignPro for Mac.

So I was forced to take a look at their online tool "Avery Design & Print".
It does support that label size.
And seems a potentially better tool - at least in as much as you can use the labels 90º rotated - landscape page giving portrait (taller than wide) labels! And if you wanted to serial number every individual jar, it'll do that for you.
The downside is that it is (very) limited as to the typefaces that can be used.
It delivers a PDF (Acrobat document) that you can print for yourself, however you like.

 

[dpearce4]

A couple of points, updates since my last post on this thread.


For anyone using a colour inkjet printer and looking for an 'upmarket' vibe, they might take a look at Avery label J8109-10 which is a *glossy* label (for inkjets - doesn't seem to be suitable for lasers).


I was wondering about the same size "brown paper" ("Kraft") version (ooh - 'natural' !!! ) of the same size label (which seems to be laser-friendly) … and discovered that that size wasn't known to DesignPro for Mac.

So I was forced to take a look at their online tool "Avery Design & Print".
It does support that label size.
And seems a potentially better tool - at least in as much as you can use the labels 90º rotated - landscape page giving portrait (taller than wide) labels! And if you wanted to serial number every individual jar, it'll do that for you.
The downside is that it is (very) limited as to the typefaces that can be used.
It delivers a PDF (Acrobat document) that you can print for yourself, however you like.

I use tha Avery software for my labels its really easy to use and you can produce labels that have both vertical and horizontal wording on the same label, which I find very useful.

 

[alanf]

Couple of notes on the Avery Designpro software, the UK version is headlined v5, it has the usual range of Avery labels as templates but the "custom" button is disabled. There is a version headlined 5.5 available from non UK Avery sites that has the custom template editor available. That could be useful if you're using labels in a non standard way, cutting them in half or trimming for instance. Or even using non Avery sized labels, ahem.

A word of caution, the Designpro install does seem to be more tricky than it used to be in avoiding an install of Ask toolbars. It also seems to be software they're abandoning since the "Design and Print" options are far more prominent on their web sites - I suspect they are thinking more interactive options give them more opportunities to push new products later - and are not adaptable to alternative supplier formats.

 

[itma]

The Mac version of DesignPro is 1.0.0 copyright 2008.

Yes, I firmly believe they are only updating the online tool nowadays.
Did I mention that it has a barcode (and QR code) ability?


It took me a while to work out that DesignPro (Mac) can rotate text (its the extra handle outside the text box). The annoying thing is that it won't rotate the whole label template - so if you want a 'tall' label, you'll get a crick in your neck from doing everything sideways -- either that or embrace the online PDF-generator.

Any other suggestions for Mac labelling software that allows full typographic control?

 

[alanf]

The Mac version of DesignPro is 1.0.0 copyright 2008.

Should have stated the obvious - version 5 point something are the Windows versions.

The non-UK version about box has "DesignPro 5 FF_ENU-1 (5.5.0708.0) Template set 4 Update Status 1 Copyright Avery Dennison Corporation 1999-2010"

The UK website version has "DesignPro 5.0 SE-ENG-44 (5.5.0708.0) Template Set 29 Update Status 4 Copyright Avery Products Corporation 2013 "

They do rotate individual text boxes 90/180/270 degrees and there are barcodes but no traces of QR (other than copying as an image).

My guess is that 5.5.0708.0 is automated version control from a software repository. The given version titles, SE-ENG-44 etc, are national versions ending with the dialling code (44). No evidence of active software development for the Windows version since 2010, the Mac version since 2008. Templates were updated until 2013 but there was a step backwards at some point when the custom template option was disabled. Company name and copyright date were changed in 2013 but those changes did not go though repository version control so all show as the same previous build/version. There's also a note on the web site about resolving issues in Windows 7 by using XP compatibility. If anyone thinks they might make use of the Avery software, take a copy of the install code now, it's not being actively maintained and might not be around for long.

 

[Dishmop]

If you look, most of the software you need for labels is in Word.

 

[itma]

Should have stated the obvious - version 5 point something are the Windows versions.

The non-UK version about box has "DesignPro 5 FF_ENU-1 (5.5.0708.0) Template set 4 Update Status 1 Copyright Avery Dennison Corporation 1999-2010"

Sorry, yes, it was obvious that you were referring to the Windows version.

They do rotate individual text boxes 90/180/270 degrees and there are barcodes but no traces of QR (other than copying as an image).

1/ On the Mac version (and the online tool) when you select a (text) box, there is an 'extra' handle outside the text box which acts as a handle allowing free rotation to any arbitrary angle you might choose. On Mac, the extra handle is to the right of the box, and grey. Online, its above the box, and bright green. The online tool also has a "rotate" data field where a number (of degrees) can be input.
2/ Online the QR generator seems to work.
3/ But some of the buttons in the online tool aren't working for me from the Mac. Including the one for adding an image from my computer …

 

[REDWOOD]

Paint.net is a free bit of software that will let you create a good design with loads of free plugins, help tab and layers. You will have to convert it to jpeg or a popular format if you are using a printing company to print your labels
http://download.cnet.com/Paint-NET/3000-2192_4-10338146.html

 

[yeogi75]

on the bar codes do you have to register the code, as we have to before we can put them in the shops

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You will have to convert it to jpeg or a popular format if you are using a printing company to print your labels

EPS seems to be the favoured format

 

[Tom Bick]

Just a word of warning if you use the Avery online design and print program and store your designs in your online account be sure to also back up on your computer as I logged on at the weekend to find my labels have mysteriously disappeared and awaiting a reply from avery but I suspect they have gone. Not exactly the worst thing to happen as most were work in progress but inconvenient all the same and a few hours required to re do them.