The short run specialists A Division of Packaging Products Ltd

1. What type of labels do you offer?

The multiple printing technologies we employ allows us to produce short runs of custom designed labels for a wide range of purposes with minimal or no setup costs (providing your artwork meets our specifications).

From simple, low cost stencil-like self adhesive paper labels to glossy, full colour, photo quality product labels with an intricate custom shape, we can offer a labelling solution for most applications.

To simplify the task of specifying your requirements, we start by offering just two generic options... full colour or budget. Click here to learn more.

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2. What material (media) should I choose for my label?

Please see details on our materials page

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3. Is there a charge for additional designs

Yes, there is a minimum charge of $10 per additional design. 

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4. How do I know that my label will turn out as intended?

We provide a proofing service that allows you to see what the finished label will look like. This is especially important if you have not supplied your artwork in CMYK colour as shifts will often occur when RGB (computer colour) is converted to CMYK (printing ink colour), or you have chosen to print budget labels which use a limited range of colours.

You may opt to receive your proof either as a PDF file or as a real label at an additional cost.

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5. What are the requirements for artwork?

You can find our artwork specifications here.

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6. How do I send you my artwork?

You can either send artwork to us as an email attachment or you can upload larger files to our server via our upload utility.

Note that you'll need to request a special code to use the upload utility.

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7. Do you have a minimum order?

Yes. Our minimum order is $80 excl GST.

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8. How long is delivery?

Production normally takes up to 7-10 business days after we get signoff of your artwork (allow extra for shipping). Production time is workload dependant, so it can vary. Please enquire at time of ordering on our current lead-time, and we'll do our best to help you out.

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9. Is delivery included in the price?

No.

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10. Can you handle variable data labels?

Yes, all types.

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11. Do you offer a choice of label adhesive?

We stock normal (permanent) and removable adhesives. We also have a super sticky variety available for vinyl labels only.

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12. How do I order?

You can place an order either by using the contact form on our site, via email or by phone (call 0508 33 44 77).

Note that if you use our quote form to specify your requirements first, you'll be provided with a reference code that you can use when you place your order. Use our contact form to place your order and that quote reference will be included automatically.

Regardless, it's always a good idea to confirm the details of your order with our staff and if you don't have that reference number, you'll need to repeat the specification process.

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13. What are your payment terms?

Payment is required prior to shipping your labels. We accept all major credit cards and direct credit deposits.

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14. I'd like to pay by direct credit. What are your bank details?

Please do not pay until you have received an invoice from us. Please include the invoice number in the reference field. Thank you.

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15. Do you offer reseller agreements?

Yes, please contact us for details.

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16. What is a bleed?

The term bleed is used to describe the portion of your label that overlaps the cut line. Shifts of up to 1.5mm can occur when cutting the outline of your label and if there is no bleed there is a chance that the printed image will not reach the cut line.

You can read more about bleed and how to create one here.

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17. What is a thermal transfer label?

Thermal transfer printing is a technology which prints on paper by melting a coating of wax resin ribbon so that it stays affixed to the material on which the print is applied. On our quote form, we describe labels printed via thermal transfer as budget labels. The advantage of this well proven method is economy, however there is a trade-off in quality of finish and flexibility:

• Thermal transfer (budget) labels have a maximum of three printed colours.
• An exact colour match (with your artwork) will not always be possible.
• Budget labels are only available on paper and cannot be laminated.
• Budget labels are also only available in standard shapes and sizes. The shapes we offer are square, rectangle, circle and oval. We stock a range of sizes in each of those shapes.

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18. What is spot color?

In this context, spot colour refers to the range of 18 thermal transfer ribbon colours available to print our budget labels.

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19. What is CMYK colour?

Unlike computer monitors (which use red, green and blue in various combinations to emit RGB coloured light), inked paper (and vinyl) absorbs or reflects light of different wavelengths.

For that reason, cyan, magneta and yellow (CMY) pigments are commonly used in printing inks as filters to subtract varying degrees of red, green and blue from incoming white light and produce a range of colours. Black (K) is added to provide contrast that cannot be achieved with the other three pigments alone.

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20. How do I convert my images from RGB to CMYK?

The default mode for most image editing software is RGB. However most commercial printers (including ourselves) work in the CMYK colour space, so your label images must be converted before going to print.

We will convert any RGB images sent to us, but we recommend that you convert prior to submitting your artwork so that you can see any difference for yourself:

Adobe Photoshop: Image > Mode > CMYK

Adobe Illustrator: Edit > Select All and then Filter > Colors > Convert to CMYK

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21. What causes the shift in colour when converting from RGB to CMYK?

Like computer monitors, inks used in printing produce a color gamut that is only a subset of the visible spectrum. However the range is not the same for both. Consequently, the same image displayed on a computer monitor may not match that printed on paper or vinyl.

For this reason, we recommend that you opt for a real printed label when choosing the type of proof you would like.

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22. What is an outline path?

Since there are literally thousands of text fonts available for both Apple Macs and Windows PCs, commercial printers long ago gave up trying to carry all the fonts that customers might use in their artwork.

Instead, printers require that artwork be supplied either with fonts embedded (which is possible with Adobe InDesign when exporting to PDF) or converted to outline paths (shapes with fills).

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23. How do I convert text to an outline path?

Select the text you want to convert to an outline path, then:

Adobe Photoshop: Layer > Text > Convert to Shape.

Adobe Illustrator: Type > Create Outlines.

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