Ever ask yourself, why do labels need to be waterproof?
It's easy. Water + Paper = BAD
Beverage. Cosmetics. Shipping. There are many reasons.
Demanding applications. Durable labels. Wet and moisture-rich environments.
Today you'll learn how to make, design, and print custom waterproof labels at home or the office in 3 steps.
How else would you store your boarding beers in the snow?!
But say you're launching a cosmetics line that will get used in the shower, you want to experiment with design, and you need 25 test labels, what should you do?
We recommend going the DIY route at first.
Follow these 3 steps to make, design, and print waterproof labels at home.
1. Choose the right waterproof label material for your printer
2. Find your label size and download our template in PDF, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Word formats
3. Create a new design using your brand assets and print at home
PS: Number 3 is the fun one. Brand assets are icons, logos, fonts, and colours. If you don't have these, hire a graphic designer or try out Canva.
PPS: Creating a new design layout is easier than you think when brand assets are in play. Keep it simple. There's a time honoured formula, that if followed, will work nicely. More on that in the third step.
#1 - Choose the right waterproof label material for your printer
In this section we'll show you how to choose the right label material based on your printer. If you don't have a printer yet, the information you need to help choose one is below.
PS. All of the labels below will handle moisture rich environments and are completely oil-resistant, and freezer proof.
Waterproof sheet labels for laser printers
Laser printers are associated with the comforts of speed and reliability at higher print quantities. Your main choice here is going to be white label versus clear label. Laser printers have an initial higher cost, but per label will be lower as toner is cheaper than ink.
View now: waterproof laser labels on sheets
Waterproof sheet labels for inkjet printers
Inkjet printers are a great choice for labels - our material has a bright-white face stock that is ideal for colourful and vivid designs. Inkjet sheet printers have an initial lower cost, but per label will be higher as ink is more expensive than toner.
View now: waterproof inkjet labels on sheets
Waterproof roll labels for thermal transfer printers
These are the most durable label material for thermal transfer printers. These labels are ideal for printing black and white scanning labels onto an existing printer label. Think grocery and deli. They're perfect for any job needing all-temperature adhesive that resists abrasion, freezers, and extreme conditions. These are not the best for full colour
View now: waterproof thermal transfer labels
Waterproof roll labels for inkjet printers
Often called "label printers", these are great for producing high-quality images that are vivid and colourful. Companies like Primera and Brother make great inkjet roll printers. They are convenient in printing labels one at a time, but do feature higher upfront costs and per label costs. But with these, you are getting the most convenience and quality.
View now: waterproof inkjet roll labels
#2 - Find your label size and download our template in PDF, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Word formats.
Your custom sizes depend on your product.
Waterproof beer labels, cold pressed juice, waterproof mailing/shipping labels, waterproof labels for jars - whatever your product, common label sizes can be googled, and you can measure your container with a ruler to get started.
When you're ready, head on over to our store and make your choice.
Once you have label size, colour, and material - download our template in the bottom right corner and make your purchase.
#3 - Create a new design using your brand assets
FINALLY. THE FUN STUFF. In this section we're going to show you just how easy it is to create simple and elegant designs using your brand assets.
And if you don't know, brand assets are logos, icons, colours, and fonts associated with your company. Getting assets created for you by a graphic designer is a worthwhile investment. Finding someone reputable online is easy as pie.
For this example, we are going to use one of our clients, The Habit Project
By using their logo, icon, colour, and font scheme - we will make an elegant label in 5 minutes.
LOGO
ICON
COLOUR
In easy language, it's a type of grey. In industry speak it's:
Pantone / PMS Cool Gray 8 U / #939598 Hex Color Code
When you dabble a swatch in any design program you will see numbers, that is your hex colour code - and that is what translates to "Pantone".
FONTS
You can choose fonts from any program or they can be custom made. Usually, there are two variations of something similar, with slight difference in format.
GARAMOND PRO BOLD - all caps.
Garamond Pro Italic - sentence case.
DESIGNING YOUR LABEL
Start by opening your template. In this case we are using Adobe Illustrator.
To get the best results, import your assets, and follow the time honoured tradition of placing logo, icon, and label text from top to bottom.
Once you're done, just copy and paste - then remove the grid.
You could even just use brand name to create effective custom shipping and packing tape.
Last Steps
Save your file.
Load your printer with the label material you've purchased.
Hit print.
Apply to your container and test in wet environments, like the one below.
We suggest drinking one after too.
For more information on our friends and the incredible companies in this article, please visit them...for your own benefit!
Buy your waterproof labels for home use today here.
Whether you want to improve your current waterproof labels or want to try something new, we hope this article could help.
Need one-to-one support and get labels custom printed?
Contact your label expert today and we can work towards your newest goals - our customer service team is happy to find the right fit for you.
To talk immediately from 8am to 5pm (PST), call us toll-free at 1-877-77-ALTRO [1-877-772-5876]
