We are exceptionally proud to share our accomplishments in the printing industry, and even more so when SixB Labels wins Graphic Excellence (GraphEx) Awards. This print award is bestowed by the Printing & Imaging Association of MidAmerica, a regional division of Printing Industries of America (PIA), covering Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Hundreds of entries are submitted in such categories as brochures, calendars, packaging, labels, and much more. As members in good standing of PIA, the SixB Labels Family will always be excited and happy to receive custom label printing awards from this body, knowing that these awards are designed to honor craft, customer service, and contributions to the printing industry.
Recent Posts
Making a vivid splash across the worlds of beauty, fashion, home interiors, graphic design, advertising and marketing, comes the announcement of the 2023 PANTONE Color of the Year: PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta. Made official on December 1, 2022, this startlingly colorful message to the world, embodied in the luxurious blend of red and blue, hot and cool, retro and up-to-the minute vibes that is 2023 PANTONE Viva Magenta, positively blossoms with its many possible applications. From paint, to signage, to point-of-sale displays, to our favorite medium for marketing messages, labels, Viva Magenta is a vibrant color that you would do well to explore, to discover what it might hold in store for your product or industry.
Due to their high visual impact, we love to incorporate these new PANTONE colors into our marketing, and as we have in the past, we have taken the liberty to design some logos for the occasion showcasing this spicy shade, featured here.
In conversations, on news shows, and in the headlines, inflation and recession have been constant buzz words of late, triggering discomfort in business and personal settings. This comes as no surprise: the unknown can provoke a lot of anxiety. With that in mind, this Simplifying Labeling Blog post aims to offer comfort and action ideas for you and your business.
The Realities of Inflation
Everyone buying and selling goods and services has been confronted by the current inflationary trend. The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, as of July 2022, shows that inflation, measured by the consumer price index, is up 8.5% in the past year. This is down from a June 2022 high of 9.1%; rapidly falling gas prices appear to be starting to blunt the latest surge. Although it does raise the value of such tangible assets as land, properties, and stocked commodities, inflation causes a reduction in purchasing power that has impacted every industry.
In the world of print production, producers and consumers are now operating in a regulatory environment that is much more challenging for manufacturers than in years past. Knowing that, you can be confident that working with SixB Labels on your label projects is a great idea! Our knowledgeable approach will help you to stay in compliance with the rules governing the use of hazardous substances in materials and the production environment. We know that no one wants to worry about fines, product recalls, or other negative outcomes.
At this time of year, it is customary to think about giving. Of course, many of us might be giving gifts to our family, friends, and co-workers during the Holiday Season. In addition, individuals, companies, and organizations think about ways that they can contribute to their communities, which involves giving in the larger sense, and not only at the holidays.
What if you could start producing professional-looking labels without needing IT, the cost of training, or paying a label manufacturer more to print the specific content onto labels? We have some good news for you!
At SixB Labels, we make an ongoing effort towards Simplifying Labeling for our clients. To further that aim, and bring you the highest quality in products and services for your labeling needs, we are offering Loftware NiceLabel Software. The Loftware NiceLabel robust product line includes: both on premise and cloud-based labeling platform solutions (that SixB offers offline); and desktop solutions in Designer and PowerForms versions (which we sell online and offline).
In 2020, as part of SixB Labels' focus on Simplifying Labeling for our clients, we developed and published a white paper on the proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nutrition label revisions.
Why Is the FDA Making Changes to Nutrition Labels?
When they were surveyed, most Americans stated that they use the nutrition facts label on food products to make better shopping choices. Given that information, and armed with the latest, science-driven data on nutrition and health outcomes, the FDA spent more than two years working on updated guidelines for food labels, so that these changes have been in the works for quite some time.
Initially, the final rule on label changes, both in format and required information on the nutritional content of packaged foods and beverages, went into effect on July 26, 2016. The compliance date of the rule was set for July 26, 2018, for food manufacturers with revenues over $10 million, and July 26, 2019, for those making less than that amount. These changes were meant to incorporate the latest information from nutrition science, in accordance with the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the newest Institute of Medicine recommendations.
Any business or customer who understands that materials, machinery and equipment have to adhere to certain safety standards may have been in the market for a stamp or seal of approval to indicate that an item has passed this type of safety testing, and is ready for sale. This is one of many reasons that UL certification is attractive to businesses.
In response to the need to show that your equipment and products have been safety tested, this post is intended to offer you an in-depth look at UL-compliant labels, and how SixB Labels Corporation can help you with your UL-recognized or CSA-recognized label projects.
Variety of UL Labels
Like clockwork, every new U.S. administration ushers in big changes in trade, taxation, and manufacturing policies. True to form, the newest administration has just revisited the "Buy American" concept via a recent Executive Order on "Strengthening American Manufacturing," focusing on making and buying American goods as a way to boost prosperity here at home.
A re-invigorated push towards this goal of coming into compliance with a law that has been on the books for nearly a century will have an impact on the labeling industry. Labels provide a significant boost to marketing campaigns and in the current market, promoting the concept of "Made in America" or "Made in the U.S.A" could prove to be a highly effective sales tool to move a product. But there are also some caveats.
As we noted in a recent blog post, as a producer of custom labels, SixB Labels makes a significant, ongoing effort to stay on top of industry trends for our customers. Here of late we have been considering the upcoming year, 2021, with an eye to future trends, which we expect to be an outgrowth of some of what we witnessed in 2020.
The effects of the pandemic have been profound on how business is conducted. They include the change to working from home, virtual meetings, increased online shopping, the move from bigger brands to local suppliers, direct-to-consumer sales, drop shipping, and the growth of smaller online retailers (like our online store). These trends are here to stay, even after Covid-19 is vanquished.
In the midst of these ongoing challenges, the good news is that the
printing industry, and label printing in particular, have proven themselves resilient and flexible — willing and able to embrace change.