Some good news for companies and consumers looking to use eco-friendly materials in print production — Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper and environmentally responsible water-based inks have become readily available and economically viable! In this post, we will look at both the benefits of using water-based instead of solvent-based inks in label printing, and the benefits of choosing FSC-certified paper over conventional paper.
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Client Chats Series — Our client company, Dallas Distilleries, maker of the Herman Marshall brand of Texas whiskies, hides in plain sight off the main road in Garland, Texas, amid sprawling warehouses in a business park. Behind an unassuming façade, fronted by a shop selling whiskey by the bottle, sits a cavernous space full of open-top cypress fermentation tanks and white oak casks, where a big gleaming pot still, like an engine from a steampunk movie, holds pride of place.
I participated in one of their weekend tours, full of history, chemistry and fun. We listened to an account of how the whiskey is made, sampled bottled products, including bourbon and rye, and tasted the sour mash as well as the white dog — the new whiskey before it is aged. Along with other customers, I got to fill, cork, and label the bottle of bourbon I bought. Then Herman Beckley, who leads the tours, sat down with me to share some more details of their company’s history and explain how their experience working with SixB Labels has helped them to showcase and sell their products.
Client Chats Series — Talking with Erin Freeman from our client company, Good Vapes, a supplier of hand-crafted e Liquids and vaping hardware, which gave her an opportunity to share her vision and passion for her company. As she filled us in on its past, its current growth, and its prospects for the future, two important points emerged from her company story. These are the impact on her business of a fast-moving, ever-changing regulatory environment for her product lines, and the significant role that SixB Labels has played in the growth and success of her business.
Have you heard the phrase, "Outdoor Label" or "Outdoor Decal" and wondered what that meant beyond the literal meaning? As you might have already considered, labels are used in many environments, and SixB Labels provides custom products designed for the various needs of extreme indoor and outdoor situations. Our variety of labeling solutions meets the requirements of business, industry, and private consumers. This post provides more in-depth information on labels and decals for outside use.
We all live, work, and move within what has aptly been labeled the Universe of Things.
These things include an overwhelming amount of items that let us perform a vast array of different tasks. In the workplace, they are valuable to us, based not only on their original cost but on their utility in our work processes.
We are called on to track their movements, know their actual market value, maintain, repair and ultimately replace them, and keep them secure from damage and theft. Enter the universal solution to this multiplicity of tasks: Asset Labels! (Or, as they are also known, Asset Tags.) Here is a look at five noteworthy questions in understanding this type of label.
SixB Labels can offer many years of experience in the production of Cosmetic Labels. Part of the expertise we have acquired in our years in the label printing industry lies in making clients aware of necessary labeling regulations in order to help them comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidelines, while simplifying the intricacies of clients’ Cosmetic Labels. To further meet our goal of Simplifying Labeling for our clients, we have composed a white paper on the Food and Drug Administration's current requirements for cosmetic labeling.
In the United States, the packaging and labeling of cosmetic products has been regulated since 1938, when Congress passed the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling (FP&L) Act. The goal of these Acts was to protect consumers from cosmetics that contained harmful substances; bore labels that were false, misleading, or lacked required information; or sold in containers made or filled in a deceptive manner. In this white paper, we offer you an overview of Cosmetic Labeling requirements.
As part of SixB Labels' focus on Simplifying Labeling for our clients, we have developed a white paper on the proposed Food and Drug Administration nutrition label revisions that were supposed to go into effect this year. While the FDA has placed the revisions deadline on hold, we still believe the white paper is a valuable resource for food manufacturers to evaluate their labeling.
Most Americans surveyed have said that they use the nutrition facts label on food products to make better shopping choices. As a result, the FDA has spent more than two years working on updated guidelines for food labels, 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. The format changes should also make it easier for consumers to access this information, to help them make the right food choices for themselves and their families.
For the last couple of years, SixB Labels has been very excited about the capabilities of our newest print technology— color digital printing. This blog post will explain a little bit about why we have chosen the approach that we take to color digital printing, based on ideas such as color theory, and go on to detail the advantages of certain techniques and printing devices to achieve the best results — the widest possible range of complex images, vibrant colors, and extremely high definition in the printed product.
The Impact of Color Theory on Digital Printing
There are two different applications of color theory: additive and subtractive. Additive color (the color used with a computer monitor or TV screen) consists of red, green, and blue (RGB). At lower values, a mix of these colors creates varying shades of grey. At maximum intensity, all three combined colors create a white image.
As 2017 comes to a close, we look back at one of the year's highlights for SixB Labels in receiving two Certificates of Merit by the Premier Print Awards. These Best of Category awards are within the areas of Flexo and Digital Printing for labels we manufactured on behalf of Herman Marshall and Central Market, respectively.
Established in 1950, the Premier Print Awards is the world's oldest and most prestigious international print competition, conducted by the Printing Industries of America (PIA). Participating companies — including those from the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Australia, China, and other nations from around the world — compete for recognition as one of the best in print. The Premier Print Awards Competition recognizes only the highest quality printed pieces in various categories. Over 2,200 entries were submitted for the June 2017 judging.
The word meaningful only begins to describe how honored and excited the SixB Family is to have recieved these awards. It is particularly special to garner this acknowledgement of excellence from our peers in the printing industry!
Cold foiling, also known as cold foil stamping, finds its place as an indoor, decorative accent. Unlike the choice of metallic labels that might be suitable as asset tags, for example, or be used outdoors, cold foiling is designed to enhance marketing efforts via its visual effects. A sparkling and colorful approach to labeling can increase visual impact and thus consumer interest. Thus cold foiling lends itself to packaging, products, correspondence, marketing materials and publications.
The following are six points to consider if your goal is to create superlative cold foil labels.