There are many instances in which labels are necessary for business. They come in several different styles and sizes, depending on the type of product or service you’re working with.
Whether you want to create custom stickers for your packaging or labels for files, knowing how to make them yourself can save you a lot of money over hiring someone else to do it. Let’s look at how you can create labels in six easy steps.
Step 1) Choose the Right Software
With so many label design programs available on the market, how do you decide which one is right for your business? Even if you’re a novice and have never designed a label before, don’t worry; it’s easier than you think.
The program needs to be intuitive enough that no prior experience with designing labels is necessary. Your label creating software should also allow full customization of fonts and colors and pre-made templates that will save time in designing labels at any level of complexity.
Step 2) Lay Out Your Label Design
When laying out your label design, keep in mind that you should leave about a half-inch of space around all sides for printing. This includes a one-eighth-inch bleed area on all four sides and between each color or different sections on your design.
Step 3) Import Images and Text
When designing your labels, think about how you want your label to look. Is it going on a can? Is it going on glass or plastic? Remember that what is shown on the front of a package will be visible from a distance, so you need images and text that are clear and easy to read.
If you are having a hard time finding images for your labels, try using label designer software. Label design software will easily import images and text into your project.
Step 4) Add Dimension
Choose a shape or vector artwork with solid black fills and outlines that are clear and thick. According to Seagull Scientific, vectors work best, as they can be easily scaled up or down without losing resolution.
It is better to start small for your first label design; you can always scale up later. If you want to create multiple labels at once, select all of them before exporting them into your printer driver. Remember that simple shapes like circles and squares require less ink than complicated shapes like stars or pinwheels.
Step 5) Preview & Print
When you’re ready to print, be sure you know exactly what your labels will look like on paper. You can save your label design as a PDF and preview it on paper before sending it off for printing.
This will give you an idea of how it’ll look before having a large batch printed up—which could end up costing more than expected if your labels are slightly flawed. By previewing your label designs first, you can avoid unnecessary costs and ensure that they’re just right when they get printed.
Step 6) Order & Ship
Once you’ve created your label, it’s time to ship. There are a variety of ways you can go about getting your product into customers’ hands. However you choose to ship, make sure that there is someone at each step of shipment who can communicate with customers if there are any issues with orders.
Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to designing a label or creating your own custom label-making software.