By Sara Nelson, Scott Haggerty & Rob Griswold
Wine Label Designer Sara Nelson and Trysk Print Solutions Professionals Scott Haggerty and Rob Griswold got together to assemble a tip list for small wineries.
Beautiful packaging is a necessity, not a luxury. It’s the public face of any winery, the only visual representation of the quality of wine in the bottle and often the only thing a prospective new consumer will know about it. But sometimes, budget is hard…
Here are their tips for keeping costs down without compromising labels:
• Choose stock cutting dies.
A printer will have these in its inventory if it’s a wine label specialist. Using standard stock dies instead of custom can save hundreds of dollars.
• Use high-quality paper stocks.
At small quantities, these do not add significantly to the overall label cost, but they add very obvious, visible elegance and sophistication.
• Keep the number of special finishes to a minimum.
Perhaps start with a metallic paper and add inks, rather than paying for foil stamping. It’s inexpensive, yet provides the desired look. As budget allows, add luxurious finishes on future print runs.
• Make sure that labels are designed to share the same tooling: cutting dies, foil dies, etc.
This means significant cost savings at the printer. Front and back labels that are the same size also add to efficiency. You can still change colors and design, as long as the tooling remains the same.
• The bulk of printing budget goes to setup.
Print as many labels as you can use at one time. You get the best cost per label this way. Consider printing all labels for the entire year at the same time, even if you won’t be bottling for months.
• Spend what’s necessary for a nice cork.
It doesn’t have to be absolute top of the line, but it must be nice. Colorful synthetic corks diminish a wine’s perceived value, in the eyes of these pros.
• Use stock capsules.
Small wineries typically don’t have the volume (or budget) to make a custom capsule economical, but they can buy attractive stock capsules. Color options are limited, so design the label to harmonize with a readily available color such as gold, silver, red, burgundy, black, green or navy. The capsule color should match the artwork as much as possible, so that the finished package looks intentional.
• Make sure labels are applied to bottles uniformly and without wrinkles.
We don’t recommend attempting hand application,” Haggerty said. He suggested investing in good-quality rotary labeling equipment and prefers Great Engineering’s equipment for its durability.”
You really can have a beautiful and impactful presentation without breaking the bank. It just requires a little discipline and inside knowledge!