Full color label ordering has become a whole lot easier with new technology and the internet making communication so much faster.  Now you can expect to submit your order and receive proofs for the job the next day with a short turnaround time to order fulfillment.

CMYK (which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (which stands for Black because the other colors are “keyed” against this one) present certain technical issues for the print partner when it comes to ordering, proofing and production.  As a result, many online websites offering full-color printing tend to outsource the work to third parties which is not cost-effective for you as someone else is increasing the margin at your expense and you have less direct control over the process than when you are dealing with the printer fulfilling the order.

Today, all you need is your artwork and access to the internet and with a few clicks you’ll be on your way.  Make a list of what you need to do. You can start your order with as little as 250 units for a standard print run though you can get less than this if you consult with your print partner.  You can also expect a very fast turnaround time from proof acceptance to delivery typically between 3 and 5 days.

You can streamline the design process for your full-color labels by using the template designs and shapes which many established online printers and design shops now offer.  Don’t be afraid to use your own imagination but you can drastically reduce the turnaround time by sticking to templates and established designs which will help you print partner to fulfill the order that much faster.

You can also include one-time or variable data such as serial numbers with or without barcode labels or variable text which will include a different data record, for example a vehicle registration number.  If you have specific requirements which may at first sight appear to be problematic you should always  consult with your print and design partners because they will most likely have encountered the same or similar issues many times before with other clients.

You should also consider the use of laminate materials for superior finish and to increase the life of the label and the laminate process will also avoid smearing of the inks used to maintain a crisp image over the working life of the piece. you can of course, choose a non-laminate finish but there is also a UV varnish which can provide the same look but give the same anti-smear protection as a laminate.

Finally, you also should consider whether you are going to have these labels applied by hand or by machine; this will in turn determine whether you want the labels supplied in roll labels or as separate pieces.  Machines use roll technology to apply the labels in many instances but you will also need to determine the core size of the rolls you will need to have them wrapped around – typically 1 and 3 inch cores are used but again, consult with your print and design partner if you have a different set of requirements.

Creating an asset register is as simple as creating a spreadsheet – for those who are not computer literate, all you need is a sheet of lined paper with several ruled columns indicating the date, the name and type of asset with an allocated serial number and any other information you wish to track, such as location or staff member responsible for it for instance.

Each asset needs to be marked or affixed with a suitable asset tag or label.  Asset labels need to be robust and capable of withstanding hard use as well as dealing with environmental factors such as being stored outside where the weather and elements operate.  Typically, they are coated with a very strong and weatherproof adhesive which also makes them remarkably difficult to remove by thieves.  It is not uncommon to find asset labels and tags to be made from sturdy aluminum foil which makes them virtually indestructible and suitable for the most hard-wearing environments.

Arranging for sequential asset numbers to be printed is simple – asset label printers who are experienced in providing these products are very capable of delivering asset tags which can be sequentially numbered and ready for you to allocate as a serial number to individual assets.  More advanced asset labels can carry a barcode which contains much more detailed information than a simple serial number.

Barcode labels can carry a wide range of information including inception and termination dates, maintenance and upgrade information as well as simple identity markers demonstrating ownership.  With a cheap barcode scanner you can also integrate asset tracking directly into your computer based asset register and software packages such as QuickBooks, provide a simple means of integrating your asset tracking with your accounting system.

Asset labels are at the core of protecting your business assets – they provide a visible marker and stamp of your ownership which in itself, acts as a deterrent to thieves or those looking to use your property when they are not authorized to.  They also will simplify your asset tracking and especially when you have equipment being used off-site or by contractors – this is essential if you are to protect your property and engender a sense of responsibility in users.  Asset tracking  is also an essential requirement for your accounting when it comes to being able to demonstrate that the assets you own and are reflected in your balance sheet and accounts, are in fact in your physical possession and do exist.

Talk to your print partner about how asset labels can be put to work for your business – they are simple to source and easy to use and the cost is minimal compared to the value of the assets they track and protect.

Labeling provides a key weapon in the war against the imitators as packaging is one of the hardest things for a counterfeiter to replicate.

Holograms provide a great way of ensuring the product is genuine as they are exceptionally difficult to replicate; so useful and effective are holograms than many currency notes in circulation overseas use holographic images as part of the overall design – something actively being considered by the U.S. Treasury in the war on counterfeit money operations.  A drawback of holograms is that they can still be stolen as a separate item of value in themselves and many counterfeit DVD operations in the Far East have found ways to actively source holographic stickers or in fact replicate them to an acceptable standard.

Luckily, there have been significant advances in the development of digital printing and colored inks which have been combined with barcode technology to provide an extra layer of differentiation as well as carrying important information about the history of the product package.

Color barcode labels have been actively developed by HP with several pharmaceutical companies who have been looking at ways to ensure the end-user readily sees the medicines they are using are genuine and also are able to access vital information concerning that batch of medicine product.  In some instances, the ability to trust the “medication” is a matter of life and death with an enormous black market for illicit, counterfeit medications.

Before you think this is an issue which affects only the undeveloped world consider that one Viagra pill was selling for over $100 on the black market when the drug was initially launched and only available after an exhaustive medical screening session.

Beating the counterfeiters is a seriously thorny issue!

Hoodia Gordonii was the diet supplement extracted from a cactus which only grew in a specific and restricted location in East Africa and was subject to very strict certification standards but at one point it was thought that over 75% of the supplement was actually counterfeit goods.  These two examples alone have resulted in billions of dollars of sales to unwitting consumers – a direct loss to the manufacturers and the consumer.

OK, I know currently you have the choice with your advertising medium – plaster your brand name all over the place, hit the potential prospect with a high impact assault on their senses, gain attention, generate interest leading to making a decision and then getting them to act on it.  Except no billboard hoarding is going to be able to do that as the prospect is driving along at 60 mph and how many people do you see stopping alongside a billboard with pen and paper in hand taking the advertisers contact information from the ad?

Not many if indeed, any!

In Japan they have been experimenting and innovating 2D barcodes and cell phones equipped with a reader or more usually, just the ability to send a Multimedia Messaging text (known as MS as opposed to SMS).  The system is known as Jagtag and the 2D barcode labels at the center of this concept is able to store music, audio, picture and video information as well as gain access to marketing collateral stored online.

The neat part of Jagtag is that it is able to deliver information both ways – not only is the 2D tag able to give you immediate information, but it can also be integrated with an online back-end you can hook into with your cell phone giving the website your personal preferences or your location so the marketing response to your request for information is highly contextual.

Imagine you see a an ad, you like what you see so you text the Jagtag code (by scanning it with your cell phone) to the text number provided, the code is processed and the appropriate message is then returned to the user’s cell phone which is then used on the cell phone as and when they wish. There are no API’s to download and no fuss while the advertiser is updated in real-time with the response to their marketing efforts.

The US version simply requires you to subscribe to either Verizon or AT&T networks and some big names have signed up for the concept including Nike who have been trailing the system with Nike 6.0.

A barcode is an optical machine readable representation of information that originally used simple parallel lines with the width of the lines and spacing in between determining the information being carried.  A rapid development was the introduction of other geometric shapes (triangles, squares, rectangles and other polygonals) to represent data and these are also known as barcodes.

A barcode costs a fraction of a cent (approximately $0.005) to produce and implement which competes very well with more recent systems such as RFID tags which are capable of greater functionality (such as real time tracking of inventory) however, they do cost substantially more (around $0.07 to $0.30 per tag).

Today barcodes are used to carry much more detailed information for users and the information is also now capable of being read by the product’s end user as an aid to the selection and usage of the purchase.  Barcode readers are equally simple and cheap to operate and many retail outlets are providing customers with handheld readers for self-scanning of their purchases and also to provide the customer with greater information that is tailored to the marketing aims of the retailers rather than the manufacturer.

The universal applicability and cost effectiveness will ensure that the barcode will remain with us for many years to come and no doubt its life expectancy will continue to be extended as the simplicity lends itself to greater application in the technology led world.