When did you get serious about labels?

[montanaWineGuy]

So far I've been printing out on plain paper using these PDF free labels.

http://wine.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Free_Printable_Wine_Labels

Print them out, cut them and then glue stick them on the bottle. Good enough for me and for giving to neighbors. But my proud creation wants something more... Can anybody suggest a good source for having professional labels created?

 

[heatherd]

I use Stoney Creek Wine Press: https://www.stoneycreekwinepress.com/ The labels are really nice. One of the things I like a lot is that the wines from Stoney seem to be waterproof - so if you make a white wine and stick it in an ice bucket or cooler during summer, the labels stay intact.

 

[bkisel]

Similar to you I just create them on Avery.com and print them to regular ink jet paper. I do spray with an acrylic fixer before pasting them on the bottles that are being gifted - I don't label every bottle.

I've never had an interest in having professional labels done so can't help you with that.

 

[dralarms]

I use publisher (Microsoft), and was taking them to staples and having them printed but was having to convert them to pdf and it shifts them up and to the right.

Got tired of that. So I bought a laser printer last month (got it on sale for 149) and am very happy

 

[Runningwolf]

Hey dralarm, the last two printers I went to buy a color laser and was talked out of it both times by sales people and others who know. They said ink jet was better for pictures and HP Officejet Pro takes a better quality ink cartridge. I have been very happy with them. What is your opinion on this?

 

[Rocco]

I highly recommend crush tag.com. Many great options and sizes. They also have a type that can be moved around and transferred from bottle to bottle---they peel off easily so can be reused and also make it easier to reuse bottles(rather than glueing a label to them)

 

[joeswine]

Serious about labels

I GOT SERIOUS ABOUT MY LABELS WHEN I DESIDED I WANTED A PRFFESSIONAL LOOKING PACKAGE TO GO WITH MY BEST EFFORTS.

 

[Jericurl]

I really lucked out with labels.
Manthing is a graphic artist and he is pretty much in charge of the labels. I tell him what it needs to display and send him any pictures and he ends up putting it all together.
The material he uses for labeling is similar to bumper stickers. Which means the labels can get wet and won't come off.
Likewise, when I'm ready to remove them, all I have to do is tug a little and they peel right off.

If not for him, I'm 100% certain I'd be using masking tape and a sharpie. I have zero artistic skills of that bent, and though I can appreciate a gorgeous label, I truly have no desire to spend the time dinking around trying to create one.

 

[Angelina]

I got serious about labels a couple of months ago, when my neighbour whom works at a printing company came over and I mentioned wanting nicer labels. So she made some samples, front and back labels and the price was better than my at home cost. I couldn't be happier with professional labels.

 

[dralarms]

Hey dralarm, the last two printers I went to buy a color laser and was talked out of it both times by sales people and others who know. They said ink jet was better for pictures and HP Officejet Pro takes a better quality ink cartridge. I have been very happy with them. What is your opinion on this?

I have to disagree. Inkjet labels have to be sprayed with something. The pictures I use are not crisp and dull.

The laser I bought prints a very crisp clear picture.

 

[Runningwolf]

I used to spray all my labels like you said, until I bought the HP officejet. This ink will not run. I had some labels printed by Staples and have had mixed results on brilliant sharp pictures and other times not so much. I can defend the HP Oficejet 100% but, I still am not sure which is better, the officejet or Laser.

 

[Bergmann]

From Day one! When my wife was alive she use to say, I do nothing half way. It's whole hog or none at all. Still true today!

 

[dralarms]

I've got an hp office jet and mine will run.

 

[Rocky]

I am the salmon swimming upstream on the label thing. I used to make labels for all of my wines but the expense was overwhelming and the utility minimal. I found that all I needed to know is what is in the bottle, when I started it and when I bottled it. Heck, as fast as we consume the wine, I am not even sure I need a cork!

I do, however, make special labels for special occasions such as when I give bottles away for an occasion. Other than that, my labels are the 1x4 variety with Variety, date yeast was pitched and date wine was bottled. I take a minimalist view and concentrate on fitness for use.

 

[JohnT]

I am with Rocky on this one. I have the diamond cube type of wine racks. Each cube holds 5 cases. I simply fill out a bottle tag (those little ones that just slip over the neck of the bottle) to ID the wine that is in each bin.

When I am left with a only a couple bottles of any particular type, I take a paint pen and write the year/vintage. This paint scrubs right off when I wash the bottles.

Labels are a pain. You put them on only to have to scrape them off later. I find that most do not mind that the bottle has no label, they are just happy to have some wine.

Still, I deeply respect the lengths folks go for labels. It shows pride and respect for the craft.

 

[Elmer]

I only make labels for the wines I hand out as gifts for the holidays.
Otherwise I just write on the top of the cork.
.
I usually use microsoft word. I use a template from Avery and I make a simple label that describes what is inside.
I am a minimalist. I find that most people look at the label for a moment and after that they drink.

However for the this years holiday I am handing out a holiday beer so my buddy who is a GA is going to work with me on a nice label that I can tweek for years and years....

 

[FTC Wines]

I'm with Rocky & JohnT! We have 700+ bottles on Seville wine racks. Each section holds 30 bottles, so I label the sections, with pertinent info. Kit wines have labels, others have none. Gifting is in a wine bag, or gets a hand written label. Their expectations may be low when the see the label, but their appreciation is HIGH when they taste it! Roy

 

[JohnT]

I remember bring some wine (unlabeled) to a church dinner. I was pouring some for myself when a man saddled up beside me, picked up a bottle and looked for a label.

I said to him "Don't you just hate when the labels fall off?"

"Yup", he said, "The new glues out there today aren't nearly as good as in the old days".

I almost bit my tongue in half to keep from laughing.

 

[wine]

all I do is copy the kind of wine ,, paste in a row ,,, cut ,,, and school glue to the bottle ,, if they don't like the label ,,, they don't get bottle or a taste of the wine ...... I tell them go buy a bottle that has a label on it they like ... I have more to do and on my mind then to worry about the label on the bottle ,,, thats if it even gets a label ,,,I do have some with out a label ,,, its wine ,, what kind ?? your guess is as good as mine ,, don't want to drink it with out knowing what kind ,, no wine for you .... yes I forgot what was in the pail ,,, it was made when to 50 other things were going on

 

[ffemt128]

I bought a Brother Laser Color printer almost 3 years ago when I needed to print 300 labels for my nieces wedding favors. I don't regret the decision. It prints very crisp images with no bleeding whatsoever. The printer is used as the primary printer in our house for most everything and with an Elementary aged child I have only replaced each cartridge once in 3 years. I don't think I replaced the cyan yet. Not to bad in my opinion. I use Avery to print my labels on the 5164 Labels.