Problem
Custom beverage products often require custom labels, but traditional pre-printed labels come with minimum quantities, setup costs, inventory, and lead times. The customer needed a way to produce professional, full-color labels on demand. The bigger challenge was printing color all the way to the edge of the label without the typical bleed and trimming required by most color printing processes.
Solution
EMP’s Projects Team developed a way to use an Epson Colorworks label printer to produce edge-to-edge color without bleeding past the finished label. By eliminating the traditional white margin and cutting process, the customer could print finished labels on demand, giving them the flexibility to produce short runs and highly customized labels without maintaining an inventory of pre-printed designs.
Story
What do you do when every event calls for a different bottle, product, and label? You find a way to print what you need, when you need it. That was the challenge facing a local boutique distiller producing private-label spirits and pre-mixed drinks. EMP began by producing sample labels, followed by a production run for a fundraiser featuring a custom cocktail. After several successful runs, the customer purchased its own Epson printer and brought the capability in-house. The real challenge was getting color all the way to the edge of the finished label without the traditional bleed-and-cut process. EMP’s Projects Team developed a process to make it work, allowing the customer’s art team to create and produce custom labels for individual events and hospitality customers. It’s a good example of the EMP approach: the right solution isn’t always what’s standard from the manufacturer. Sometimes it takes technical expertise, creativity, and a little engineering to make the technology fit the application.
