The Beginners’ Guide to Labelling Bottles and Jars

When you prepare food, organization is essential. You need to know exactly where you can find any ingredient you may need. Otherwise, following a recipe can be difficult, telling apart similar-looking ingredients is next to impossible, and chaos would reign in the pantry and the kitchen. We may sound rather dramatic, but consider that mislabeling food can be dangerous for people with allergies, diabetes, and other conditions.

With that said, the task of organization can seem daunting, especially on the outset. Anyone with experience would tell you that it gets easier when you start. Still, that leaves the question of where to start. Why not begin with making labels for your bottles and jars? The former is essential for distinguishing the drinks you create. The latter is essential for separating the ingredients you will use while creating drinks and food. 

Here is some information on making and using bottle and jar labels.


Choosing the Right Size

When preparing a dish or a batch, you almost certainly measure teaspoons and tablespoons so you can put the exact, correct amount of specific ingredients. No more, no less — just right. Just as you double-check that amount before adding anything to the rest, you should get the precise dimensions of your containers before you apply any labels.

The first question you should answer is, “How big are the bottles and jars that you plan to use?” Finding the answer entails measuring the height, width (or diameter, as may be the case), and volume. Only by getting all this information down will you be aware of how much each bottle and jar can contain. More to the point, having these measurements handy will also show what sizes the labels can be.

The shape of the container may be worth considering as well. Bottles and jars come in all kinds of designs. They may be perfectly cylindrical. They may also curve and bulge and contract in all kinds of ways — just think of the traditional shape of beer and soda bottles. You need to take these eccentricities into consideration when designing and creating your labels. Otherwise, they may warp in weird and off-putting ways.


Designing the Labels

The amount of care required for label design depends on the purpose of the labels. If they are for personal use, such as food prepping or kitchen work, they should be functional above all else. The labels should be visible, and the names and information printed on them should be legible. They do not need to be anything fancy, unless that is how you prefer them. How they look is based on your tastes.

However, looks do matter for labels if they are part of a sales pitch. When potential customers walk down the aisle at the supermarket or the liquor store, they feast their eyes on row upon row of colorfully packaged products. Every one of them is competing to stand out, attract attention, and persuade shoppers to trust them and choose them.

In these cases, the labels should do more than include the name and list the ingredients. It should convey the mood, feelings, and style associated that the business wants customers to associate with the product. In short, it should suit their brand. Marketing experts and graphic artists can work out what combinations of colors, shapes, font, and visual signifiers best express the appeal of the bottles and jars in question.


Selecting a Printing Method

Developments in printing technology now provide people with multiple methods of printing labels. When considering which one to use, we suggest starting with practical criteria. We do not just mean setting a price range, either. For example, if your bottles and jars are designed for refrigeration, the labels should be able to withstand those conditions as well.

One common method is the inkjet printer. This one is rather straightforward: the device spreads layers of ink onto the material, which will absorb some of it. After a moment, the rest will dry on the top. We should note that this process involves the use of water. If you want your labels to be waterproof, you would be better off with a different method.

In that case, you may want to consider using laser printer labels instead. Instead of ink, these printers use toner, and instead of being printed on the material, the toner is heated and forcefully bonded to it. There is no water involved, so it will not smudge as much if it gets wet.


Picking Between Materials

As you might have guessed, the materials you use matter just as much as the printing method. For starters, many are perfectly compatible with both of these methods, but others will only produce high-quality graphics with one or the other. You should check the manual for your printer or consult with your printing service to find out what options you really have.

This also counts as practical criteria. Once you get that question out of the way, you can start thinking about what you want out of the appearance. Labels come in all kinds of styles, from shiny foil to practical matte to water-resistant vinyl. If you are in the mood to save the environment, or at least save some cash, you could also get labels made from paper instead of plastics. Some materials even allow labels to be removable, which can come in handy if you reuse your containers.


Print Bottle and Jar Labels Today

Bottles and jars come in many unique shapes, sizes, and styles; the people who use them are just as unique in their needs. Thankfully, anyone can find or make labels that perfectly match those shapes, sizes, styles, and needs. Here at Label Outfitters, you can find a wide variety of labels that you can purchase and customize as you like. For bottle and jar labels, we especially recommend smaller sizes, such as 4” x 2” labels and 4” x 3 1/3” labels. Check our selection of labels by size today and find the ones that are best for you.

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