When it comes to choosing a printing company for your label printing needs, there's certainly an abundance of choice, so you’re no doubt asking yourself “why should I choose FastLabels”?
Good question. Here’s our answer:
We’re committed to producing the highest quality printed labels in the UK, and we firmly believe this is exactly what we do.
But before we talk about why we believe this with such confidence, let’s discuss why you should care so much about quality.
Yes, improving label quality CAN increase profits – here’s how:
No matter what you’re selling, the quality of your product labelling can have a
dramatic effect on your bottom line.
This is why companies spend millions re-working their product labels from time to time, as Tesco recently did with their “Value” range:
Source
But label design is only half the battle - print quality is equally (if not more) important.
For example,
this study explains that “attitudes toward visual packaging directly influence consumer-perceived product quality and brand preference”.
In short: The better the label is, the better potential customers believe the product is.
This also shows the
danger of a poor quality label. If you saw a shop with a shoddy sign, a book with a cheap looking cover, or even a car with a run-down exterior, you would immediately have doubts about the quality of what’s inside before you’ve even looked in.
A label like this puts your brand at an instant disadvantage against your competitors.
But how does this affect your bottom line?
Let’s explain with a hypothetical example:
A brewery sells a beer for £1.50 per can, and right now, they’re using poor quality product labelling.
Every day, 10,000 potential customers consider buying their product, and roughly 10% of these people convert into customers on average (i.e. 1000 out of 10,000 actually buy a beer).
That’s
£1,500 in revenue per day.
Now, let’s assume that they switch to higher quality product labels and, because consumers now perceive the quality of the product to be higher, it persuades 11% of customers to buy instead –
just a conservative increase of one percentage point.
That’s an extra
£150 of revenue per day,or nearly £54,750 more in the bank every year.
Even if we assume the company makes a relatively low 25% margin on their product, improving their product labelling results in
£13,687 extra profit every year.
Considering that many of
our high-quality beer labels cost less than £0.01/each, this is clearly good business sense – as it’s MORE profit whilst possibly even paying LESS for labels.
Plus, if you reach more customers than this per day, or sell a higher value product, or even obtain a better improvement, your revenue and profit increases could be far, far higher.
But what if you’re using labels for marketing purposes other than product labelling?
It works the same.
For example, let’s assume that you’re mailing 10,000 labels as part of a marketing campaign.
If your usual “conversion rate” is 20/10,000 (i.e. 2%), and your average order value is £20, increasing from just 2% to 2.5% by making a better impression in front of your audience gives you an
extra £1000 in revenue.
All in all, it makes complete business sense to ensure your labels are of the highest quality.
Plus, both of these scenarios don’t even factor in additional improvements, such as:
Increased repeat business: This would mean even higher revenue from increasing label quality
Positive brand impact: Higher quality labels will result in more sales in the long-term, as the perception of your brand improves
Existing issues with low-quality labels: Thinner labels with inadequate ink/toner quality damage easily and are susceptible to a host of other issues which can reduce a product’s chances of being sold.
If you take these aspects into account, it’s easy to see how the quality of your labels can really have a
big impact on your bottom line.
The FastLabels approach:
To be the best in label printing. Not just the fastest, not just the highest quality, not just the lowest price - but all of them in one.
It’s why we’ve invested heavily in state-of-the-art equipment, and also carefully handpicked all of our materials and suppliers to ensure the best in every possible way.
Here’s an in-depth look at everything we use and exactly why we use them:
Our Printing Press
Here at FastLabels, we use the Xeikon 3300 label press:
The Xeikon 3300 is the flagship model in the Xeikon 3000 series, and has
won the the InterTech™ Technology Award for Innovation Excellence. Prior to that, it also won the Label Industry Innovation Award.
Here are a few of the benefits that you will experience as a result of our investment in this award-winning press:
1440dpi Printing: We’re able to print all our labels at up to 1440dpi. This results in an exceptional level of colour and detail for labels which rival any major brand with ease
Fast Turnaround (without sacrificing quality): The Xeikon 3300 has a production capacity close to 400m²/hour, which allows us to offer a super-fast turnaround (on both large and small print runs) whilst maintaining the highest possible print detail this machine can provide
Cost-efficiency: Such a fast production speed means less resources per print run, and when combined with economy of scale savings in material and toner, it allows us to keep our prices very low
Simply put, the Xeikon 3300 is far superior to the vast majority of digital print machinery used by companies in the UK today – and even the world. It’s a true industry leader.
Our Print Toners
We use Xeikon’s food-safe toners exclusively.
It might seem strange, but many printing companies do not use food-safe toners. This poses big problems if any labels may come into contact with food, drink or mouths (such as children’s toys).
All of the toners we use here at FastLabels not only meet FDA regulatory requirements, but also adhere to Nestle's guidelines for food contact. Plus, Xeikon toners are particularly well-known for their rich colours which make labels look beautifully vibrant.
What are Nestle’s Guidelines?
In 2005, Nestle issued a huge product recall across France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Baby milk was the affected product, as it was found that harmful chemicals involved in the printing process had contaminated the food product.
Source
After this, Nestle worked hard to introduce strict guidelines for their packaging materials, which included
banning certain pigments, solvents and chemicals from the printing inks they used.
The result:
Nestle’s guidelines for food contact.
Nestle’s “general exclusion list” includes a number of substances, one of which is ortho-phthalate plasticiser.
Robin Wyatt, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health, conducted research into the possible association between prenatal phthalate exposure and childhood asthma
here.
His study found that exposure to these substances may increase the risk of asthma among inner-city children.
We believe that these chemicals have no place in the printing process whatsoever (especially if you’re using your labels for food/beverage products, products that come into contact with children, or beauty products), which is why we use only Xeikon’s non-toxic, food-safe toners.
Our Materials
HERMA is our hand-selected supplier for all our label printing materials.
Based in Germany, HERMA has some of the most modern facilities in the world, where they are renowned for creating industry-leading print materials known for their density and finish.
HERMA also test all of their materials themselves in their own laboratory, and are 100% committed to ensuring maximum quality.
Why is this so important? It’s a bit like painting. If you want to create a beautiful work of art, then you must start with a premium canvas which accentuates the quality of the brushwork. The same goes for printing.
If you’d like to learn more about HERMA, we suggest watching this short video:
Our cutting machine
Most printing companies in the UK use traditional die-cutting machines to cut and shape their labels.
However, there are a number of drawbacks to die-cutting, including:
Slow turnaround: Die-cutting requires ordering conventional tooling and waiting days for delivery. This slows things down.
Cost: For short print runs, die-cutting can add additional cost to a project, due to the need for tooling and switching the components around for different sizes.
This is why, at FastLabels, we use the Digilase Laser Die Cutting System:
This machine allows us to offer a fast turnaround on pretty much any shape and size, as there’s no need for additional tooling. It also allows us to cut intricate custom shapes to absolute perfection with flawless edges.
This is highly sought-after machinery, which is why we’re one of the few in the UK capable of providing this form of trimming.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the machine:
DIGILASE VIDEO from A B Graphic International on Vimeo.
Service and specifications
This is one of the most important elements of premium label printing – and often overlooked. The fact is that labels are niche products. They’re not like leaflets or business cards. They have specific requirements and therefore need expertise to ensure they fulfil every need.
At FastLabels, we’re a dedicated label printer. It’s all we do. Every staff member knows labels inside-out, and every piece of equipment is fine-tuned for label printing. These reflect in the results.
We also understand some of the specific needs many companies may have. For example, labels may have to be positioned in a certain way or come on precise core sizes for hand or mechanical application. An understanding of the importance of the supply chain is also key. For example, single or multi-part products need labels ready at specific times to continue through production, so reliability on timescales is vital.
Think FastLabels is the right label printing company for you?
If you’d like to begin your order, you can browse our full range of products
here and also find our instant price calculator online.
If you still have questions - or simply prefer to order by phone - give us a call on 01302 288 119 and we’ll be happy to help.
Plus, don’t forget that we also offer a
price beat guarantee on any like-for-like quote you find elsewhere. Better labels. Less money.