Testing and proofing make your labels stand ‘test of time’

When Coca-Cola® introduced New Coke® decades ago, they quickly learned the lesson of inadequate testing. Ultimately, they added the original Coca-Cola formula back into the equation — a very costly undertaking on many fronts.

While the consequences of inadequate label testing — and proofing — may not match up to the Coke® catastrophe, there’s no dispute that upfront testing leads to better products, happier customers and increased cost-efficiency.

Testing has both obvious and lesser-known protocols. For example, most people look at the printing quality to make sure it’s up to par. But how many double-check the quality of barcode printing to ensure that scanning will be reliable and accurate?

Lightning Labels’ Customer Service Manager Tammie MacLachlan has seen it all when it comes to the emotions customers experience as they view their newly-printed labels, from the ecstasy of receiving ultra-high-quality labels that weather the elements to the agony of realizing there’s a typo on thousands of labels.

American aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, whose achievements include designing the sub-orbital space plane SpaceShip One, said, “Testing leads to failure, and failure leads to understanding.” Applying that understanding to label testing, MacLachlan noted that, “Customers often change the size of labels, sometimes more than once, before they approve an order for production.”

MacLachlan weighed in on the importance of finding the flaws before launch, noting, “One of the worst scenarios is when a label has been applied to the container, only to discover the label does not fit properly, the barcode does not scan or there is a typo. Proofreading is just as important as testing!

“Some options at this point include attempting to remove the label and cleaning the container, throwing the product away and starting over, attempting to cover up a particular part of the label or to ‘use as is.’” None of these options lead to great outcomes. Yet, it all can be avoided with minimal expenditures of time and money before the final labels are printed.

Other problems that may occur when new labels are not thoroughly tested upfront include printed colors that don’t match what the customer visualized, labels ill-suited to the type of environmental stresses put upon them (e.g., essential oils smudging or soiling the label’s beauty), and ending up with adhesives that are unsuitable for the intended application. “These issues have occurred not only when the customer does not request a printed proof, but also when the printed proof is not cut to size and tested,” MacLachlan pointed out.

She recommended key testing and proofing steps that new customers should follow before committing to having the finished product printed:

1. Conduct general testing. Lightning Labels provides many tools and services that make testing new label projects easier, including: emailing die lines that can be cut to size and applied to the container before digital files are created, sending material samples with different adhesives (e.g., permanent, removable, lip balm), and providing color charts printed on various materials.

   In the heat of testing, adhesion issues can get lost in the shuffle. The time to discover if lip balm labels are peeling or coming off is not when a customer lets you know about it. Conversely, if labels need to be changed out, as happens in the case of beer tap handles when new products get stocked, you don’t want customers having to scrape and peel pieces off with their Swiss Army knives.

2. Get a concept proof.
   For $50 plus shipping, customers get 10 versions of art on any number of label sizes, printed on different materials including laminate. While not cut to size, a die line can be included for easy scissor cutting.

   Concept proofs help customers decide which label material and finish will serve them best. Remarked MacLachlan, “Our most cost effective combination is a white BOPP material with a gloss overlaminate which makes the label water and oil resistant. In fact, all but two of our materials require an overlaminate. Because of our material offerings, waterproofing and smudging are usually not issues. Even with our two paper materials, although not laminated, there is no smudging unless the labels are scraped against rough surfaces.”

   Concept proofs can be subjected to customer use (and abuse) to see just how well they will stand up on product and customer shelves.

   Concept proofs also allow the customer to test colors before creating all of their digital files: simply create files with a variety of colors and then choose the ones you like from the concept proof.

3. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread. A typo or grammatical error on a product label can seriously undermine consumer confidence in the product. While product quality is a completely separate issue, people who notice mistakes on a product label will often question the integrity of everything associated with the product.

   Noted MacLachlan, “It may not be classified as true testing, but proofing is so important. We have more customers with labels they cannot use because of a typo and other mistakes than due to the label not fitting. We encourage customers to review files before they are sent to us for proofing, but to also closely review the proofs we provide, either printed or emailed proof, before approving the order for production.”

4. Get a free printed proof (also known as a press proof). For only the cost of shipping, you can receive a printed proof for review prior to placing your final order. MacLachlan emphasized that this type of proof, which is printed on the same printer your final labels will be printed on, can answer several critical questions: “Are colors what the customer envisioned? Does the printing on clear labels show sufficiently on the containers? Does the size of the label fit the shape and size of the container? Is white ink printed where it should be on clear and chrome labels? The printed proof is the only way for the customer to know how the label will look once printed. An emailed PDF proof will not provide the same information. As part of this review process, double-check barcodes to ensure that they will scan correctly.”

5. Use the printed proof as a final label content check. For example, while Lightning Labels cannot provide direction about such issues as government labeling regulations for nutraceuticals or food, the printed proof stage is a logical time to recheck that the content is acceptable (as well as free of spelling or grammar errors).

   However, we do recommend that you review content before placing your order and requesting the proof.

   In addition to these testing and proofing procedures, it’s always beneficial for customers to think about special circumstances that may impact their labels. Storage is one such issue. If labels are likely to be stored for a long period of time or subjected to extremes in humidity, temperature, light or other potential environmental stressors while stored, it’s worth checking out endurance levels. Knowledge in this area may lead to an upfront fix, or at least let people know tolerances in advance.

   Finally, try to work far enough ahead that quality control, not looming deadlines, is the primary consideration in your testing procedures. There’s a reason why the adage, “Haste makes waste” has endured for so long. For more information on label testing and proofing, contact our customer service team at 1.888.685.2235, or at info@lightninglabels.com.