# When did you get serious about labels?



## montanaWineGuy (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

*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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

Runningwolf said:


> 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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 22, 2015)

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


----------



## Rocky (Apr 22, 2015)

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 (Apr 23, 2015)

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 (Apr 23, 2015)

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 (Apr 23, 2015)

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 (Apr 23, 2015)

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 (Apr 23, 2015)

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 (Apr 24, 2015)

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.


----------



## the_rayway (Apr 24, 2015)

I find that if I don't label the wine, it's not "finished". I really enjoy the process of imagining and creating the labels, and I have my own strange 'style' which makes me and a select few other laugh when they get the joke. 

I print my labels on the Avery 6503 removable, full-sheet labels. This way it doesn't matter if the labels line up with the pre-cut label lines on their other papers. I just design them how I want them and cut them out before putting on the bottle. I find this also cuts the amount of waste involved as I can also use the blank bits of leftover space for canning labels. 

I also use the Avery 3276 full sheet clear, removable window labels on whites. It prints out beautifully, and really makes an impact on a clear bottle.


----------



## dsm1212 (Apr 24, 2015)

I've been getting labels like these from my local brew shop for about $9 a pack (72 labels). http://www.4thandvinelabels.com/Fruit-B17062.htm There are other patterns, but I only get the 9 per page ones. They are about the cheapest (12.5cents) I could find that were brain dead easy to print using a laser print that wont run and still look decent. Also, I've been buying good kits lately that are coming with labels, but I do wish Eclipse would spice it up a little, they all look alike.

steve


----------



## ou8amaus (Apr 25, 2015)

I have historically just put informational rings around the bottle necks. Just print 16 per page, cut and tape into a ring. Recently though I have given thought to making proper labels... I feel many people's expectations are influenced by a polished looking product...


----------



## wine (Apr 25, 2015)

I find that if I don't label the wine, it's not "finished". I really enjoy the process of imagining and creating the labels, and I have my own strange 'style' which makes me and a select few other laugh when they get the joke. 

I would like to see one of your labels ,,, I like the way you say """"" I have my own strange 'style' which makes me and a select few other laugh when they get the joke. """ as thats a way I would do it ,,, if I did it ... cause """ I have my own strange 'style' """ I have been told this a lot ,, and the clear label I like


----------



## bsassy2 (Apr 25, 2015)

We don't feel the wine is finished without a label also. We enjoy thinking up a name and label for each of our batches. This also gives us something to do with each batch as we are waiting patiently for the wine to age. Our labels are on the light side (funny) and the people that we have given bottles to have seem to like them. They seem to go with our personalities.


----------



## Brian55 (Apr 26, 2015)

We use Open Office with Avery labels to pinpoint the date of birth and varietal, applied just below whatever labels come with the wine kit.


----------



## jumby (Apr 26, 2015)

I buy all my labels here. They have a large variety of styles to choose from. You can also design your own.


http://www.zazzle.com/wine+bottle+labels


----------



## BernardSmith (May 1, 2015)

I started off making labels that sorta kinda mimicked the labels you might find used by commercial wineries but these days I want to know when I open a bottle when that batch was started; what the key ingredients are; the variety of yeast I used; the date I bottled the wine, the final gravity and/or sweetness; and the ABV. When it comes to gifting these bottles I will add a second label with graphics and the like.


----------



## dsm1212 (May 1, 2015)

Maybe I'm cheap but I can't see paying these online sites the prices they are gouging for labels.

Staples has the Avery arch labels right now 90 for $10.99 with rebate and they will laser print them in color for 60 cents per page (9 per page). I'm going to try that out. These should look pretty good and I can customize them with any graphics and text for a total cost of under 19 cents per label.

steve


----------



## wineforfun (May 1, 2015)

I make my own in Word, with the use of graphics and picmonkey.com. Print them off at work, then cut them out at home and use a spray adhesive. With that said, I usually only make 2 gal.+ batches so it is only 10-15 labels to put on at a time. It only costs me time and a can of $5 adhesive every few months.
Here are a few of mine.


----------



## shoebiedoo (May 1, 2015)

My wife stated she appreciated the labels because she could quickly identify each wine. I now really enjoy coming up with different labels for different wines. I buy the online labels. Depending on the stock you get about 600 labels for $10 to $20. And yes, I too have a color laser printer and love it!


----------



## codeman (May 1, 2015)

I got serious when I bought a $3000 Primera label printer.


----------



## the_rayway (May 1, 2015)

wine said:


> I would like to see one of your labels ,,, I like the way you say """"" I have my own strange 'style' which makes me and a select few other laugh when they get the joke. """ as thats a way I would do it ,,, if I did it ... cause """ I have my own strange 'style' """ I have been told this a lot ,, and the clear label I like



I've got many of them posted under the "Post your Labels Here" thread 
Many more under the works, as always.


----------



## dralarms (May 1, 2015)

codeman said:


> I got serious when I bought a $3000 Primera label printer.



Wow


----------



## ou8amaus (May 2, 2015)

Is there a specific type of spray adhesive recommended? My concern is primarily with getting the label off easily afterwards!


----------



## dsm1212 (May 3, 2015)

dsm1212 said:


> Staples has the Avery arch labels right now 90 for $10.99 with rebate and they will laser print them in color for 60 cents per page (9 per page). I'm going to try that out. These should look pretty good and I can customize them with any graphics and text for a total cost of under 19 cents per label.
> 
> steve



This went pretty well and I'm probably going to stick with it for now. I used the avery software to create a pdf with the background photo on the labels that I wanted and my text. The staples web site doesn't even mention printing these for 60 cents per page, but that's all they charged.


----------



## wineforfun (May 6, 2015)

ou8amaus said:


> Is there a specific type of spray adhesive recommended? My concern is primarily with getting the label off easily afterwards!



I use Loctite brand..........only because that is what Wal-Mart sells by me. Let them soak in some oxy for a bit and they come off pretty easy.


----------



## sour_grapes (May 6, 2015)

ou8amaus said:


> Is there a specific type of spray adhesive recommended? My concern is primarily with getting the label off easily afterwards!



I don't have any direct experience, but some on here (including JS Wordy, I think) use milk. Yes, milk, as in stuff from a cow, "moo juice," Vitamin D, etc. Wet the back of the label with it and let it dry onto the bottle.


----------



## murphyaii (May 6, 2015)

*why use glue*

use milk instead.
trust me it sticks and then makes resuing the bottle later on much easier to remove the label.


----------



## ou8amaus (May 6, 2015)

sour_grapes said:


> I don't have any direct experience, but some on here (including JS Wordy, I think) use milk. Yes, milk, as in stuff from a cow, "moo juice," Vitamin D, etc. Wet the back of the label with it and let it dry onto the bottle.



I tried the milk thing and the label just "curled" off as it dried. Maybe I need to use 3.25%  I found a great recipe online using corn starch to make a glue. Works really well, but I do not know yet if it will come off easily. I think I will play around with recipes tonight...


----------



## murphyaii (May 7, 2015)

*use a brush to wipe the milk onto the label and voila it sticks without peeling.*

Simples!


----------

