# size of labesl



## jamesngalveston (Jun 20, 2013)

what size do you use for front and for back...
thanks.


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## Rocky (Jun 20, 2013)

James, I don't label every bottle with a 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" shipping label (Avery #8164). I do label every bottle with a 1" x 2 5/8" mailing label (Avery #8160. They come 30 per sheet.) before I place the bottles on the rack or in cases that I plan to keep for a year or two. I seal these cases and lay them on their sides. If I am preparing a bottle for a gift or special occasion, I will gen up a more elaborate shipping label (They are 6 per sheet.) and put it on the bottle along with a capsule. IMHO, it is a waste of my time and money to put an elaborate label on a bottle that we are going to consume at home. Just my way of doing it. Not trying to sell this to anyone.


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## WI_Wino (Jun 20, 2013)

Rocky said:


> James, I don't label every bottle with a 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" shipping label (Avery #8164). I do label every bottle with a 1" x 2 5/8" mailing label (Avery #8160. They come 30 per sheet.) before I place the bottles on the rack or in cases that I plan to keep for a year or two. I seal these cases and lay them on their sides. If I am preparing a bottle for a gift or special occasion, I will gen up a more elaborate shipping label (They are 6 per sheet.) and put it on the bottle along with a capsule. IMHO, it is a waste of my time and money to put an elaborate label on a bottle that we are going to consume at home. Just my way of doing it. Not trying to sell this to anyone.



Agree 100%. The little mailing labels are a slight pain to get off. I am considering going back to no labels for most of my wines and organize my wine racks accordingly.


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## Tess (Jun 20, 2013)

I use avery label 5168 3-1/2" x 5" 4 per sheet. because I hate removing them, I dont label every bottle unless Im giving them away as a gift or Im serving them to guest at my home. 
I label the Box the bottles come in and put them right back in upside down and slide then under my wine table. Long storage I will label a Rubbermaid tub. Put them in on their side and way back under my basement steps where it stays a constant dark 68 degrees.


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## jamesngalveston (Jun 20, 2013)

rocky are those labels a glossy label.
tess are your labels glossy


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## FABulousWines (Jun 20, 2013)

I have also used the 5168 labels and they are not glossy. I don't expect most of these Avery labels are glossy; they are mainly used for shipping labels. But I could be wrong.

I am actually thinking of going the route of only labeling for gifts. The most time consuming part of this hobby has been label removal. My thoughts were to start using different colored capsules. If it gets to where that gets confusing mark the capsule with a sharpie.


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## Rocky (Jun 20, 2013)

James, neither of the labels I use (5160 & 5164) are glossy. I have an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless printer and I use HP ink. I have never had a problem with ink running using this combination. This includes when I am soaking the labels in water to remove them. Here are some recent example of my labeling. You can see that I am not into aesthetics. "Fitness for use" i.e. 'does it identify what is in the bottle?' is my sole criterion.


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## jamesngalveston (Jun 20, 2013)

thanks rocky...


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## olusteebus (Jun 20, 2013)

Rocky, I have been making labels for most of my bottles but it really is a waste of money and time. I think I will do what you do with a small label with enough info on it. The only thing I will do differently is I will put the little labels on Straight!


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## Rocky (Jun 20, 2013)

Olusteebus, I don't mean to put them on at different angles and positions on the bottle. It just happens that way! I bottle the wine, put it in cases standing up for a few days to let the cork set and then label. I am normally sitting on a stool near the wine racks and take one bottle at a time out of the case, label it and place it on a rack. I try to work rather quickly with the label in one hand and the bottle in the other. The "hurrier" I go, the "crookeder" I get.

My Bride is more of your school of thought. Being a former pharmacist, she is almost anal about getting the label on straight and in a consistent position. She is very critical of my seemingly haphazard way of doing it. I would add that this does not in any way deter her from drinking it!


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## jamesngalveston (Jun 20, 2013)

lol, who would drink a wine with a crooked label...you go rocky.


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## GaDawg (Jun 20, 2013)

Rocky, are you sure you haven't been sampling along with labeling


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## Jeff180 (Jun 21, 2013)

jamesngalveston said:


> lol, who would drink a wine with a crooked label...you go rocky.



But the label straightens out when you take a swig 

I use Avery 05453 labels for bottles I give away. I can fit a logo and wine name on the front. Then I cut them in half for some text on the back. They remove a little easier than commercial labels, but I still need to soak the bottles and use a razor blade to get it clean.


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## Noontime (Jun 21, 2013)

Our most popular label size is 3.3" x 4" with a back label of 2.6" x 3.5. A tall 3" x 5" would be the next popular, and the large 4" x 6" are quite popular as well with the bigger, special wines.

From a design perspective, the size really doesn't matter as long as it matches the content of the label. You can have a giant label with a simple graphic and text like Charles Smith (love those labels), or have a smaller label densely packed like some traditional French wines. With back labels they should be visually smaller than the front label.

I don't label bottles that we will be drinking at home either... and I own a wine label company!  But if anyone else will be seeing my wines, they definitely get a label.


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## jamesngalveston (Jun 21, 2013)

thanks David, appreciate the info.


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