Labels play a vital role in ensuring that products are marketed successfully. They are responsible for grabbing the attention of the consumer and ultimately influencing purchasing decisions.
But what happens when a customer requires a label that is unusual in shape or size? This is exactly what happened to a Guru Labels customer who needed a curved label that would wrap all the way around a paint bucket.
The first challenge
Printing a label for a curved surface is not a simple task. The circumference of the bucket was quite wide – 896 millimetres to be exact. Most traditional printing presses would either not be able to print it that wide or cut it that wide.
Most label printers have a maximum width for their labels when using roll-fed machines, but this customer needed them on rolls. The length of the labels was too long for traditional tooling, so they couldn’t be made on roll-to-roll presses.
The first Guru solution
Guru made use of its laser cutting facility to cut the label in tiles and join them all up. This allowed them to create the size label the customer needed on a roll.
The laser cutter was a real game changer, allowing Guru to quickly and cost-effectively produce pre-production samples. It also saved money on tooling costs, as the client didn’t have to pay for a die, which usually costs around $800.
The second challenge
It is not just the width of the label that needed to be taken into consideration. When the label is being put on a curved paint bucket, it had to be able to handle the taper of the bucket. Putting a flat label on a curved bucket will cause it to crimp around the edges.
The second Guru solution
To solve this issue, Guru utilised its software to come up with a way to morph the label so that it had a curve to allow for the curve of the bucket.
Artwork was another important aspect that needed to be modified to allow for the curve of the bucket. The Guru team spent a lot of time and effort in modifying the customer’s artwork to ensure that it would look great once the label was on the bucket. Many pre-production runs were done to ensure that everything was perfect.
The customer had approached several other printers before Guru, but none were interested in the project because of how technical it was.
“We were looking for an affordable and quality printing company and we contacted Guru,” commented Sedigh Zadeh of Lumo Paints. “They managed our work perfectly. Once we provided them with the artwork, they recommended the best way of doing the printing. Honestly, it was hard to find someone to understand what we were trying to do. Our artwork was large with lots of details. Nick and Stef did a great job. We are very pleased with the outcome.”
Guru Labels Director Nick Lowe said, “At our company, we are always up for a challenge and are willing to try new things. This was no exception, and we are happy that we were able to help the customer get the perfect label for their paint bucket.”
Caption:
Guru Labels solved the problem of printing a curved label that would wrap all the way around Lumo’s paint bucket
