FAQ

Inkable label co. guide map

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE ORDERING YOUR CUSTOM LABELS

FAQ

SERVICE TERMS – OUR GUARANTEE

We fully guarantee that your custom labels will be free from general defects, as long as your artwork file was correctly prepared according to our printing guidelines. Any complaints or questions must be sent to us within 5 working days of the goods being received.

While our manual Prepress check allows us to review files and notify you of any problems before printing, it is ultimately your responsibility to submit print-ready files. We will not be held responsible for improper bleed or trim setup, or unexpected color shifts due to incorrect color settings.

If you have any questions about how to prepare files, please consult the FILE PREPARATION section above. You can also contact your designer to assist in creating a press-ready file. Should you require further assistance, we can assist with file setup for additional fees. Fees are determined on a case-to-case basis.

FULFILLMENT AND DELIVERY OF YOUR CUSTOM LABELS

IS MY ORDER ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SHIPPING?

Inkable Label Co. ships worldwide. However free shipping is only applicable to US orders. Shipping to other countries may incur a postal fee. Kindly see the table below, for your reference:

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR MY CUSTOM LABELS TO ARRIVE?

Our turnaround times are counted from the moment you sign off on the proof. We print and finish labels in 3-5 days, and shipping takes 3-4 days.
If you are a global customer, please be advised that we have no way to control and do not guarantee delivery and/or delivery dates. If you have experienced difficulty in the past when receiving orders or do not see your location in the set countries during checkout, please contact service@www.inkablelabel.com and include your exact address so we our team can determine if shipping to you is an option.
* We will work only with a pre-agreed completion date if we are confident that we can meet your deadlines. 
If it is a tight schedule, you must make available all materials and content on the same day of placing your order. If we do not receive your files on time, or if you do not submit a print-ready file and Prepress encounters any problems with your file that requires that timelines be pushed back, you must adjust accordingly.
In the event that production schedules are not followed, delivery dates will be subject to renegotiation. 
We will be very open with you if we cannot guarantee on-time delivery (based on production and shipping), and your consent to go ahead will mean that you agree to the below :

• We will not be liable for indirect or incidental damages or loss of profits whatsoever that may result from any delays in receipt of orders due to late file submissions or post/courier issues; we honor timelines as agreed with your customer service manager.
• Any errors not related to industry standard gang run color shifts, layout and proofing issues with approved soft proofs, printing delay due to unapproved soft proofs, will result in a full reprint or refund, depending on what you prefer.

CAN I CHOOSE DIFFERENT SHIPPING LOCATIONS DURING CHECKOUT?

Yes, you can select a different address for each of your custom labels order. Handling and shipping fees may be applicable depending on which locations you nominate.
If you need expedited shipping options, please contact service@www.inkablelabel.com and we will be happy to arrange this for you.
CUSTOM LABELS SPECIFICATIONS

IMPORTANT: Before sending files, please go through our checklist and templates below :

LABEL MATERIAL / FACESTOCK

All labels have substrates that can either be paper or plastic film. These are your working materials, or your “ facestock”.
This is very important because you will need to consider your custom labels’ facestock when deciding what to use for your product labeling. When evaluating your needs for the correct material, consider the environment where your labels will be placed, the product surface and the temperature in which your custom labels (applied to your products) will be stored or exposed.

A good example would be custom water bottle labels. As your labels will definitely, at some point, come in contact with water spillage, you will then need to use something that is more moisture-resistant. A plastic film base with gloss laminate would be best for this type of application to ensure your custom labels have vibrant color, and are *more durable and suited for this particular use.

* The life span of your custom labels is dependent on the label material or facestock that you choose. Paper labels without laminate (uncoated), such as Kraft labels are not waterproof, nor moisture-proof. The addition of a laminate (gloss or matte) will give some protection against moisture, but as the base material or facestock is paper, liquid or moisture can get into the sides and damage the paper base label material.

Your custom labels can be printed on various types of materials, in any size you need. All custom label sizes are available at no extra cost.

Paper – Standard Stocks : Inkable Labels Co.’s standard paper label materials include smooth uncoated matte paper label stock (non-gloss), and lightweight coated paper label stock (semi-gloss). Both are bright white stock. Smoothness and added protection can be achieved with the addition of coating/laminate for a custom professional look. It is not water-resistant, but (especially gloss) is suitable for projects that will have some contact with moisture and will need some durability in damp conditions.

* Your paper labels can be finished with either gloss laminate (high-shine, vibrant colors) or matte laminate (satin finish, dull colors).

Paper - Kraft : Brown uncoated paper stock, this material promotes an organic and eco-friendly feel. As it is uncoated paper it is extremely porous, with printed inks giving the label a dull, matte finish. This material is not moisture, oil, or water-resistant.

Plastic Film : White, durable, gloss-laminated film material that is waterproof, tear-proof, and resistant to oil. This label material is strong, flexible, and has excellent label adhesion on a variety of smooth surfaces, such as glass, rigid plastics, metals, and wood. These are great product labels that have a wide range of applications.

Clear Film (PVC) : Transparent, moisture and water-resistant, this material is synthetic Poly Vinyl Carbonate (PVC), a durable plastic material that accepts inks well to give beautiful full color prints for your product labeling needs.

* White ink printing available for custom clear labels. A white undercoat is recommended for more vibrant, opaque colors on clear labels.

Foil : This material (using a foil substrate) is a cost-effective alternative to costly foil stamping, and is produced as stylish Gold Foil Labels, Silver Foil Labels (Mirror finish), and Silver Foil Labels (Dull finish). Reflective Foil Labels are sure to attract attention and focus your audience’s eye on your logo or messaging on your product packaging.

* Gold foil and Silver foil (mirror finish) both utilize plastic film bases, whereas Silver foil (dull finish) has a paper base. Silver foil with dull finish is not water-resistant. All foil stocks have some protection against moisture as they all have a film of gloss laminate on top.

LABEL COATINGS OR LAMINATE

Laminates are coatings on the surface of your custom labels. Once applied, they create a smoother label texture, and give wear-and-tear protection for your prints against ink scuffing and frequent handling. This is the top layer of your custom label and this dictates the final look and finish of your custom labels—it is what you can see and feel.

LABEL COATINGS OR LAMINATE

Laminates are coatings on the surface of your custom labels. Once applied, they create a smoother label texture, and give wear-and-tear protection for your prints against ink scuffing and frequent handling. This is the top layer of your custom label and this dictates the final look and finish of your custom labels—it is what you can see and feel.

COATED VS UNCOATED

CUSTOM LABELS WITH MATTE LAMINATE - For a flat, non-shiny label finish, with printed colors that are soft and muted. Generally, colors are duller or “ flat”, with less contrast. Matte coating is forgiving with low resolution prints (less contrast due to low light reflectivity) and provides for a refined appearance.CUSTOM LABELS WITH GLOSS LAMINATE - Gloss makes your custom labels extremely smooth and allows them to reflect a lot of light, which is why it gives a shiny coat on your labels. This coating reproduces vibrant color, and delivers sharper detail due to higher contrast (shadows are darker and highlights are brighter). Gloss also provides more protection against ink scuffing.

* Uncoated paper labels have a “ Matte” finish. It is a term meant to describe uncoated labels and is different from Matte Laminate, which is a non-shine paper coating.

FORMAT - CUSTOM INDIVIDUAL LABELS OR CUSTOM ROLL LABELS

How will you apply your custom labels? Format is important because it will help make your product packaging process faster.

• Roll labels’ individual label count will depend on your custom label size and material, and would be your option if you have a labeling machine for fast and even application. On set quantities we can also do custom label pieces on each roll, however if you are printing too few per roll label we would need to realign and assess shipping fees.
• Individual labels are those projects that will require manual application.

You can specify the unwind direction if you are ordering roll labels. We can print in whichever label orientation you need—if this is to be dispensed from the top of the roll (up and over) or bottom of the roll (down and under). Check and reference your labeling machine’s manual or machine manufacturer for the correct unwind direction. Once you know for certain, we recommend specifying unwind direction for your roll labels so that we can produce them facing in the right direction on the roll at the time of application.
If you are hand-applying your custom labels, unwind direction would not be an issue. Unwind direction is critical in larger scale packaging processes, and would follow the application and dispensing direction of machine label applicators.

CUSTOM LABEL SIZES, CUSTOM LABEL SHAPES

PRINT ANY SIZE. At Inkable Label Co., we print your custom labels (standard shapes only) in any size you need them.
All our labels are made to measure, and we do not charge any additional fees (up to $350 in value, for standard shapes) for custom sizing as long as it is within our size guidelines, which is 1”x 1” up to 12” x 18”.

DIECUT SHAPES/SPECIAL SHAPES: We can print artwork cutouts for your labels as diecut shapes. This is done after printing your custom labels, as part of the finishing process.
These special shapes are clean outlines, much like cookie cutter shapes, as opposed to our standard geometric shapes. Diecuts can closely follow the contours of your label artwork

DO YOU CUSTOM PRINTING WITH METALLIC INKS?

We currently do not offer this process, as well as foil embossing (raised prints), Spot UV finishing, or Pantone color matching/*Spot color.
If you need metallic prints in silver or gold, an alternative that we can offer is to do a foil stamp. We will use our foil labels for this. For example, if you need silver ink printing, we can use silver foil labels and print color (with an undercoat of white ink) on areas that would not require the silver print. The areas that are untouched/with no prints will show through as silver—this would utilize negative space for the metallic prints.

* If you require color matching, we can convert your file/s and supply a press proof (hard proof) to match color. Please see “PROOFING OF YOUR CUSTOM LABELS” section below.

WHAT MATERIAL IS BEST FOR MY CUSTOM LABEL PROJECT?

We know how important it is to get the best custom label materials to match every print project. For a more in depth review of our offerings, please carefully go through this comprehensive resource to check and compare our label stocks and see if this suits your custom label needs.

We work hard to increase your confidence in shopping with us. To ensure you are empowered with correct information before we print your custom labels, we have all our label stocks spec sheets below for your consideration. If you need any samples to help you decide, kindly contact us and we’ll get them to you right away.

BRITTLE PAPER

GLOSS SILVER POLYESTER

HOLOGRAPHIC SILVER POLYESTER

KRAFT PAPER

MATTE GOLD POLYESTER

MATTE SILVER HARSH ENVIRONMENT POLYESTER

SILVER METALIZED PAPER

TRANSPARENT VINYL

WHITE NATURAL MATTE PAPER

WHITE PLASTIC FILM

WHITE SEMIGLOSS PAPER

WHITE SEMIGLOSS PAPER-HIGH TACK

FILE PREPARATION

To minimize errors, and to make Prepress checks and proofing quicker, please take note of our guidelines below. Taking the time to check and correct any issues below before you submit your file/s to us will make the whole process considerably faster.

CUSTOM LABEL ARTWORK CHECKLIST

FILE SETUP

• Set all your label artwork’s images, objects, and your file’s colour mode to CMYK for digital printing.
• We print labels to any size. Please double check artwork dimensions before sending to save on proofing time.
• Do not include printer’s crop marks or registration marks in your PDF export.
• Add a 3mm bleed to all sides.

ARTWORK

• Our Prepress check does not include reviewing text. We do not alter textual content to keep the integrity of the files, especially with sensitive information (contact numbers, names, alphanumeric codes, and so on), to avoid any clerical errors. It is your responsibility to check for spelling and/or grammar mistakes and correct these accordingly.
• We strongly recommend that all raster images be at least 350 dpi (original resolution, not resized) to ensure that your artwork prints sharp, without any pixilation.
• Outline all fonts. This is important in your free Prepress check and report, because any errors in layout area, color saturation or other preflight concerns will entail touching these art elements. We cannot correct issues with flattened layers.
• If there are any fine lines in your label artwork, please note that the minimum line thickness that our machine can go down to is .57pt or 0.2mm. Any thinner and we cannot guarantee strong, even printed lines.

FILE NAMING

While our customer service associates will be on hand to manage your custom label projects, proper file naming is important as an initial measure to make processing faster, and so that we can easily track and annex files related to your print job.

Please use this naming scheme for all your label artwork files:
Your Company Name – Name of Label - Date

FILE FORMATS

Please save your label artwork as layered .PDF files so that our Prepress Team can properly check and report any issues to you. We can certainly work with layered files saved as one of the below formats as well :
PDF (Adobe Portable Document File)
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
AI (Adobe Illustrator Artwork)
PSD (Adobe Photoshop Artwork)
We prefer to use PDF files whenever possible for our Prepress checks. If you submit a file in any other format, we cannot process this and you will need to convert them into one of the above formats.

COLOR SETTINGS

Please set your label artwork’s objects, images, colors within the document, as well as the document’s color settings to CMYK (Cyan – Magenta – Yellow – black color space) for digital printing. Any files submitted in RGB color space will be automatically converted to CMYK, resulting to a slight color shift. We cannot guarantee color integrity from converted files.

* We do not color-correct artwork. Any and all color values on the layout will also be respected and this will remain untouched unless artwork exceeds the recommended TIC (Total Ink Coverage), in which we will need to reduce ink saturation to avoid print issues. In this case, we will report this to you as certainly there will be a color shift resulting to the adjustment made.

PMS (PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM) COLORS : We do not offer Spot Color matching at this time. Our digital printing uses a four-color process build (CMYK); and while we can’t guarantee very close color replication, we can make an approximation by converting color values to close CMYK combinations.

* An important note : Comparing color on screen is not a good benchmark for color accuracy, as our screens are calibrated differently. If you are keen on getting very close color, we offer hard proofs as well, so that you can personally check for color accuracy. This is provided at a minimal fee.

IMAGE QUALITY

One of the most important factors to check when looking at print ready files is the image quality, or resolution of a file. This includes checking the general resolution (file/document setting) as well as individual art elements (objects, images) if they are of high resolution.

We strongly recommend setting all artwork and images to 350 dpi; otherwise we will not guarantee crisp prints without any pixilation. If you have original sources of your files, they also need to be of an equivalent (same) dpi to prevent getting low-resolution results. Please use vector format (not raster) for fonts and objects so that we can perform our Prepress check on all your artwork elements. We will not be responsible for any errors in layout and print quality if you cannot submit font (text) or objects in vector format.

Whenever possible, we also advise using source .TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) files without .JPEG compression.
* With logos and other shapes we recommend using vector files, or JPEGs that are at least 350dpi (must be the original file and not saved as 350dpi). If we find any low-resolution photos, we will inform you and ask you to resupply, as we cannot recreate what isn't already there.

SAFETY MARGINS, BLEED, AND TRIM

These refer to the considerations for print. On proofs you will notice Blue, Red, and Black boxes--these are our Printer's Guidelines. The part of your artwork that extends to the Red lines indicates the " Bleed"; this should have all art elements that you would want to print edge-to-edge. Blue would denote the Safety Margins and this encloses the Safety Area; any important details (logo, text) should be in this area so that it is safe once we run the prints through our trimming machine. Black lines/black box would show you your final, finished print, as you would receive it.

To guarantee that your artwork prints edge-to-edge, please add a 1/8 inch to all sides and extend all design elements on the page to the edge of your new bleed border.

* We require files to have the correct Bleed ad Safety settings, otherwise this will double proofing time.

If you do not follow our requirements above, we cannot guarantee and will not be responsible for the outcome of your final printed labels.

MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY

We accept custom label orders starting at 1,000pcs. This is our minimum quantity that lends to cost-effective processing and printing, contributing to the savings that you get from each order. You will also enjoy incremental savings as you increase your custom label quantity.

PROOFING OF YOUR CUSTOM LABELS

TYPES OF PROOFS

SOFT PROOFS/ON SCREEN PROOFS : For every label artwork that is provided with every custom label order, we provide complimentary Prepress checks and soft proofs. This is free of charge. You can sign off on the soft proofs if color is not critical. These are accurate enough that they confirm layout, ink saturation issues, and text/grammar issues.

HARD PROOFS/PRINTED PREPRODUCTION PROOFS/PRESS PROOFS : These are finished printed sample labels that will show you how your artwork will look like on the actual material you specified, using the same inks, as on your approved soft proof. These will allow you to have a look-feel, and you can peel away the backing paper and apply these on your products, for a final review, before we start production of the whole lot.

These are provided at a small fee, for projects that need closer color reproduction, or a signed approval from your team. Press proofs will take a week (including shipping); please plan your timelines accordingly if you require these.

REORDERING YOUR CUSTOM LABELS

HOW CAN I RESUPPLY MY ARTWORK?

We keep all files that we have printed for all our customers’ projects. This includes approved soft proofs that have been sent to press.
If you would like to reorder your custom labels, you can simply email service@www.inkablelabel.com and specify your job number in the email subject line.

CAN I SEE A PROOF OF MY PRINTED LABELS SO THAT I CAN RE-CHECK?

Certainly, we’ll be happy to re-send your soft proof and we do recommend double-checking before reprinting your custom labels. Simply email your request to service@www.inkablelabel.com and reference your order number. We’ll send you a soft PDF proof as soon as possible.

PAYMENT PROCESS

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS I CAN PAY FOR MY CUSTOM LABELS ORDER?

Visa, Mastercard, Bank Card, through PayPal (You do not even need a PayPal account as long as you have a working credit card), and PayPal Prepaid.

DO YOU RETAIN CREDIT CARD INFORMATION?

We take our online payment security very seriously, and for this reason we will never store credit card information on our servers. Any and all personal information is kept strictly confidential.
All online payments are made through PayPal merchant services. What this means is that we never see your personal details, or your card details at all. The only information we see is whether or not the payment has been approved or declined.

THE INKABLE LABEL CO. GUIDE MAP is a quick and comprehensive resource to help you understand the processes that will conduct you throughout your custom label ordering process. Everything is dedicated to increasing your confidence in shopping with us, and ensuring you are empowered with correct information before you head out to purchase your custom labels.   Simply click on a core question above and start learning about Inkable Label Co. If you don’t find the information you are looking for, please email service@inkablelabel.com and we will be happy to consult.