What's your prefered method for labels?

[Allen Brown]

Do you have them made?

Do you use label software?

Where do you get your papers?

Do you just use duct tape & a magic marker?

 

[storm1969]

My method is MS Project to design a simple label,

Then print it out on removable labels.

They come off very easy after the bottle is drunk....

 

[socpsy]

My method is MS Project to design a simple label,

Then print it out on removable labels.

They come off very easy after the bottle is drunk....

What brand of labels do you use?

 

[akueck]

A few times I printed out labels I made in Adobe Illustrator and used some Elmer's to glue them on. That was more work than it was worth, since I just printed on regular paper and then had to cut out the labels. Now I just use a marker and write on the cap. Not exactly elegant, but you know what's inside is what counts.

 

[storm1969]

Avery.

The ones with 2 4*3 labels on them. They fit into the 4*6 picture slot on my printer. Easy to print and put on the bottle.

 

[Allen Brown]

My method is MS Project to design a simple label,

Then print it out on removable labels.

They come off very easy after the bottle is drunk....

Do tell, Please...Where do you find these removeable labels?

 

[socpsy]

Now I just use a marker and write on the cap. Not exactly elegant, but you know what's inside is what counts.

I often do a similar thing with little round stickers that are peeled from a sheet of dozens of stickers. They're pretty easy to get off and if you write with one of those thin Sharpies you can get a good description of the bottle in the space.

 

[storm1969]

Do tell, Please...Where do you find these removeable labels?

They come in various sizes.

When I get home from work I will post the Avery label number for the ones that I use.

 

[Medsen Fey]

Now I just use a marker and write on the cap. Not exactly elegant, but you know what's inside is what counts.

Tut tut. The label maketh the mead!

Seriously. People naturally judge a book by the cover and a bottle by the appearance and label. There are darned few folks who can taste something objectively. Presenting it with a slick package makes a huge impact on the perception of quality (one reason competitions don't allow labels). I'm not saying that a nice label will make an oxidized or rancid mead taste good, but something that looks better will taste better.

I use a program called printshop to make labels, but I don't recommend it because it is a pain to use. I usually print the labels on Avery 5164 size labels (unless I'm using Magnums), but the Avery labels are usually difficult to remove.

For things I know are going in the ice bucket, I use the weatherproof labels. They absolutely will not come off. To remove them I have to peel them off (they are made of a plastic-like material and stay in one piece) and then the glue they use for those weatherproof labels really stays on well. After peeling off the label, I have to soak the bottles in a concentrated PBW solution to soften the glue up for removal. I salute the Avery people for making a shipping label that will not come off in the harshest of environments

I'm interested to hear about the removable labels too.

 

[wildoates]

I haven't ventured into labeling territory yet. It's my next experiment, as I have some mead I want to give for Christmas, and I agree with Medsen that it'll be taken more seriously if it looks good. I have coworkers that have been clamoring.

 

[AToE]

Right now I just write batch numbers on the caps, but once I have something that's actually worthy of giving as a gift I'll probably buy some lables and a program. Nothing fancy in mind though, just neat text with the name, style, ingredients, etc (in case I loose a brewlog and need to recreate something).

 

[tatgeer]

I bottle in clear swing-tops, and feel that labels would get in the way of the brilliant colors. I put information on paper hang-tags. Staples has them with metal rims - the all paper ones got torn off sometimes.

For larger bottles, I print a label on a return address sticker (Avery brand, maybe, or the generic version) and stick it on the bottom. Then I try to remember to label the box they're stored in so I'm not lifting up each bottle searching for the one I want.

 

[storm1969]

The avery label number is:05453

They call them "White Removable" labels, which they are....

 

[Summersolstice]

Like Medsen, I think that with all the love and sweat I put into a bottle of mead the bottle really deserves a catchy label. I simply find some art, use MS Word and WordArt and print them with an inkjet printer, though I have to avoid water. I save the template and change the art and dates and names each time. After cutting the labels with the office paper cutter, I use a glue stick to attach them to the bottle. They float right off in hot water.

 

[keepitlow]

Don't know what labels I'd like...but I do like this bottle!

http://redstonemeadery.com/store/catalog/Redstone-Reserve-p-1-c-3.html

If I am successful at using canning jars for my home made mead. I'll just use a sharpie to note on the lid what it is. It would just be for my own consumption, so don't care about fancy labels so much. If I made good mead and gave it away, I'd get some fancy labels made no doubt.

 

[BrewinNColorado]

keepitlow-

Those bottles are ok, however they are only 375ml, so you will need twice as many. I am furtunate enough to live near Redstone, so get a lot of their bottles, including these. If you have plans on coming to Colorado, let me know, I have 11+ of those bottles, which you are welcome to have.

 

[jt852]

I tried making labels for the bottles I was giving away as gifts, but never could achieve satisfactory results with what I had available. The colors were dull and would bleed if exposed to any moisture. What I eventually did was design my labels "2-up" on a 4"x6" layout and have them printed at a digital photo kiosk. Nice vibrant colors, and waterproof too. Just cut the 2 labels apart and attach them with either double sided tape or some spray adhesive.

 

[Arcanum]

I bought some peel-and-apply labels with a preprinted design, used the company's MS Word template and some photocopies of the labels to set up some satisfactory lettering, then used one of the laser printers at work to print on the label sheets themselves. It worked very nicely.

Here are the labels I bought: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=5128

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

I use the Avery labels that come 6 to a sheet. They go on easily and seem to come off easily.

I use a program called something like "Label Maker" that I picked up for $9.95 at Best Buy a few years ago.

My biggest problem is that I use an inkjet printer and so the labels smear/run/fade when they come in contact with any moisture. I need to get a laserjet printer to correct this problem...

 

[wayneb]

You can get an acrylic spray "fixative" (sometimes called a clear coat preservative) in most hobby and craft shops that will make your ink-jet labels less susceptible to running when exposed to incidental amounts of water. The spray trick is something that I use for my labels and although it isn't perfect (it won't preserve print integrity while you're soaking the labels off, for example), it does a very good job of keeping the colors from smearing when condensation forms on the outside of a chilled bottle.