What kind of label paper do ya'll use?

I'm new to the whole homebrew culture and I'm about to bottle my first batch (a vanilla creme stout). I was wonder what type of label paper would be best. I will most likely be using my HP deskjet to print the labels.

I'm using amstel lt bottles that I have collected from the bar I work at. I like the easily removed plastic labels on the amstel bottles.

On another note, my beer seems to be going very well and I have to thank all dedicated great posters than have been able to answer pretty much every question I could have. (until this one )
This is an exceptional community and extremely informative.

Andy

Ps- for any of those "it's always sunny" fans, I'm gonna call my beer an "Irish MilkSteak"

I would avoid the deskjet. The first time the bottles go into a cooler or sweat a little the ink will run off. Stick with a laser printer.

I go to Office Max with my label design as a PDF on a pen drive. They are able to print enough labels for a ~50 bottle batch for $3-4. I ask for 24# paper printed on a color laserjet.

+1 laserjet will hold up much better to moisture, even the just a little like a bottle sweating will make deskjet inks run.

PJ when you take your labels to Office Max do you allready have them laid out in a template or are you just taking the file by itself in to be printed and they arrange it to fit however many to a sheet?

You should definitely save a PDF with the 4-6 labels on it in a grid. That way you can be sure they'll look just as you want them.

As for sticking them on the bottles, I'd recommend milk. Just soak a sponge, press the label on the milky sponge, and press it on the bottle. They don't come off in a bucket of ice, but with warm water it's a breeze!

+1 on the milk adhession technique. Works like a charm.

storunner13 said:

You should definitely save a PDF with the 4-6 labels on it in a grid. That way you can be sure they'll look just as you want them.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip storunner, so do you just set them up to print 4-6 labels with windows picture print controls then print to pdf?

I made the label in Photoshop, tiled them so that they were all exactly side by side (for easy cutting), and saved as a jpg to print off on a color laserjet. A PDF file might be easier for Office Max. I'd show you a file, but I can't seem to find it...

So summarized: There's just one .jpg file of 4 tiled labels.

I've stopped using any sort of adhesive labels at all, unless there's something REALLY special that I want to give away. I hot tired of de-gumming my bottles.

Now days, I print on regular paper & hold in place with a small bit of scotch tape on each side. Easy removal.

http://www.planetlabel.com/labels/p...ter-resistant-vinyl-2-3-8-x-4-rectangle~white

I use same bottle label design for all my beers, just change the cap label. These are somewhat pricy vinyl lables but they last years.

For those who have tried the milk adhesion... Does it effect the label colors or leave any kind of haze (film) on the label? I'd hate to spend all the toner on the labels just to have them not live up to the fullest. Thanks for your input.

I never noticed any haze or discoloration. You only expose the back of the label to the milk, and it doesn't really soak into the paper, it just creates a layer between the bottle and the paper which dries, and sticks.

Mosesdanger....word of caution.
First off: I have no experience with Amstel, either their bottles or their beer, so i dont know what the head of the bottle looks like.
However, I tried using second hand bottles on my last batch, and some of them would not seal the cap on. It was only 3 or 4 bottles that had issues, so i just poured them into actual homebrew bottles and continued bottling. Further inspection showed the area below the very top where the bottle caps clamp, was too short. My capper needs to grip 1/2 inch or so below the cap to crimp it on correctly. This is hard to describe but easy to see, LOL, SO....
The first photo, notice the small length of the bulbous part right below the cap (insert joke here). Bottles similar to that WILL NOT work with certain cappers.

Now notice the length of that bulbous area in the second photo, this bottle (below) likely would work perfectly.

Saranac bottles are an example of what will work well. As is dogfish, they are the same lenght head as homebrew bottles. Amstel, again, i have NO idea. I suggest capping an empty one before you start getting the beer ready for bottling, just to be sure.
Also, never use twist off's! (Probably goes without saying, but I have made some mistakes that 'go without saying' as well.....)
best of luck

unionrdr said:

After having read this thread,it got me to wondering. If I use my inkjet printer,would a craft spray like they use on paintings & such work to "set" the ink? They have them for water proofing,anti-discoloration,etc. I may just look into that.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a great idea. I'll be interested in hearing how that worked out for you. I might experiment with it myself.

www.Bottleyourbrand.com
You can upload a custom image onto an already pre-determined size of 3''x4'' (hxw). I just ordered 50 labels for $45.