Label Software

Is there a commercial package for creating Beer Labels that is worth looking into. New guy on the block just wondering.

Thanks
NJLOAD

No techno geeks here that use software for labels?

Photoshop does me, youll need to read up on some tutorials to get the hang of it. Sadly its not free, but you could always browse the net for someone to "lend" you a copy, if you catch my drift
Photoshop CS 2 is the latest, great piece of software.

Ive also heard good things about GIMP, aparently it has all the abilities of PS but is completely free. Never actualy tried it, but might be worth a look.

Paintshop Pro is also a good one, been a good few years since ive tried it but its up there with PS. Again, not free though.

Those 3 should keep you covered, there are plenty more out there though. In fact if you look around this forum there is a few links to sites that create labels for you, some free, some not.

I find that a combination of using the label generators and playing around in the gfx program of your choice gives the best results, but thats just my opinion.

LewisM, thanks for the reply. I have a few photo programs, but was wondering if there is a good bottle label program on the market designed for the brew world. I don't mind spending money if it makes the job easy and look good.

Thanks again, maybe someone else will chime in and list a program designed just for this.

njload

I like the GIMP (so to speak), but the few labels I've created have actually been with PowerPoint and liberal cutting/pasting.

I use a combination of Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Logo Design Studio.

I haven't actually designed my labels yet (still thinking up a concept) but I'll be using the GIMP for the artwork. GIMP takes a little getting used to (as does Photoshop if you've never used it), but I've been using GIMP for 8 or 9 years. www.gimp.org

As for software specifically designed for designing or printing labels, I can't really help there.

Believe it or not the old PrintShop software is still around and the latest version (v13,346?) does a decent job; it's not as flexible as GIMP or Photoshop but has enough to get you better than average layouts. It also supports printing label sheets. I usually just mark my bottlecaps but I always put a nice label on the bottles I give away. If I remember right it runs about $30.

If you don't mind the cost you can go to www.mylabels.com and use the templetes. They look nice, but are very pricey

I was going to use the Gimp, and still use it for some purposes with label-making, but the two labels I've designed I ended up doing in Inkscape. It's a vector graphics program, and takes some getting used to. It's free software like the Gimp. Vector graphics have an advantage in that they can be resized and not lose quality, but it serves a different niche than raster graphics.

Nice part about Inkscape is that it shows you the boundries of the paper and has a ruler so you can put your label exactly where you want it on your paper exactly the size you want it.

I used whatever I had, Print Shop Deluxe, PrintMaster, or a photo program. Then I put it on a disc, and took it to the guys at the print shop next door. They printed 6 to the sheet on their laser color printer- it's water proof 'ink' is actualy melted plastic. They owed me, for all the samples of home brew I 'made' them taste! Then I used a glue stick to apply them- they soak off in a few hours, so I've gone to gel packs instead of ice in my cooler.