How I print beer lables for cheap. small runs and long runs, waterproof-ish.

[feinbera]

How are you guys cutting your labels? Is there a fast/precise way to do it?

That's what the cropmarks (the little lines just outside the labels on the template) are for -- they show you where you put your ruler, then, holding the ruler steady with one hand, you run an xacto blade or box cutter along the edge of the ruler with the other, and, bam! perfectly straight line, exactly where it needs to be in relation to the printed labels.

Practice a couple times on scratch paper before you start butchering your expensive laser printouts, though (but, don't ask me how I know...).

 

[justabrewin]

Yeah - what feinbera said. Box cutter/exacto blade and a ruler. I stacked my sheets and did them all at once.

 

[Dust]

Ok cool thanks. Another couple of questions; I'm getting these printed at Kinko's or Fedex or whatever it's called now again (first labels had a typo ).

1) I was wondering if there was a specific type of paper that would work best with this?

2) Should I just be using the color copy machines there to make copies or if I should have them printed by another method (say at the front desk or so)? The staff there is very unhelpful, the last time I went an old lady had to start crying in order to get a worker's attention...

 

[justabrewin]

Ok cool thanks. Another couple of questions; I'm getting these printed at Kinko's or Fedex or whatever it's called now again (first labels had a typo ).

1) I was wondering if there was a specific type of paper that would work best with this?

2) Should I just be using the color copy machines there to make copies or if I should have them printed by another method (say at the front desk or so)? The staff there is very unhelpful, the last time I went an old lady had to start crying in order to get a worker's attention...

I used regular copy paper from a laser printer. I have to soak them in water to get the label off though. I just used milk as my 'glue'.

 

[DPBISME]

Awesome labels! I have a question for you guys. How are you guys cutting your labels? Is there a fast/precise way to do it? I printed out around 40-50 labels and I want to get to labeling when I get home today but I realized that using scissors is going to take forever and is also not as precise as I would like (I don't have the steadiest of hands ).

I duh-know how they would do it but if you made your line I thin a Straight-Edge and a razor would work well...

 

[bruben]

I was planning on ordering labels online. But since I'm pretty savvy with photoshop, I'm gonna use this on my first batch. Thank you,,,

 

[ViperMan]

Just throwing this out here: These are what I use. I bought 100 sheets in 2011 and haven't run out yet... I get them printed at Kinkos, using Photoshop for my design (I'm not uber-talented at making labels, but I can get by).

http://www.onlinelabels.com/ol3078.htm

Anyways, the bottom label isn't quite as big as others are using, but I like the added visibility of the neck label.

Here's just one of my designs with this label:

(The typo at top was corrected post-upload!)

 

[kombat]

Just throwing this out here: These are what I use. I bought 100 sheets in 2011 and haven't run out yet... I get them printed at Kinkos, using Photoshop for my design (I'm not uber-talented at making labels, but I can get by).

http://www.onlinelabels.com/ol3078.htm

Ah, but for the important question: How difficult is it to remove them from the bottles again afterwards? Will they come off with a simple soak in some warm PBW water (like regular beer labels), or do they leave glue residue behind?

 

[ViperMan]

Ah, but for the important question: How difficult is it to remove them from the bottles again afterwards? Will they come off with a simple soak in some warm PBW water (like regular beer labels), or do they leave glue residue behind?

Soak and peel in plain water - doesn't even need to be warm. In fact I can't really put them on ice because the labels usually fall off in the cooler. They leave a very thin texture on the bottle - don't know that I can call it "residue", though that's probably what it is... What I typically do is take a few paper towels, spray them with Windex, and just wipe each bottle down real quick - goes away completely then. (I don't label EVERY beer I make, so it's not like every bottle requires this kind of maintenance.)

 

[AVLbrewing]

Thanks 241,

Download here..

http://d.pr/f/a5nJ

Thanks for the template! I'm working on a few labels now. I have a few friends who have requested some homebrew, and I think this will really help the presentation.

 

[kombat]

Soak and peel in plain water - doesn't even need to be warm. In fact I can't really put them on ice because the labels usually fall off in the cooler. They leave a very thin texture on the bottle - don't know that I can call it "residue", though that's probably what it is... What I typically do is take a few paper towels, spray them with Windex, and just wipe each bottle down real quick - goes away completely then. (I don't label EVERY beer I make, so it's not like every bottle requires this kind of maintenance.)

Interesting. I've been a little "gun-shy" about trying the self-adhesive labels since I tried one from Staples that left sticky gum residue on the bottles that had to be scraped off with a razor blade.

I'm not a fan of the idea of Windex around my beer bottles, but maybe a hot PBW soak would accomplish the same thing. I might give these labels a try.

 

[ViperMan]

I dunno what PBW is (keep seeing it, but dunno what it is.)

I don't spray the bottles, I just spritz a paper towel, and it's only 'cause I'm a stickler for bottles with water residue and such on them. I usually clean the bottles before applying labels to make sure they stick nicely, and to make them really look nice.

The bottles that make it home aren't sticky when I soak the labels off - you can only tell that they had a label if they're wet: the water beads up differently and sorta "sticks" to the bottle where the label was. I've been putting labels on bottles now for 3 years. I still have most of my original bottles and couldn't tell you which ones were labeled in the past. The ones that didn't come home were sold to my car club - they were considered collectors items.

 

[Lagunitas]

man that template is sweet. good job guys

 

[Hulud]

Hey brianmot,

How do you set those hash marks to lock the image to? I want to make some different sized labels. Specially ones for bombers and some for wine bottles

 

[brianmot]

Hulud,

Since photoshop isnt specifically set up for label making and is more of a photo editing software, it is bit more complicated than that. I just bottled some pinot noir and plan on making labels soon. Ill be sure to post the template when I do that.

 

[Hulud]

Hulud,

Since photoshop isnt specifically set up for label making and is more of a photo editing software, it is bit more complicated than that. I just bottled some pinot noir and plan on making labels soon. Ill be sure to post the template when I do that.

Yea that's what I was afraid of. As soon as you do it I would love to get the template from ya. I am making yoopers table wine with my wife and some Australian Chardonnay with my mother. And I'll see how the size looks for bombers

 

[PanzerBanana]

Sweet work. Have you ever tried wax paper to see if it would leave the adhesive intact on the labels? That way you could spray an entire sheet add the "backing" and then just get a paper cuter to cut them out.

Hmm. Good tips though. I'm laying the ground work for a board game, you just gave me some ideas to go about some of the elements I need for it. My wallet thanks you.

 

[keatz85]

Just wanted to say thanks, thanks, and thank you! This is genius.

I got them printed at staples on glossy paper for around $6 or 7 and they even cut every single one out for me for $1 more. If you have them cut before you have to be careful when spraying the clear coat because they will blow around a bit but to me it was better than cutting them all out.

I noticed if they accidentally touch anything soon after you spray the clear coat the ink will run, so be careful. They were easy and quick to put on and even a bit fun. Held up in water nicely, heck the dishwasher didn't even take the labels all the way off so I would say they're pretty durable. Thanks again!!!

 

[wobrien]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but does anyone have Brian's template file? The dropbox link doesn't work anymore and I'd love to have the template. PM me if you have a copy. Thanks!

 

[sputnam]

those labels are truly awesome. if i ever bottle again i will come back to this thread. good job!

 

[RaHarmakis]

Agreed if anyone still has this template i would like to play with it!

 

[Hulud]

I have it on my computer at home. If I remember I'll try to post it. Also looking for someone to resize for bombers or wine bottles as well. Shoot me a PM if I haven't posted it by 9 est

 

[Roadie]

Hulud please do post the template. Thanks!


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[Hulud]

this should be it

http://www.mediafire.com/download/g476b2egjun1ctt/full-page.psd

 

[wobrien]

this should be it

http://www.mediafire.com/download/g476b2egjun1ctt/full-page.psd

Thank you very much!

 

[Kipper]

This may be a stupid question, but do you guys apply the labels to the bottles before or after you fill and cap them with beer?

 

[wobrien]

I still haven't done it yet, but I would fill/cap first to avoid dripping beer ruining the labels.

 

[brianmot]

This may be a stupid question, but do you guys apply the labels to the bottles before or after you fill and cap them with beer?

I apply them as the last step! not as messy and easy to handle. Good luck!

 

[blackhopsbrewing]

Hey Brian thanks for this thread, it inspired me on the path of doing our own labels. We ended mocking something up on Photoshop and getting it printed locally (Gold Coast Australia). They cost $13 for 32 labels which I thought was pretty good.

I'm only new so I'm not sure what I can upload ha but I'll try to upload the pics and the Photoshop templates.

Here's the Photoshop template I used. It's 80MB in size.

If you know Photoshop you should be able to use it and change fonts and images etc. This label works well for 330ml and 500m, for bigger bottles it's all in a format where you can just resize the photoshop file.

If you have any questions let me know.

 

[brianmot]

@blackhopsbrewing, Thanks for sharing! They look great!

-Brian

 

[blackhopsbrewing]

Thanks, sorry forgot to mention the company we used for the printing. It was http://www.varsitygraphics.com.au/ I'm not really sure why they seemed a lot cheaper than others.

 

[BrewingInChicago]

this should be it

http://www.mediafire.com/download/g476b2egjun1ctt/full-page.psd

Thanks!!!!!

 

[NPhill85]

Here's a nice template that includes neck labels. 4 bottles of labels per page.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0522/9149/files/dashleighBerTop.pdf?602

 

[C-Rider]

If you are not trying to look commercial you can do it this way:
1-Download probram from Avery
http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Help-Center/General-Help/Avery-Design--Print.htm
2 buy labels at SAMS, Office Depot, Target, etc that fit your idea and bingo you print your own.
3-Before putting labels on bottles spray w/clear lacker if you are using an ink jet to keep the ink from running if it gets damp or wet.

 

[rockgodnm]

Good work

 

[arnobg]

Can anyone provide this template still? The links don't work anymore. Thanks.

 

[amndaplz]

Can anyone provide this template still? The links don't work anymore. Thanks.

Template is here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/g476b2egjun1ctt/full-page.psd

Thanks to this thread I made awesome labels for our wedding favors. BTW, I got them printed at Office Depot and they did the cutting for me! All I did was ask in the special instructions box that they cut along the crop marks.

Attached is a pic of the test run. I put the label on a little crooked.

 

[musicbrewlonnie]

I use the templates from here: http://www.stickeryou.com/2/products/beer-labels/604/ then I just screenshot, put six to a page, then viola! Here are my first two labels: Next step is to use the sprays and see how that goes

 

[abdominousabel]

Hey guys!

Ive been using the forums here for a while now and i cant really give too much advice on beer yet, but i decided ill try to help out and show how i print my labels. I apologize if this has been done before.

I was pretty excited when my girlfriend asked if she could help with the brewing of my next beer. We settled on pumpkin ale (I used a variation of the Thuderstruck pumpkin ale - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/thunderstruck-pumpkin-ale-ag-extract-versions-26699/) I wanted her to want to brew with me again and needed to make it something a bit more crafty that she could do, keep and remember. I decided to pull out all the bells and whistles and bought some bottling wax and designed some labels.

.. It may seem silly but I put a lot of fake elements on my labels to make them look like they could be purchased at a store. eg. the TM trademark on the ale, the fake barcode i grabbed off google, the warning, ingredients, the city seal, etc etc. All things that are not real but give the appearance of a professional beer.

I then put 6 of them on one 8x10 paper.

Officemax will print color 8x10 for $0.74 a sheet. I also set myself up with some crop marks so the cutting will be easier. The quality i got was great.

I usually use a gloss spray but i went with a matte this time. It runs about $7 at michaels craft store. I always print the 40% off coupon and it costs $4.20. I spray the entire sheet before i cut them so they dont wrinkle or fold up. Takes about 3-5 minutes to dry when spraying from 8-10 inches away.

time to cut them up!

The adhesive spray has a similar cost to the gloss spray. I see it at walmart and homedepot for as little as $3.97.

Get a piece of scrap cardboard, put your cut labels face down and spray em. You need to let them dry for about a minute before you stick them on your bottles. The spray congeals and turns into a 'rubber cement' type consistency.

Line the label up and stick it to your bottle.

The high res print from officemax/kinkos and the gloss spray REALLY make it look professional. The gloss spray makes them waterproof-ish. I mean if you soak it in water, it will come off like any label but you will never see any bleeding or slippage. Ive left them in ice for hours and had no issues.

It also may sound corny but ive seemed to notice that people appreciate my homebrews when they look a little nicer. Im sure a few of my friends think i make the beer in a dirty bathtub in the basement and they sure drink it like it was. A nice labels lets people step back and take a look before just slamming the brown bottle thats in the fridge.

I know a lot of you guys keg your beers because of the hassle with bottling. Im currently switching over to a kegging system too but i still like to bring a 6 pack over to a friends house every now and then. After the initial $8 investment in sprays, it costs me about $2 to label a waterproof 12pack.

7 years late but truly inspirational ! Looks great!