In today’s ultra-competitive food and beverage industry, standing out on the shelf is paramount. Your product and packaging labels need to catch the eye of consumers and convey the unique qualities of your brand, all while complying with industry regulations.

Good news — with advances in technology, printing your own professional-looking full-color food or beverage labels has become easier and more cost-effective than ever before. At General Data, we have everything you need to take control of your label printing for your food and beverage brand.

Here’s how to get started:

#1: Select the Right Color Label Printer

Inkjet color label printers have come a long way in terms of print quality, ease of use and affordability. We highly recommend the Epson ColorWorks® series of printers for food and beverage product and packaging label applications. These high-quality industrial-grade printers deliver one-step multi-color label printing with crisp, clear resolution for images, text, barcodes and other variable data.

Epson ColorWorks on-demand label printers are well-suited for a range of food and beverage applications, whether you’re printing hundreds of labels a day or one-off label designs for special batches or promotions. Our label printing experts will help you find the specific ColorWorks printer that best fits your business needs and budget. 

#2: Choose Compatible Label Media

Once you've selected a color label printer, you’ll need compatible label media. Here are a few questions to ask when choosing labels for your food and beverage products or packaging:

What type of finish do you want on your labels? Some options include matte, gloss or semi-gloss.

What environment will your labels be exposed to? Food and beverage labels generally need to withstand moisture, refrigeration and sometimes freezer conditions.

What type of container will you apply the label to? Glass and plastic materials often require particular adhesives.

In addition to label media, you’ll need quality inks that are smudge-proof and fade-resistant to ensure that your food and beverage labels remain legible even in harsh conditions. General Data makes it easy to order these consumables for your food and beverage label printing set-up.

#3: Apply Your Labels to Food or Beverage Products or Packaging

 Once your labels are produced, you’ll need an efficient and reliable way to affix them to your food or beverage container.

The Epson ColorWorks 6000P offers innovative peel-and-present capabilities to speed up the manual application of your on-demand color labels. General Data’s PAC5 label printing and application solution was designed specifically for Epson ColorWorks CW-C6000P. Available in manual or fully-automatic print and apply, the PAC5 delivers accurate label placement and a safe and efficient workflow.

If you use cylindrical packaging like a bottle, can or jar, consider a semi-automatic bottle label applicator like the Afinia A200.