Wine labels are a defining feature of each and every wine bottle. Let’s face it, on most Friday afternoons, the customers entering the bottle shop don’t have a specific brand of wine in mind.
They may know it’s a cabernet sauvignon kind of evening. They may have a budget in mind for the bottle. Typically though, the wine itself is picked on a whim. It’s based on the label and the feeling the label evoked.
Perhaps the buyer wants an upmarket wine to take to a wine and cheese night. They’ll be pulled in by the bottles with lovely embossing and stunning embellishments and finishes. A more low-key board game night might call for a fun kind of wine. One with an alternative, illustrative label.
Back in 2015, Nielsen conducted research that looked at the 34 top selling wines in the United States. They found that more visible labels were noticed by up to 77 per cent more consumers than their less visible counterparts.
They also found links between price points and expectations. Bottles under $20 were expected to be fun and bright, whereas the same consumers wanted a traditional aesthetic for bottles above that $20 price point.
So, we know wine labels matter and so does your printing partner.
You might be wondering how the wine label printing process works in the digital age, though, and how we manage to achieve the speed to market that we do.
Let’s take a look at the wine label printing process and all the important considerations along the way.
The wine label printing process at Ultra Labels
Get a quote and share your wine label artwork
At Ultra Labels, we’re committed to making wine label printing easy. We know that in this industry, it’s all about speed to market. Of course, we pay plenty of attention to the quality of the labels and your experience along the way, too. It’s our efficiency that keeps our customers coming back, though.
Committed to simplicity, we’ve created an online form where you can request your quote. We’ll get all the details, including the quantity, the date your labels are required by, and any other details, such as your requested embellishments and finishes.
You’ll be able to share your artwork with us at this stage. Of course, the more accurate the information and the more detail you provide, the more accurate our quote is and the quicker the process.
Prepress. Ensuring your wine labelling artwork is ready for print.
The next stage is the prepress process. Once you’ve sent through your wine labelling artwork, it’s our goal to ensure that the integrity of your graphic design files is maintained. So that we can deliver high-quality wine labels that are printed to your precise specifications, we undergo a thorough prepress process.
The Ultra Labels team will thoroughly check all of the files you’ve provided. We want to make sure any images or illustrations are at the right resolution, to avoid pixelated labels. We make sure we have all the correct fonts, and that they’re sized correctly. Then, and this is very important, we make sure the colour schemes match the right specifications. The colours on your labels represent your brand and help you get noticed – it’s essential we get them right!
If you’ve requested any embellishments, metallisations, or foiling, we’ll carefully match these to your specifications at this stage as well.
Basically, the prepress process is how we turn your wine labelling vision into a reality.
Proofing. Test your wine label before you print in bulk.
Proofing is an optional service that comes at a small, additional cost, and it’s one that we absolutely recommend.
Proofing is basically your test run where we provide you with a sample of your wine labelling. To ensure it’s an accurate sample, we’ll use all the same artwork files and the same press that will be utilised for your entire run.
This process gives you complete peace of mind in your wine labelling before a full run is completed. It allows you to ensure the colours are accurate, the fonts are correct, and the wine label is generally appearing as you envisioned.
At Ultra Labels, our thorough wine label printing process typically means that our labels come out perfectly the first time.
Things happen, though!
Following your proof, if you’d like to make any adjustments to your artwork, this is the time to do so. You may want to opt for a different colour or, after placing the label on the bottle, you may find it needs some sizing adjustments – that’s perfectly fine, it’s what the proofing stage is for.
Wine label printing. Where the fun begins!
Time to print your full run of wine labels! We’ll take your wine labelling from file to real life, before cutting the labels to your specifications and packaging them up for despatch.
Using high-quality press machines to print your wine labels, paired with the latest in digital technology, we can deliver proofs within 24 to 48 hours. As for full orders? These will be delivered within five working days.
We know in product-based businesses, it’s speed to market that counts. The team at Ultra Labels goes above and beyond to provide some of the quickest turnaround times in the industry. We use high-quality press machines to print your labels. Our digital technology allows us to send proofs in 24 to 48 hours, demonstrating exceptionally fast turnaround times.
Your wine labels are delivered!
The exciting part! Your wine labels are dispatched and ready for delivery to your doorstep.
What to look for in a wine label printing partner
We know that the search for a wine label printing partner can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the industry. The perfect professional partner for you will, of course, depend on your specific labelling requirements.
Generally though, these are the most important things to look for:
Sustainable & ethical printing
Particularly if your brand or business markets itself as a sustainable brand that’s doing things right, you’ll want a sustainable and ethical printing partner.
As a business committed to environmental sustainability, we adhere to ISO14001 management standards in manufacturing.
Our team is constantly looking for new ways to reduce waste and promote carbon-neutral manufacturing.
Fast turnaround times
Your first run of wine bottle labels probably won’t be urgent. What about next time, when you sell out of product faster than you could have ever imagined, though?
Speed to market matters and the team at Ultra Labels helps you achieve it. In fact, we have industry-leading turnaround times.
An account manager
Your account manager can be make or break in your wine label printing process. At Ultra Labels, each of our clients is partnered with a dedicated account manager.
It means you always have your direct point of contact, someone who knows your business and understands your requirements just as well as you do.
Your account manager works closely with you to keep the label side of your business moving.
Quality wine labels
This might be an obvious one, but the quality matters too. You will want to find a printing partner that pays close attention to detail, cares for quality assurance, and offers a variety of printing finishes and embellishments.
Our digital printing facilities and our team’s quality assurance processes mean we’re a cut above when it comes to quality wine bottle labels.
Taking your beautiful wine label design from a file to a bottle shop favourite calls for a dependable printing partner. At Ultra Labels, we’re more than your printer. We’re your business’ partner, and we’re here to help you achieve the best for your wine products.
Take your business to the next level with our custom wine label printing. Request a quote or talk with our friendly team to get started.
