On Demand Color Cannabis Label Printers
Bringing your color Cannabis labeling in-house, yes or no?
The Cannabis industry has seen an increase for the need to imprint on demand high quality labels. Color labels provided by a custom printer are expensive and often require long lead times. The new technology of high speed color inkjet printers have taken their place in the industry as an alternative to commercial printing. These color printers use permanent drying, dye or pigment-based inks that are UV and water resistant. Instead of printing on a paper label, these color printers use synthetic materials that are water-resistant and have different adhesive types that meet cannabis industry requirements. These printers are either Global Harmonized System (GHS) compliant or meet BS5609-certified waterproof standards.
Cannabis Labeling Requirements
A cannabis warning label must have specific identifying information and be applied to a range of packaging substrates, such as plastic or glass vials and bottles, clear or opaque poly bags and pouches, and corrugated or waxy boxes. Medical Marijuana products that include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have State regulations governing the label sizes, universal symbols, warning statements, license numbers, strains species and other verbiage. Growers and distributors of Cannabis products require a wide variety of labels from seed bag labels to pot stakes, plant tags (often RFID) and chain of command and finally product labels that may or may not need to be full color. (See your State’s requirements.)
Cannabis labeling that is targeted to final users can be simple one or two color labels up to full color attractive product labels with barcodes. The requirements on Cannabis without THC, CBD Cannbidoil products are based heavily on content as opposed to physical type of label. See CBD Labeling Requirements . The best choice for a label material will provide a material that is durable enough to last the life of the product and withstand, water, oils hand touching and UV light.
Our color printers will meet all of the physical label requirements regarding size, material, adhesive, label color and durability.
Benefits of printing color labels in-house.
Print whatever you like in whatever configuration you desire. The flexibility of in-house printing is simply not possible with outsourced labels. Change the design, color or labels specifics if required without wasting thousands of labels. No matter how many varieties of product types you have you can print the exact label quantity you need. Learning your best and worst sellers can be tracked by counting your labels. Variables such as barcodes, QR codes, ingredient lists and even special messaging can be done on the design and changed with a click of the button.
What hurdles are involved with in-house printing?
There is a learning curve in setting up the printer, maintaining and cleaning, adjusting color and ordering new ink, printheads and labels.
The cost per label could be higher per label than purchasing larger quantities of commercially printed labels. On the other hand a batch of as little as 1 label is cost effective and proto-types can be made in minutes. These printers allow start-ups and smaller business models to print quality labels before growing into a larger brand. There are also commercial inkjet color printers available that will print up 100,000 labels per month, finding a happy medium between in-house and commercial printing.
Color Label Types
Quality inkjet color labels are typically sold in a continuous length roll, using the auto-cutter to determine the height so there is no waste between labels. The labels can also be die cut, (not using a cutter), which are set up as a specific size. Users can order custom die-cut labels including special shapes, round corner labels and circle shapes as well as multiple small labels on a roll which can be a big cost savings. Some printers offer and 8.5” wide label as well. These can also print on materials like foils or any label or tag surface that can be ink-jet coated
Color Label Inkjet Manufacturers
Barcode Factory carries several brands of color inkjet printers that use both pigment and dye based inks. We can also order you custom label sizes and material guaranteed to work in these printers. Contact a technical sales representative for the best recommendation to meet your needs.
