Sales may have been rolling in at a steady clip during the year, but the holidays can throw entrepreneurs into disarray if careful planning doesn’t precede the surge. The holiday rush is not a bad thing for business, of course, but don’t let it become a stumbling block to maintaining a fast-flowing fulfillment process. Proactively … Continue reading “Streamline Product Labeling Before the Holiday Scramble”

Out of all the assets your company owns, or will come to own, none may be as important as your logo. It’s the defining feature of your company, helping consumers recognize your company when they land on your website, download your app from the app store or pick up one of your products at the … Continue reading “Breaking Down Logo Copyrighting”

Whether you’re selling cans of soup or a new line of haircare products, your logo will be the first point of contact between your company and the customer. It’s like stuffing the entire story of your company into a jar. One look at your product labels and the customer should know who you are, what … Continue reading “The Most Important Aspects of a Logo”

Regardless of if you’re a small business practicing self-fulfillment or have partnered with a logistics company to relieve some of the shipping burden, you know how important a lean yet well-oiled fulfillment strategy is to your brand. Consumers have high expectations—studies show that Amazon has had an undeniable impact on the consumer’s expectation for quick, … Continue reading “Get Your Shipping Costs in Shape: 15 Ways to Trim Your Fulfillment Budget”

From funny tweets to guerilla marketing campaigns gone viral, 2017 was an impressive year for creative marketing. We saw Wendy’s vie for chicken nuggets, Patagonia save public lands and American Express master content creation, all for the sake of brand promotion. The best marketing strategies of the year fall into four primary categories: content marketing, … Continue reading “2017 Review: 15 Companies with the Most Creative Marketing Strategies”

The holidays are the best time of year to give back to charity. The season of giving should encourage you to reflect on your good fortune and express gratitude for the bounties of your life. Healthcare charities are a particularly popular sector for those who are looking for great ways to give back this time … Continue reading “Top 12 Healthcare Charities Making a Difference”

Start-ups are, by definition, disruptive in some manner. They’re the businesses thought up by the crafty thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to solve a problem. So, it’s no surprise that the early-stage entrepreneurs behind the most disruptive companies have some of the most unique branding ideas. Think of TOMS Shoes’ philanthropic angle or Patagonia’s commitment … Continue reading “Start-up Spotlight: The Dos and Don’ts of Branding”

A marketing strategy is only as good as the audience to which it caters. If you’re able to identify your target audience by a single or group of characteristics — age, gender, location or education level, for example — you can get more out of every single marketing dollar you spend. That’s because more targeted … Continue reading “Nailing Your Marketing Scheme for Various Demographics”

Moving is one of the most necessary and stressful times in our lives. Whether you are moving to a new house or a new office, there are a lot of tasks that must be accomplished and many things that may be forgotten. This process can be very time consuming and frustrating. This stress can be … Continue reading “It’s Moving Day! The Ultimate Checklist for Your Big Move”

The pharmaceutical industry, a significant sector of our economy, works to develop, produce, and market a variety of pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications. The scope of these medications covers everything from itchiness to end-stage cancer drugs. The companies may deal in brand name or generic medical devices and medications. To keep the public safe, … Continue reading “Industry Spotlight: Pharmaceuticals”

To put it plainly, small business is now big business. With roughly 30 million businesses operating in the United States, one surprising statistic is where the job creation is coming from. In the two decades preceding 2013, small businesses were responsible for the creation of more than 60% of new jobs. Seventy-five percent of all … Continue reading “Beating the Market: Small Companies vs. Industry Leaders”

Custom label printing often involves specialized fonts and coloring for logos and other artwork. It can be difficult for non-graphic designers to understand exactly what criteria they need to provide for the printer to optimize the artwork for printing. Labels need to look just as professional as storefront signs and require attention to detail with … Continue reading “Tips on Optimizing Your Artwork for Printing”

In the twentieth century, the subscription business model essentially belonged to magazine and newspaper publishers. As these publications have shifted their presence to be primarily online, and it has become easier to get the news for free, the type of businesses we think of when we hear “subscription” has also changed. Subscriptions can get consumers … Continue reading “How Have Subscription Services Been So Successful?”

Barcodes have been used in business for more than 60 years. Their usefulness and importance to commerce are both undeniable. From scanners at the grocery store to automated inventory systems, businesses continue to find new and innovative ways to utilize these powerhouses of information. Now, more than ever, there is a need for them in … Continue reading “Growing Barcode Trends”

Thermal labels are an integral part of successful businesses. This type of labeling is responsible for a wide variety of labeling requirements throughout each step of a business’s operations, including storage, inventory, and product information. Companies that invest in quality thermal labeling can expect long-lasting, durable labels that stand the test of time and can … Continue reading “What Are Thermal Labels?”

Proper labeling is critical to a business’ efficiency. It doesn’t matter how great a product looks or how much advertising you put into your brand name. If your basic labeling isn’t done properly, you’re setting your company up for a potential disaster. Businesses require the proper type of basic labeling for identification purposes, organizational purposes, … Continue reading “Top Labeling Mistakes to Avoid”

There is nothing worse than having a warehouse of inventory in complete disarray. When your inventory rooms are unorganized, there’s a very good chance that items go missing, shipments aren’t dropped off in the right place and customers aren’t getting what they want on time. A well-run warehouse is imperative to the success of any … Continue reading “How to Use Labeling to Keep the Warehouse Efficient”

Thermal printers are manufactured to generate crisp, clear images and text in high volume environments. Properly maintaining the printer is critical to ensuring that your printer continues to generate high quality images and text. There are two main types of thermal printers. Direct thermal printers generate the desired printed image by heating coated thermal stock. … Continue reading “Thermal Printer & Printhead Maintenance Tips”

Today’s labels are manufactured using a range of adhesives to provide the level of adhesion required by the application – whether it is to keep the label attached permanently, such as a safety label or product label for a bottle or jar, or a label designed to be removed after purchase, such as a label … Continue reading “Label Removal Process, Tools & Applications”

With today’s adhesives, labels can be manufactured to provide permanent adhesion when applied or allow the label to be removed and, if needed, reapplied. When determining which type of label to use, it’s important to understand the uses and benefits of each. Both permanent and removable labels can be produced using direct thermal, thermal transfer, … Continue reading “Permanent & Removable Adhesive Labels”

Inkjet and laser printers offer printing solutions for small volume printing. They provide good quality printing and are most often used for low-volume office and personal use. Inkjet Printers & Labels Inkjet printers print by spraying ink onto the paper or other media. The ink is absorbed into the media to produce the type or … Continue reading “Inkjet vs Laser Printers & Labels: Pros & Cons”