This guide covers everything we’ve learned in 18+ years of printing labels for NZ producers. It’s long because the subject is broad — use the sections below to skim to what’s relevant.
Why labels matter more than you think
A label is the first and often only contact between your product and a new customer. In retail, shoppers make decisions in under three seconds. Your label has to communicate category, brand, quality cue, compliance and purchase justification in that window. That’s a lot of work for a piece of adhesive paper.
Cheap labels cost you more than expensive labels — in brand damage, in shelf rejection, in customers who buy once and never again. The right label is an investment, not a cost line.
Print methods
Digital printing
Digital presses print full CMYK (plus white) directly from a PDF, with no plates, no chemistry, and no long setup. This makes them the right tool for short runs, variable data, fast turnaround and frequent artwork changes.
Best for: runs under 10,000 labels, seasonal releases, limited editions, variable data, rapid prototyping, A/B testing shelf designs.
Offset printing
Offset uses rubber or photopolymer plates — one per colour — mounted on rotating cylinders. Setup is slower and more expensive, but per-label print cost drops dramatically once the press is running.
Best for: long runs (20,000+), specialty inks (metallics, fluorescents, opaque whites at high coverage), repeat orders where plates stay on file.
Hybrid and finishing presses
Many real jobs combine methods: digital print for the main artwork, with a separate pass for hot foil stamping, embossing, spot UV, or die-cutting. Modern finishing lines (we run a Grafotronic) handle these passes inline.
Materials
The substrate — the material the label is printed on — matters more than most people realise. Get this wrong and your print quality, shelf impact and durability all suffer.
Paper stocks
- Uncoated paper — natural, matte, takes ink well. Best for wine, premium food, craft
- Coated paper (gloss/semi-gloss) — sharper colour reproduction, lower cost, standard for supermarket FMCG
- Textured/linen/cotton papers — premium feel, excellent for spirits and high-end wine
- Kraft and natural papers — earthy look, popular in honey, natural cosmetics, artisan food
Synthetic stocks
- BOPP — waterproof, tear-resistant, the workhorse of craft beer, cosmetics, chilled
- PET — more durable than BOPP, better chemical resistance
- Vinyl — flexible, used for specialty industrial applications
- Clear films — the “no label look” for premium spirits, boutique cosmetics, clear bottles
Specialty
- Metallic stocks — built-in silver/gold shine at a fraction of foil-stamping cost
- Direct thermal / thermal transfer — for variable-data industrial labels
- Recycled-content stocks — increasingly specified by sustainability-conscious brands
Finishes
Finishes turn a flat print into a shelf-stopping label. The right finish depends on category, positioning and budget.
- Hot foil stamping — gold, silver, copper, pigment foils. Premium tactile shine
- Cold foil — cheaper alternative where the shine doesn’t need to be raised
- Embossing and debossing — raised or recessed tactile texture
- Spot UV — selective gloss that contrasts matte stock
- Lamination: gloss, matte, satin and textured finishes for protection and feel
- Die-cutting — custom shapes, kiss-cut windows, perforations
Compliance
Most food, beverage, cosmetic and supplement products have mandatory content requirements. In NZ, this comes from the Food Standards Code (FSANZ), Medsafe, and various category-specific regulations. Get compliance wrong and you risk product recalls.
Common mandatory elements:
- Product name and description
- Ingredient list with allergens highlighted
- Nutrition information panel
- Country of origin
- Net weight or volume
- Storage instructions
- Date marking (best before / use by)
- Producer name and address
- Lot or batch code
Category-specific rules add to this list. Wine requires standard drinks. Alcohol will soon require pregnancy warnings (2026+). Supplements cross into Medsafe territory. Our prepress team reviews compliance copy before production, but a specialist compliance consultant is worth engaging for new products.
Cost
Label pricing is driven by quantity, print method, material, finishing and shape complexity — in roughly that order. A realistic per-label cost for standard craft beer labels is $0.18-$0.30; for premium wine with hot foil, $0.45-$0.90; for high-volume FMCG offset runs, as low as $0.04-$0.10.
The cheapest label is rarely the best investment. A $0.15 label that gets the product picked up off shelf is worth ten of a $0.08 label that doesn’t.
Lead time
Standard digital turnaround is 7-10 working days from approved proof. Offset is 10-15 days. Rush jobs can often be accommodated inside 48-72 hours — talk to us before your deadline gets tight.
How to brief a printer
Give us:
- What the label goes on (product, bottle shape, surface material)
- Dimensions (width x height, or a template)
- Quantity (or a range)
- Material preference (or ask us to recommend)
- Finishes you’re considering
- Print-ready artwork (PDF, CMYK, 300dpi, 2mm bleed)
- Deadline
- Compliance requirements or regulations that apply
- Anything special — environment, shelf conditions, competitor references
The more specifics up front, the faster and more accurate the quote.
Where to go next
Start with the capability and material pages for the specific job you have in mind. If you’re unsure which method, material or finish suits your product, send us a brief — we’ll come back with options and a straight answer on the tradeoffs.