Members of the retail industry, both suppliers and individual retailers, are always looking for ways to gain a competitive advantage. Back in 1998, the implementation of Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) was introduced. Since proven successful, RSS has become an advantage to industries and has changed the way the industry looks at pharmaceutical products and grocery items.
RSS is a family of linear symbologies introduced by the UCC for small, space-constrained applications. RSS was developed to provide users with features that address specific space limitation and application needs. RSS allows encoding of up to 74 characters of data, all of which can be captured at the Point-of-Sale. Of the seven different formats of RSS, four are designed specifically for use in Retail PoS. They include:
- RSS-14
- RSS Expanded
- RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional
- RSS Expanded Stacked
The three remaining RSS formats are designed for applications other than retail point-of-sale. They include:
- RSS-Truncated
- RSS-14 Stacked
- RSS Limited
There are several advantages to RSS barcodes. One Advantage of the RSS family is that they are the most compact linear bar code symbology offered today and they have limited orientation requirements. Another benefit is that they are designed to be scanned with a hand-held laser, linear CCD, or 2D imaging scanners. Lastly, they can be scanned from any which angle!
One disadvantage would be that RSS uses multiple bar code widths. As with other modular symbologies, users must be aware that difficulties can arise when the narrow bar width approaches the resolution of the bar code generation system.
The RSS bar code provides the capacity to encode product related information such as:
- Brand and /or Supplier name
- Date and Location of packaging
- Product packaged weight or count
- Price per measure and extended price
- Sell-by date
Additional Facts on RSS Symbology Barcodes:
- The linear component of an RSS barcode determines the name of the Composite symbol, such as an EAN-13 Composite symbol, or a UCC/EAN-128 Composite symbol.
- These are larger barcodes which hold a lot more information ( it is the largest data capacity barcode)
- They are a cluster of more than one type of barcode style some have a mix of UPC, 2D and consecutive numbering and many other types can be combined.
- There are many types of barcodes 1-D, 2-D, Barcodes come in patterns, squares, dots, hexagons
For more information on RSS Symbology and other Barcode formats, please visit our Barcodes and Consecutive Numbering page. Whitlam Label Company offers a number of barcode formats to suit customer needs.
Whiltam Label RSS Barcode
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As of May 1, 2010 Michigan became the 38th state to prohibit smoking statewide in all enclosed, indoor workplaces in Michigan, as well as the outdoor patios of bars and restaurants. The law exempts only cigar bars, retail tobacco stores, private home offices, company vehicles including commercial trucks and Detroit’s three casinos’ gambling floors.
Now with the law in effect businesses must post “no smoking” signs or universal non-smoking signs at each entrance of their building and in all other areas where people are NOT allowed to smoke.
The picture on the left is an example of a non-smoking label that we ran for one of our customers: Labels & signs will either say ”no- smoking” “smoke-free” ” no- smoking permitted” or it will be the universal symbol for non-smoking like the one shown on the right.
Businesses must inform people they can’t smoke. If they choose to they will be asked to leave. There are some fines and penalties that will be given if you do not comply with this new law. Be sure to get your facility prepared and ready with signs so you don’t run into any fines or fees with the government.
Let us make your label signs and get your facilities smoke free today! Remember smoke free air is clean air… clean air is healthy air! We want to help make your facility breathe clean air!
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What are security labels? As you all know, security is important. For this reason, security labels are used to deter counterfeiting, or confirm a product is a genuine brand. Thanks to secured inventory management and controlled distribution services, security needs are met 100%!
Security labels come in all shapes and sizes. Holograms, color change inks, micro text, consecutive numbered, and bar coded are just a few variations to mention. Also, before a security label is created for a product, one must determine what level of security is needed: low, medium, or high risk. The higher the risk the more features the label must have.
Tamper proof labels are also a form of security label. They can be made from paper or film materials. The simplest form of tamper proof is done with tooling or putting cuts in certain places so once the label is applied to a surface and someone tries to remove it, the label will tear.
Other designs include a visually apparent, fragmented residue which can indicate that the security of the product has been breached. This helps to eliminate the possibility of label switching. These labels can help with product warranty issues, to prevent consumers from tampering with electronic equipment and any other product that they are applied to.
Different kinds of Security Labels & Tamper Proof Labels:
- Tamper-Cuts
- Tamper-Evident
- Destructible Material
- Holograms
- UV Indicator
- Void Patterns
- Micro Text
- Microtaggants
- Permanent Label Masks
- Embedded Images
One of the more common Tamper Proof labels includes Tamper Evident Security Labels. These labels are designed by cutting edge manufacturers. They separate into layers when removed and add consecutive numbered barcodes to aid in the control of each part. Tamper Evident Labels are extremely important in the packaging and labeling industry, simply because it is vital to know that the product has not been altered since it left the manufacturer.
Different ways to keep your products and packaging secure:
- Anit-Theft
- Evidence Tracking
- Original Product Verification
- Brand Protection
- Prevent Document Duplication
- Part Authenticity
- Parts Marking
- Tamper Evidence
- Counterfeit Deterrence
We here at Whitlam Label Company typically make tamper proof labels out of films with the feature built into the adhesive layer. The label is applied to a surface. After a certain amount of time the label is allowed to bond. At this point, if anyone was to remove the label the word “VOID” will show up on the film label and remain on the surface the label was applied to. These labels can be consecutive numbered, & bar coded.
For more information on Security Labels and Tamper Proof Labels please visit our Brand Security section.
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Designing a new label can be challenging, yet fun at the same time. We decided to put together the ten steps to designing graphics for your products label. The following steps below will help guide you design the perfect label!
10 steps to designing graphics for a label from scratch
- What is the label size? Length, width, height, volume thickness etc.
- What are you looking for?
Example: modern feel, classic feel, simple or detailed. These are really important to think about when designing a label.
- Do you have a specific font type, style, & color you are looking for?
Note: keep in mind not everyone can read bright small colors.
- How do you want your font to appear, uppercase, lowercase, or mixed type?
- Any special effects your client is looking for? Gradient, drop shadow light/dark, etc.
- On the label are there sections of type or ingredients that need to be included?
- What would you prefer Photographs or illustrations?
- If using photographs, will we need to crop anything out?
- Is there going to be a border? What color? How thick?
- Do you have any printed pieces or samples to match for color or style?
These ten steps should have your label design ready in no time! It’s your job to be creative and original. The sky is the limit. Good Luck!
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This past week we participated in the 2010 Carmela Food Show. Carmela Foods Distributing, Inc. located in Fraser Michigan is a private company that distributes Specialty Food Items. Carmela puts on 2 major food shows a year. One takes place in the fall and the other is in the spring. These shows promote and launch new food products. The show attendees are made up of buyers from small and large grocery store chains. This show gives buyers a great discount and allows them to purchase up to 6 months worth of products at a discounted rate. In turn this provides great incentive for both the buyers and the vendors to attend the show. Therefore Making the Carmela Food Show a success!
Whitlam Label Company has been an exhibitor at the Carmela food show for the past 2 years. This year the show was on March 16, 2010 at the beautiful Grosse Point Yacht Club.
We enjoy and support Carmela Foods and all of their private label products. We feel that this show is a great fit for us. Knowing the demographics of their vendors and attendees which are mostly companies in the Mid-west and some Michigan based. This makes it easier for us to get our name out there building loyalty to our current Carmella Food customers as well as potential new customers.
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More than 80% of consumers use coupons and more than half of all retailers offer consumers some type of promotional programs, in addition to more than 70% of consumers make their purchasing decisions at the store.
With a well designed on-pack coupon you can motivate the consumer to purchase product’s. Use a variety of clever labels, tags and decoders to help promote and sell your product in store.
Increase Sales By adding a coupon to your product package you will increase the number of new customers, Increase the return of former customers, and Increase long lasting brand awareness.
Low cost investment that generates a high return Coupons are an inexpensive form of marketing. You can achieve low volume or exact order quantity with smaller discount amounts. An instant redeemable coupon costs a very small percentage of the total cost of your product and its packaging but delivers a big return.
Extremely effective Instant redeemable coupons have a higher redemption rate than all other coupon types. Coupons are a very highly measurable form of marketing, so you are able to easily track your return.
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“We are extremely pleased to announce the launch of Whitlam’s new website,” said Michelle Shaieb, Marketing Coordinator. “Whitlam will continue to add more features and functions in the near future that we hope will make our customer’s job easier, and make Whitlam the “go to” website for all our customers.”
With Whitlam’s new user friendly site, you are able to obtain product descriptions, and product recommendations. The addition of the “quick search”, “request a quote”, and “Get Started” sections will allow consumers to seek valuable information to make educated decisions on their label & packaging applications. The website will also guides users through the initial step of getting started on their projects within a matter of minutes.
Whitlam Label Company is an industry leader in innovative labeling & packaging solutions, with multiple manufacturing facilities and five decades of award winning excellence. Whitlam specializes in both digital and flexographic printing technologies with widths up to 16” and the ability to handle up to 20 colors. Whitlam makes it their standard to provide customers with outstanding quality, volume flexibility, quick turnaround, affordable pricing and world class customer service.
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Grab the consumer’s attention with temperature activated color changing labels.
Check out this water bottle label! This label indicates when it’s ready to drink.
With the use of threomochromic inks, the label is sensitive to temperatures. When the water bottle reaches a specific temperature the color of the snowboard will turn from white to dark blue. (Picture shown below)
The applications for temperature activated color changing labels are never ending. Here are just some applications listed below:
- Marketing: Tie the color change label to your brand message.
- Safety labels: Warn consumers product is HOT.
- Novelty: Create interaction with your consumer, with a color changing label.
- Games & contests: Revel secret codes, messages or game pieces when a product/ package reaches a specific temperature.
Contact us today, to learn more on temperature activated color changing labels.
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Our digital process can quickly and easily produce labels for use in short run production orders, research and development, special customer presentations, trade shows, pre-sale campaigns, and more.
Digital printing makes prototyping affordable; there are no expensive dies or printing plates and the ability to have a variety of label shapes, sizes and artwork.
We offer cost-effective market testing, which allows multiple graphics options so you, your designer, your distributor, and your marketing staff can review and select the design that will boost your sales.
Applications
- Advertising & Promotion
- Limited Editions
- Fund Raising Events
- Sporting Events
- Contests
- Sales Samples
- Test Markets, Focus Groups and Special Promotions.
Make a powerful impact on your packaging
attractiveness and sales!
Contact us today, to help you get started with your next packaging project!
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