Different printers handle paper differently. Even a slight shift when feeding the paper into the printer can cause the designs to not print exactly in the center of the label. I can’t promise that you will ever be able to perfectly center the design on the label stock.

I have made some design choices to facilitate the printing process. I recommend some test prints.

I offer something I called the “messy” templates. If you specify the label stock you will be using, I can create digital files delivered with your personalized label that stretch the backgrounds to cover the space between the die-cut labels.

If you happen to order label stock from me, I will include 1 extra “test sheet” for each 10 ordered and 2 printed paper templates for registration tests.

Or you can always order printed labels from me.

Q. I want my bottle labels to be waterproof. What kind of labels should I use?

Waterproof is hard to guarantee but you can certainly create water resistant labels using the right combination of label stock and printer.

If in doubt of which label stock to use, consider ordering a sample pack of Labels-by-the-sheet’s excellent selection of White Photo Gloss Labels, White Matte Water-Resistant Vinyl Inkjet Labels, among others.

I am in no way associated with Labels-by-the-sheet or Online Labels but I purchased from these companies a number of times and they have yet to let us down.

Q: What are the differences between copier, inkjet and laser printers?

In a nutshell, laser printers use a powder pigment activated by heat or light. They tend to be water-resistant by nature of the process. Many plain paper copiers and fax machines use this type of ink as well. Inkjet printers use liquid ink.

For more information about the difference, read this excellent post at Yahoo answers or The Office Guide’s quick primer on printers, copiers and paper.

Q. What kind of printer do I have? Is it waterproof?

A. I can’t answer that easily but, more than likely, you have an inkjet printer. If you have any doubt, google the model name on the front of your printer to be sure. Check the manufacturer’s Ibsite for that information. If the site doesn’t say one way or the other, call the manufacturer’s 1-800 support number to make sure.

OR print an image on decent paper. Wait til it dries then hold it for a 15 seconds under a running faucet. Its a quick and messy test.

I have an Epson R1900 Large Format Photo Printer and HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer, both of which are great printers with waterproof inks. I have been told that not all Epson UltraChrome Printers are water-resistant but I haven’t run into this problem.

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• allow ink to dry before stacking or handling the material
• store inkjet material in its original plastic wrapper; keep in a dry and cool place.
• exposure to humidity can alter the material and render it unuseable.
• store the label material flat when handling, keep the edges smooth and uncurled. A book or flat weight on the labels will help.
• when handling the material, make sure to handle only from the edges, so as to avoid getting oil from fingers on to the surface.

Glossy or Matte label materials:

In most cases, “plain paper” setting (sometimes  “normal” setting) should be used.  DPI should be set to 150×150 or 300×300 or the equivalent. It is easy to over-saturate the ink on the material if you choose a higher quality.  Some printing work may look best when printed in ‘best’ and ‘photo paper’ settings. We recommend ordering a few extra labels just in case.

Waterproof Inkjet Materials:

Waterproof inkjet materials are made with a special coating that is porous, which encapsulates the ink.
Using a high printing resolution dispenses too much ink on the material, thereby over-saturating the micro-pores.
If the labels get wet, the unabsorbed ink will run on the sheet. To avoid this, use a lower printing resolution (perhaps 150×150), reducing the dots per inch. The images will not appear as crisp as when printed on glossy labels but they are unquestionable water-resistant.

To prevent paper jams:

• make sure the sheets are flat and smooth
• never insert too many sheets at once (some low-end inkjet models have feed systems that require feeding one sheet at a time). 
• ‘top feeding’ inkjet printers need extra caution so as to make sure the paper is aligned when fed through.
• if sheets jam in bottom-feed printers, you may have to adjust the paper guides and/or hand feed paper carefully.