FAQs - Answers to some of your questions
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Why Choose Maritime Labels & Packaging?
Maritime Labels & Packaging is a family owned and operated custom print shop specializing in pressure sensitive label production and other printed products. Founded in 1970 with offerings of quality prepress services and custom printing plates, Maritime Labels & Packaging has grown to include pressure sensitive labels and other printed products to help its customers improve their product presentation and grow their business. For any customer requiring small (and large!) quantities, having multiple SKUs comprising their label order, or wanting the best print quality available, Maritime Labels & Packaging is here to help. For more information about Maritime Labels & Packaging - Click Here.
What are my colour options?
Maritime Labels & Packaging specializes in four colour process printing (CMYK), converting all input colors into percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks. The separated CMYK images are combined and various dot gains and screens are applied to provide a full colour image. This is the printing process used for many common colour printed materials. Additional five, six, and seven colour process printing (CMYKOVG) is available. By adding Orange, Violet, and/or Green process colour inks to the print, a wider gamut of colour representation is available. White ink can be printed and is used when your job is printed on clear, metalized, or other custom substrates requiring a white point. Other spot colour inks are available which can include Pantone or PMS spot colours. While spot colours are available, most customers will be satisfied by including Pantone / PMS spot colour designations in their graphics file to be separated appropriately using CMYK or CMYKOVG printing processes to produce a close approximation. Be aware that Pantone spot colours contained in a graphics file will automatically adjust to best represent the Pantone spot colour ink. These should only be included if you have this intent, otherwise they should be converted from Spot to Process swatches!
What about colour consistency?
Reproducing colour on a consistent basis is the goal of Maritime Labels & Packaging. Every job is considered to be colour critical. The digital presses have built-in methods to constantly monitor and adjust colour reproduction throughout every day. These checks and balances ensure the most accurate colour reproduction is being achieved from run to run and you can expect your first job is the same as your most recent print run. Through this process, colour reproduction is found to be within acceptable industry standard Delta E tolerances.
Are there minimum order quantities?
Simply put, there aren't any. We've produced as few as 1 and as many as 500,000 labels in a single order. What's even better -- you can combine multiple designs of the same specifications in one total order quantity, helping to save you money.
Are there printing plate charges?
No. It would not be justified to charge you for printing plates when there aren't any. Direct to press digital technology doesn't use printing plates. In fact, add variable data to your job making each and every label unique in a cost effective manner. In the rare instance that a spot varnish coating is required for post-marking the finished labels, you may incur a varnish plate charge.
What size and shapes are available?
There is a large selection of stock shapes and sizes available to choose from which is continuously growing. Our quote form outlines the stock shapes and sizes you can choose from. If you're a registered user of this site you can login to download stock die templates. There is also a wide selection of special shapes available - just ask us for more information to help choose something that meets your needs. Don't see what suits your needs? No worries, just let us know the exact dimensions and shape and we'll work with you on quoting a custom die.
Can you print gold, silver or other metallic colour inks?
Although true metallic inks are not available, a metallic ink appearance can easily be achieved by combining mixtures of process colour on top of reflective silver surfaces. In areas of the design not intended to be metallic in appearance, white ink is used to mask the silver reflective surface of the material. This process is commonly used to mimic hot or cold foiling or spot gold and silver ink printing including a wide array of shiny colours for a variety of applications. Add fine black key lines to the design to provide a dimensional appearance.
What types of material can you print on?
There are only a handful of the hundreds of materials available on the market that we can't print on. Most materials on the market can be prepped for digital printing, a value added service that Maritime Labels & Packaging prides itself on. There is a core set of materials that are considered stock substrates including a variety of paper, polypropylene, metallized materials, and others. For any custom coat material, minimum order quantities and extended completion times may occur.
Will my order be produced on rolls?
It's your choice. Your order is produced on a digital web press, meaning the material is roll stock, helping to reduce waste that may occur by printing the same job on pre-specified sheet sizes. By default, most jobs maintain a roll stock format. Roll stock labels are easier to handle, store, and adapt for either hand or machine application. If you'd like to have your job supplied in pieces or sheets, we can do that, too!
What are the "unwind directions"?
There are eight unwind directions which describe how the labels come off of the roll. Unwinds are typically important only for automatic and semi-automatic (machine) applications. Hand applications may have preferred unwinds per individual, but are not critical for the end use. Please be sure to specify if your job has a required unwind in order to ensure it is compatible with your application method. Refer to the unwind chart to choose the applicable unwind you require.