Whether you want to add branding, warnings, instructions, or any combination of these, it’s necessary to get the artwork as well as information you need on the glass bottles and vases. Remember that screen printing and product labels are perhaps two of the common ways of attaching text, logos, and other design elements to bottles and vases.
However, recently, screen printing has become quite a popular way of printing in the industry. This is because screen printing tends to allow businesses to create large designs on cylindrical or flat surfaces of glass bottles and vases. Screen printing also offers the chance to automate or semi-automate the decoration in high volume but at affordable rates. No wonder, many companies find this printing process appealing. This article discusses the key factor to consider before screen printing on glass bottles and vases.
Understand screen printing
As explained earlier, screen printing that is sometimes called silk screen printing has become one of the most popular glass bottles and vases decorating techniques when it comes to the packaging industry. Screen printing on glass bottles and vases is different from a label because in screen printing there is a decorating technique where ink is printed directly onto glass bottles and vases.
Once this ink is applied, then they cure it under LED or UV lights to make sure that the ink sticks to the bottles and vases and will not rub off or smear. The good news is that there are many companies out there that have many screen printing machines capable of printing even up to five colors. This allows clients to be creative in their artwork. It’s worth noting that there are several things you need to consider before screen printing on glass bottles and vases. Here are some of the things worth considering:
Glass bottles and vases artwork and decorative needs
Your artwork can play a significant role in choosing between labels or screen prints. Regardless of whether you have glass bottles or vases, screen printing is a good option for any graphics that don’t involve too many colors or complex. If you decide to have a logo or simple text or art, printing directly on your glass bottle or vase’s surface can be your easiest or most cost-effective option.
If you have complex artwork, then there is a good chance that you may want to take another decorative option. Anything that needs photographic quality or uses several colors can be tricky to screen print.
Choose an option that fits your order volume
The number of glass bottles and vases you need screen printed can also play a significant role in deciding whether labels or screen is a better option. There are certain techniques of branding your glass bottles and vases requiring different minimums. For example, screen printing is considered to be a cost-effective way for you, especially if you need to have high-volume bottles printed with the same design. After all, most of the time, the simplest solution can be the ideal one.
However, there are also situations where you simply want artwork for a couple hundred or even thousand glass bottles and vases. You can also have more than 10,000 glass bottles and vases with several sets of artwork for different products. Therefore, if the volume is pretty low for glass bottles and vases, then screen printing can be challenging for your packaging needs.
The good news is that with digital printing technology, it makes sense to use paper labels for smaller runs. You should note that the paper labels can accommodate at least between a few hundred and tens of thousands of items depending on the artwork you choose. But you can also find some screen printing companies that can take your small order, so it’s always a good idea to find out from them.
Figure out your storage situation
Besides the artwork and order volume, it’s also crucial to find out if you require to have more room for any glass bottles and vases or decorating materials. Depending on your option of screen printing, you may have to allocate some additional space for your glass bottles and vases.
If you choose screen printing, it’s necessary to consider if there are higher minimums that can lead you to hold on to the items until you are ready to use them. If so, then you may need to ensure that you have enough space to keep whatever the glass bottles and vases are until it’s time to ship them. But screen printing can sometimes be done on glass bottles after they are filled to allow you to do printing at need. This can happen depending on the order volumes.
On the other hand, labels can sometimes take up much less room. For example, you can fit many labels in a few boxes and this may be a preferable solution if you fail to fit the same number of glass bottles. As a result, this can free up to put the labels while receiving packaging rather than dedicating room to sitting inventory.
Work with a packaging supplier that can streamline the storage and printing situations
Screen printing glass bottles and vases is a huge part of packaging, though handling the logistics and preparing every bottle and vase can sometimes lead to stress and extra operational costs. Thankfully, there are some good packaging distributors out there that can take this huge burden of storing glass bottles and decorating off your shoulders.
Not only do these packaging distributors offer you the right retail, industrial, or commercial packaging, they can also reduce your administrative and labor costs associated with decorating and storing these glass bottles and vases. With their in-house glass bottles and vases decorating services and enough space in their packaging warehouses, they can assist you to reduce your labor and space needs.
Therefore, it’s always important to work with a packaging distributor that can help you reduce some costs associated with screen printing your glass bottles and vases. The best way to do this is to research and find out the services offered by the screen printing company.
