Custom Label Printing Guides for Brand & Compliance Teams 2026

Custom Label Printing: The Complete Guide for Product Brands (2026)

Whether you’re launching a new product or refreshing an existing line, your label is often the first thing a customer sees. It carries your brand, communicates compliance information, and—done right—sells the product before anyone reads a word of copy. Getting custom label printing right is not just a design decision. It’s a strategic one. Request a quote to get started.

This guide covers everything product brands need to know about custom label printing in 2026: how the process works, what decisions you’ll face, what questions to ask a printing partner, and how to avoid the mistakes that cost brands time and money.

What Is Custom Label Printing?

Custom label printing is the production of labels designed specifically for your product—your dimensions, your materials, your finish, your compliance requirements. Unlike generic stock labels, custom labels are built from the ground up to match your brand identity and meet the technical requirements of your product category.

Custom labels are used across virtually every product category:

• Food and beverage — ingredient lists, nutrition facts, allergen warnings, brand identity
• Health and beauty — ingredient disclosure, usage instructions, FDA compliance
• Specialty food and craft products — artisan brand identity, local sourcing callouts
• Industrial and commercial products — warning labels, part numbers, barcodes
• Retail and CPG — shelf presence, promotional labels, seasonal variations

The right label does more than identify your product. It communicates quality, builds trust, and influences purchase decisions—especially in competitive retail environments where your product may be sitting next to a dozen alternatives.

Types of Custom Labels

Understanding the different label types helps you make smarter decisions about materials, print methods, and finishes.

Pressure-Sensitive Labels

Pressure-sensitive labels (also called self-adhesive labels) are the most common type used in consumer products. They’re applied with pressure—no heat or water required—and adhere to glass, plastic, paper, and most other surfaces.

They’re available in a wide range of materials:

• Paper — economical, good for dry goods, refrigerated products (with the right adhesive), and any application where a natural or craft look is desired
• Polypropylene (BOPP) — durable, moisture-resistant, ideal for products that will be handled frequently or stored in humid conditions
• Polyester (PET) — very durable, chemical-resistant, often used for industrial or cleaning product labels

Shrink Sleeves

Shrink sleeve labels wrap around the entire container and shrink to conform to its shape when heat is applied. They offer 360-degree branding, work on unusually shaped containers, and create a tamper-evident seal. They’re popular in beverage, supplement, and personal care categories.

Wraparound Labels

Wraparound labels cover most or all of the container’s surface using a single label panel. They’re common in beverage and food categories and work well when you want large format graphics or maximum label real estate.

Cut-to-Shape Labels

Cut-to-shape labels are die-cut to a specific custom shape—circles, ovals, hexagons, or any form that fits your brand. They stand out on shelf and are widely used in specialty food, craft beverage, and premium consumer goods.

Multi-Layer and Booklet Labels

Multi-layer labels contain additional panels that fold out or peel back, allowing you to include large amounts of text—compliance information, multilingual copy, extended use instructions—without sacrificing label aesthetics. They’re common in pharmaceutical, supplement, and regulated product categories.

The Custom Label Printing Process: Step by Step

1. Define Your Requirements

Before any printing begins, you need a clear picture of your label’s requirements:

• Size and shape — What are the dimensions? Is it a standard shape or custom die-cut?
• Material — What surface is the label going on? What conditions will it face (moisture, heat, freezing, handling)?
• Quantity — How many do you need? This affects which print method is most cost-effective.
• Compliance — Are there regulatory requirements (FDA nutrition facts, allergen warnings, etc.)?
• Finish — Gloss, matte, or soft-touch? Do you want specialty coatings or embossing?

2. Artwork Preparation

Your artwork file needs to meet specific technical requirements for printing. This is where many brands run into problems. Common issues include:

• Low-resolution images — Print requires 300 DPI or higher. Web graphics (72-96 DPI) will print blurry.
• RGB vs. CMYK color mode — Screens display RGB; printers use CMYK. Colors can shift significantly if files aren’t converted properly.
• Missing bleed — Your design needs to extend slightly beyond the trim line to account for cutting tolerances. Typically 1/8 inch (0.125″).
• Fonts not outlined — If fonts aren’t converted to outlines (paths), they may substitute or reflow if the printer doesn’t have that font installed.
• Incorrect file format — Most printers prefer vector-based files (PDF, AI, EPS) for labels. Raster images should be embedded at full resolution.

A good printing partner will review your files and flag these issues before production. At White Graphics, we review every file and communicate any concerns before going to press—so you don’t discover a problem after the job runs.

3. Proofing

Prototypes and proofs let you verify color, layout, and content before committing to a full print run. Options typically include:

• Digital soft proof — A screen-based preview. Good for checking layout and copy, but not an accurate color reference.
• Digital hard proof — A printed color proof on the actual substrate. This is the closest thing to seeing the finished label before the run.
• Press proof — Run on the actual press with production materials. Most accurate, but adds time and cost. Typically reserved for large runs or critical color matching.

For most short-run jobs, a digital hard proof is sufficient. For brand-critical color—especially when matching to existing packaging or brand standards—a press proof is worth the investment.

4. Production

Modern label printing uses several different technologies, each with different strengths:

Digital printing is ideal for short runs, quick turnarounds, and variable data. It offers high quality, no plate costs, and the ability to run multiple SKUs economically. Digital printing has dramatically improved in quality over the past decade and is now capable of producing results comparable to offset for most applications.

Flexographic printing (flexo) is the workhorse of high-volume label production. It’s efficient and cost-effective at scale, with fast run speeds and excellent consistency across long runs. Setup costs (plates) make it less economical for short runs.

Offset printing delivers exceptional quality and is well-suited for complex designs with fine detail and accurate color matching. It’s used for premium labels where quality is paramount.

Many modern print shops, including White Graphics, use hybrid approaches—combining digital and conventional technologies to optimize quality and cost across different run lengths.

5. Finishing

Finishing is where labels go from printed sheet to finished product. This includes:

• Laminating — A protective film applied over the printed surface. Provides durability and enhances appearance (gloss or matte finish).
• Varnishing and coatings — UV coatings add gloss and protection. Aqueous coatings are more environmentally friendly. Soft-touch coatings create a velvet-like texture that signals premium quality.
• Die-cutting — Cutting the labels to their final shape. Standard shapes (rectangles, circles, ovals) use standard dies; custom shapes require custom tooling.
• Slitting and rewinding — Labels are typically delivered on rolls, slit to width and rewound for application.

6. Quality Control and Delivery

Before labels ship, they should go through a quality inspection process—checking color accuracy, registration, adhesive performance, and die-cut consistency. A reliable printing partner will catch problems before they reach you.

Short Runs vs. Long Runs: Choosing the Right Approach

One of the most important decisions in custom label printing is quantity. Run length affects print method, cost per unit, lead time, and flexibility.

Short runs (typically under 5,000 labels) are printed digitally. Advantages include:

• No plate or setup fees
• Fast turnaround (often 5-10 business days)
• Ability to run multiple versions or SKUs economically
• Lower risk for new products or seasonal variations

Long runs (10,000+ labels) are more economical with flexographic or offset printing. The higher setup cost is offset by lower per-unit cost at volume.

The right run length depends on your sales velocity, shelf life, and how frequently your label design changes. Many brands use short runs for initial product launches or seasonal items, then transition to longer runs once volume is established.

What to Look for in a Custom Label Printing Partner

Not all label printers are equal. Here’s what separates a reliable partner from a commodity vendor:

Industry Experience

Look for a printer with experience in your product category. Food labels, for example, have specific compliance requirements. A printer who understands FDA nutrition fact panel specifications, allergen call-out requirements, and net weight statement placement will save you significant time and prevent compliance problems.

Pre-Press Support

Does the printer review your files before production? Will they flag problems and communicate before running? Or do they print what you send and let you discover issues in the delivered product? Pre-press support is particularly valuable for brands without in-house design teams.

Prototyping Capability

Can they produce prototypes and sales samples before your full production run? This is critical for new product launches, retail buyer presentations, and any situation where you need to see the label on the actual product before committing to a full run.

Turnaround Time

What are realistic lead times for your run size? Are rush options available if you have a tight launch deadline?

Communication and Transparency

Will you work with a dedicated contact who understands your account? Or will you be navigating a call center? For brands with complex label requirements, a knowledgeable point of contact makes a significant difference.

Common Mistakes Brands Make with Custom Labels

Waiting too long to start. Label printing has a lead time. If you’re launching a product and haven’t started your label project, you’re already behind. Build label production into your launch timeline from the beginning.

Designing for screen instead of print. A label that looks great on a monitor may look completely different when printed. Work with your designer to ensure files are set up for print (CMYK, 300 DPI, proper bleed).

Skipping the prototype. Many brands skip prototyping to save time and money, then discover problems after committing to a full run. A prototype is cheap insurance.

Underestimating compliance requirements. FDA labeling regulations, allergen disclosure requirements, and state-specific requirements (especially for food and health products) are detailed and unforgiving. Make sure your label content has been reviewed for compliance before you print.

Ordering too many at once. Ordering a large quantity of labels to get a lower per-unit cost makes sense—unless your design changes before you use them. New products and evolving brands often benefit from shorter, more frequent runs that allow label updates without waste.

Sustainable Label Options

Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration in packaging and labels. Options include:

• Recycled content papers and films — Papers and films made with post-consumer recycled content
• Water-based adhesives and coatings — Lower environmental impact than solvent-based alternatives
• Linerless labels — Eliminate the silicone-coated liner (release paper), significantly reducing waste
• Compostable and biodegradable films — Appropriate for products and brands with strong sustainability positioning

White Graphics works with clients to identify sustainable material options that meet their performance requirements and environmental goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does custom label printing take? Typical lead times are 7-15 business days for standard jobs. Rush options are available. Lead time depends on run size, materials, and finishing requirements.

What file formats do you accept? We prefer press-ready PDFs with embedded fonts, CMYK color mode, and 1/8″ bleed. We also accept AI and EPS files. Our pre-press team will review your files and flag any issues before production.

What is the minimum order quantity? We can produce very short runs—including single prototypes and sales samples—using digital printing. There’s no minimum that prevents you from getting started.

Can you match a specific Pantone color? Yes. We can match Pantone colors in both conventional and digital printing. Provide your Pantone reference numbers and we’ll work to achieve an accurate match.

Do you offer design services? We can refer you to trusted design partners if you need label design help. Our pre-press team can also make minor file adjustments and flag artwork issues.

Can you store and ship labels for us? Yes. We offer fulfillment and distribution services for clients who want labels shipped directly to their facilities or third-party warehouses on a schedule.

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Short-Run Label Printing for Product Launches: What Every Brand Needs to Know

Launching a new product is one of the most exciting—and stressful—things a brand can do. There are a hundred moving parts, and labels often get left until the last minute. More than that, many brands make quantity decisions based on instinct or price-per-unit math, and end up either sitting on thousands of obsolete labels or scrambling to reorder with a two-week lead time when a product takes off faster than expected.

Short-run label printing solves a specific problem: it lets you move fast, test the market, and stay nimble without committing to quantities your warehouse can’t handle or your budget can’t justify.

This article explains how short-run label printing works, when it makes sense, how to plan a launch print run, and what to look for in a printing partner when speed and flexibility matter.

What Is Short-Run Label Printing?

Short-run label printing refers to producing labels in smaller quantities—typically under 5,000 units per SKU, though the definition varies by printer and print method. It’s made practical by digital printing technology, which eliminates the plate-making and setup costs associated with traditional flexographic or offset printing.

In conventional label printing, the economics favor volume. Plates cost money to make; the longer the run, the more that cost gets spread across each label. Digital printing has no plates. The press is ready to print the moment your file is approved. That changes the math entirely for short quantities.

The result: brands can now order 250, 500, or 1,000 labels of a product and get a finished, professional result at a reasonable cost—something that simply wasn’t viable 15 years ago.

Why Short-Run Printing Makes Sense for Product Launches

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

A product launch is a hypothesis. You believe customers want this product, at this price, with this packaging. But until it’s on the shelf or in customers’ hands, you’re working with assumptions.

Short-run printing lets you test the hypothesis without betting the farm on it. Order enough labels to fill your first production run, get the product in front of real customers, and gather real feedback before you order 50,000 more.

Brands that order large quantities of labels at launch frequently discover one or more of the following:

• The design needs updating after customer feedback
• A compliance requirement was missed — see our FDA food label requirements guide for details and the label has to change
• The product sells differently than expected (different size, different variant, different market)
• A retail partner requires label modifications before they’ll carry the product

Any one of these scenarios turns a large initial label order into waste. Short runs protect you from that.

Multiple SKUs Are Economical

Most product launches don’t involve a single SKU. You might launch three flavors, four sizes, or a standard and a “limited edition” version simultaneously. With conventional printing, running four SKUs means paying four set-up costs. With digital short-run printing, you can run all four SKUs in one job—same cost structure, same lead time.

This is particularly valuable for:

• Food and beverage brands launching a product line
• Health and beauty brands with a product family
• Specialty goods with seasonal or regional variations

Fast Turnaround Keeps Your Launch on Schedule

Digital short-run label printing is fast. Most standard jobs run in 5-10 business days from approved artwork. Rush options can often cut that to 2-3 days.

When you’re managing a product launch across manufacturing, distribution, and retail timelines, having a label vendor who can turn a job quickly is a genuine competitive advantage. It gives you flexibility when other parts of the supply chain move unexpectedly.

Reorder Frequently as You Scale

Short-run printing supports a “print as you grow” model. Instead of trying to predict 12 months of label demand and ordering all at once, you reorder more frequently in smaller quantities. You keep fresh inventory, reduce storage overhead, and stay flexible to make label updates as the brand evolves.

When Does It Make Sense to Move to Longer Runs?

Short-run printing isn’t the right choice forever. As volume increases and your label design stabilizes, longer runs become more economical.

The crossover point depends on your label’s complexity, materials, and finishing—but as a general rule, once you’re consistently ordering 10,000+ of the same label version, it’s worth getting a quote for a longer conventional run to compare cost per unit.

Signs you might be ready to move to longer runs:

• Your label design hasn’t changed in 12+ months
• You’re placing short-run reorders every 4-6 weeks
• Your per-unit label cost is a meaningful percentage of product cost

A good printing partner will tell you honestly when longer runs would benefit you—rather than keeping you on short-run pricing indefinitely.

Planning Your Launch Print Run: A Practical Guide

Step 1: Establish Your Initial Quantity

Start with your planned first production run of the product. If you’re manufacturing 2,000 units, you need at least 2,000 labels—plus a small overage (typically 5-10%) to account for application waste, samples, and test labels.

Don’t order 10x your initial production run “to get a better price.” The per-unit savings rarely justify the risk of having 8,000 labels you can’t use.

Step 2: Finalize Your Label Specifications

Before you can get an accurate quote, you need to nail down:

• Label dimensions — Length and width of the finished label. If it’s a wraparound, you need the container circumference.
• Shape — Rectangle, oval, circle, or custom die-cut?
• Material — Paper or white BOPP film? The right choice depends on the product and its environment.
• Adhesive — Standard permanent, removable, freezer-grade, or high-tack for difficult surfaces?
• Finish — Gloss laminate, matte laminate, or uncoated?
• Core and roll direction — If you’re applying labels with a machine, your applicator has specific requirements for roll diameter, core size, and label orientation.

Step 3: Get Your Artwork Right Before You Print

Artwork problems are the most common cause of launch delays and reprint costs. Make sure your files are print-ready:

• 300 DPI or higher for all raster images
• CMYK color mode (not RGB)
• 1/8″ bleed on all sides
• Fonts converted to outlines (paths)
• PDF format preferred for press-ready files

If you’re working with a designer who hasn’t produced label artwork before, make sure they understand print specifications. Many web and social media designers aren’t familiar with print production requirements.

Step 4: Order a Prototype First

For any new product, we strongly recommend ordering a prototype before committing to your full launch quantity. A physical prototype lets you:

• Verify color accuracy on the actual label material
• Check that all compliance information is present and properly formatted
• Apply the label to your actual container and check for fit, application quality, and appearance
• Share with retail buyers or distributors for presentations

Prototype runs are inexpensive relative to the cost of discovering a problem after a full production run. See our article on [packaging prototypes and sales samples] for more detail on this process.

Step 5: Build Lead Time Into Your Launch Schedule

Label printing is not instant. Plan for:

• File prep and approval: 1-3 days (longer if revisions are needed)
• Proof review: 1-2 days
• Production: 5-10 business days for standard digital short runs
• Shipping: 1-3 days depending on your location

Total: budget 2-3 weeks from final artwork to labels in your hands. If you need a rush, ask—but plan for standard lead times and treat rush as a backup, not a baseline.

Materials Guide for Launch Labels

Choosing the right label material is one of the most important decisions in your print run. Here’s a quick reference:

Paper Labels

Best for: dry goods, products stored at room temperature, applications where a craft or natural look is desired.

Paper labels are economical and print beautifully. They’re the right choice for many food products, specialty goods, and applications where the label won’t face moisture or rough handling. Not ideal for products that will get wet or be handled heavily.

White BOPP Film

Best for: food and beverage products that will face moisture, refrigeration, or frequent handling. Personal care products. Any application where durability matters.

BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) is a plastic film that resists moisture, tearing, and oils. It’s the workhorse material for consumer products and prints with excellent clarity and color saturation. More durable than paper, with a slightly higher cost.

Polyester (PET) Film

Best for: industrial products, cleaning products, laboratory supplies, any application requiring extreme durability or chemical resistance.

Polyester film is the toughest standard label material. It resists chemicals, extreme temperatures, and abrasion. Higher cost than BOPP; appropriate when performance requirements demand it.

Compliance Checklist for Launch Labels

Before you finalize any label for a regulated product category, confirm you’ve addressed:

Food and beverage:

• Nutrition facts panel (if required by FDA)
• Ingredient list (descending order by weight)
• Allergen declarations (FALCPA requirements)
• Net weight statement in correct format and location
• Manufacturer name and address
• Country of origin (if applicable)

Dietary supplements:

• Supplement facts panel
• Serving size and servings per container
• Disclaimer statement: “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA…”
• Net quantity

Health and beauty (OTC drugs):

• Drug facts panel (OTC drug labeling is highly specific—consult FDA guidelines)
• Active and inactive ingredients
• Directions and warnings

Missing or incorrect compliance information on a label can result in FDA warning letters, product recalls, or retailer rejection. It’s worth having labels reviewed by someone familiar with your category’s requirements before you print.

Choosing a Short-Run Label Printing Partner

For a product launch, your printer needs to be more than a commodity vendor. Look for:

File review and pre-press support. A printer who reviews your files and communicates problems before production is far more valuable than one who prints what you send and lets you discover issues in the delivered product.

Prototyping capability. Can they produce a small prototype run quickly? This is essential for launches.

Honest communication about lead times. A printer who tells you 5 days when they mean 10 is not a partner—they’re a problem waiting to happen. You need accurate lead times to plan your launch.

Experience with your product category. Label printing for food products is different from label printing for industrial products. A printer with category experience will catch compliance and performance issues that a generalist might miss.

Flexible order quantities. Can they run 250 labels if that’s what you need? Or do they have minimums that force you into larger quantities than make sense?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is short-run label printing?

Short-run label printing refers to producing labels in smaller quantities, typically under 5,000 units, using digital printing technology that eliminates plate costs and setup fees.

How much does short-run label printing cost?

Costs vary by quantity, material, and finishing. Because digital printing has no plate costs, short runs are economical even at quantities of 250-500 labels.

How fast can short-run labels be produced?

Most standard digital short-run label jobs are completed in 5-10 business days from approved artwork. Rush options can reduce this to 2-3 days.

What is the best label material for product launches?

White BOPP film is the most versatile choice for most consumer products. Paper labels work for dry goods with a craft aesthetic. The right material depends on the product and its storage environment.

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FDA Food Label Requirements 2026: What Food and Beverage Brands Need to Know

FDA food labeling regulations are not static. They evolve as nutrition science advances, as consumer expectations shift, and as the FDA issues new guidance and enforcement priorities. For food and beverage brands, staying current with labeling requirements isn’t optional—it’s a cost of doing business.

Non-compliant labels can result in FDA warning letters, mandatory recalls, retailer rejection, and significant brand damage. The good news: most labeling errors are preventable with the right knowledge and a reliable printing partner who understands food label compliance.

This guide covers the FDA food labeling requirements that matter most for brands producing packaged food and beverage products in 2026, including the nutrition facts panel, ingredient labeling, allergen declarations, net weight, and front-of-pack claims.

Note: This article provides general educational information. It is not legal or regulatory advice. Brands with specific compliance questions should consult a regulatory affairs specialist or FDA-experienced attorney.

The Foundation: What the FDA Requires on Food Labels

The FDA’s food labeling regulations are primarily governed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). The core required elements for most packaged food products are:

1. Statement of identity (what the food is)
2. Net quantity of contents (amount in the package)
3. Nutrition facts panel
4. Ingredient list
5. Allergen declaration
6. Name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor

Some products have additional requirements—organic certification, country of origin, specific health or nutrient content claims—depending on the product and any claims being made.

The Nutrition Facts Panel: Current Requirements

The FDA updated the Nutrition Facts panel format in 2016, with full compliance required by January 2020 for most manufacturers. If your labels still use the pre-2016 format, you’re out of compliance.

What the Updated Panel Requires

Serving size: Must reflect the amount of food people actually eat, not just what manufacturers previously considered a serving. The FDA updated Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) as part of the 2016 rule. Serving sizes must be declared in common household measures (cups, tablespoons, pieces, etc.) followed by the metric equivalent.

Calories: Must appear in larger, bolder type than in the previous format. This is one of the most visible changes from the old panel.

Added sugars: Now required as a distinct line item, in grams and as a percentage of Daily Value. This is a significant addition—previously, the panel only showed total sugars.

Vitamin D and potassium: Now required (replacing vitamins A and C, which are no longer required but may still be declared voluntarily). Calcium and iron remain required.

Daily Values: Updated to reflect current nutrition science. The reference values for several nutrients changed in 2016.

Footnote: The footnote language changed. The current required footnote reads: “The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

Dual-Column Panels

Products that contain between 2 and 3 servings per container (based on the RACC) may need to show a dual-column Nutrition Facts panel displaying nutrition information both per serving and per container. This requirement catches many brands off guard.

Packages that are typically consumed in one sitting but contain between 2 and 3 servings must use the dual-column format. The intent is to make it clear to consumers how much they’d consume by eating the whole package.

Single-Ingredient Sugars

Raw, single-ingredient sugars (like maple syrup, honey, or pure cane sugar) have a modified added sugars declaration. They must include a footnote explaining that the percent DV for added sugars refers to the reference amount, not a recommendation to consume added sugar.

Ingredient Labeling: The Rules

The ingredient list must appear on the label’s information panel (typically the back or side of the package). Requirements:

Descending order by weight. Ingredients must be listed from most to least by weight as used in the product. An ingredient that weighs more than any other individual ingredient must appear first.

Common or usual names. Ingredients must be identified by their common or usual name, not a proprietary name or technical term. “Sucrose” should be listed as “sugar.” Some ingredients have specific required names.

Ingredient sub-listing. When an ingredient is itself a mixture of components (like a spice blend or a compound ingredient), its sub-components must be listed in parentheses immediately following the ingredient name.

Water. Added water must be declared in the ingredient list in its correct order by weight.

Spices, flavorings, and colorings. These may be declared collectively as “spices,” “natural flavor,” “artificial flavor,” and “artificial color,” with certain exceptions. Some coloring agents have specific required declarations (e.g., “FD&C Yellow No. 5”).

Allergen Declarations: FALCPA and FASTER Act

Allergen labeling is one of the most consequential areas of food label compliance. Errors here can result in recalls, FDA enforcement action, and serious harm to consumers with food allergies.

The Big 9

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) originally identified eight major food allergens. The FASTER Act of 2021 added sesame, effective January 1, 2023. The current major food allergens requiring declaration are:

1. Milk
2. Eggs
3. Fish (with species specified)
4. Shellfish (with species specified)
5. Tree nuts (with type specified)
6. Wheat
7. Soybeans
8. Peanuts
9. Sesame (effective January 1, 2023)

If your label was printed before January 1, 2023 and your product contains sesame, your label is out of compliance. This is a significant issue for brands that haven’t revisited their labels since the FASTER Act took effect.

How Allergens Must Be Declared

There are two acceptable methods for declaring major food allergens:

Method 1: Parenthetical statement in the ingredient list. The allergen appears in parentheses after the ingredient name: “flour (wheat),” “casein (milk).”

Method 2: “Contains” statement. A separate “Contains” statement appears after the ingredient list: “Contains: Wheat, Milk, Soy.” This method requires that all allergens present in the product be listed.

Both methods can be used simultaneously, and many brands use both for maximum clarity.

Cross-Contact Advisory Statements

“May contain…” or “Manufactured in a facility that also processes…” statements are voluntary. They’re not required by FDA and do not substitute for required allergen declarations. However, if used, they must be truthful and not misleading.

Net Quantity of Contents: Getting It Right

The net quantity statement must appear on the principal display panel (the front of the package, or the panel most likely to be seen by a consumer). Requirements:

• Metric and U.S. customary units must both appear (e.g., “NET WT 12 oz (340g)”)
• Placement: Must appear in the bottom 30% of the principal display panel
• Type size: Regulated by FDA based on the size of the principal display panel—larger packages require larger type
• Liquid products must be declared in fluid measure; solid or semi-solid products in weight

Net quantity errors are common and frequently cited in FDA warning letters. If your package contains 11.5 oz but your label says 12 oz, you have a problem—even if the discrepancy seems minor.

Name and Place of Business

Every packaged food label must include the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. Required elements:

• Name of the business
• Street address (may be omitted if the business is listed in a current city directory or telephone directory)
• City, state, and ZIP code

If the company on the label is not the actual manufacturer, the label must include a qualifying phrase such as “manufactured for,” “distributed by,” or “packed by.”

Front-of-Package Claims: What You Can and Cannot Say

Front-of-package claims are high-visibility and high-risk. The FDA regulates nutrient content claims, health claims, and structure/function claims on food labels.

Nutrient Content Claims

Nutrient content claims make direct or implied statements about the level of a nutrient in a food. These are tightly regulated.

“Low sodium” — The food must contain 140mg or less of sodium per serving. “Reduced fat” — The food must contain at least 25% less fat than the regular version of the product. “Good source of fiber” — The food must contain 10-19% of the Daily Value for fiber per serving. “Excellent source of…” or “High in…” — The food must contain 20% or more of the Daily Value per serving.

Using a nutrient content claim that doesn’t meet the regulatory definition is a labeling violation. “Low calorie,” “light,” “lean,” “extra lean,” and many other common terms all have specific definitions.

Health Claims

A health claim describes a relationship between a food, food component, or dietary supplement and reduced risk of a disease or health condition. Health claims must be authorized by the FDA and can only appear when the food meets specific eligibility criteria. Unauthorized health claims are a serious violation.

Structure/Function Claims

Structure/function claims describe the role of a nutrient or ingredient in maintaining normal body function (e.g., “calcium builds strong bones,” “fiber maintains digestive health”). These are permitted on food labels under specific conditions but must be truthful and not misleading.

Country of Origin and Organic Claims

Country of origin: Required for some products (beef, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, chicken, goat, perishable agricultural commodities) under USDA regulations administered by AMS. For most other packaged foods, country of origin is optional but regulated when used.

USDA Organic: Products using USDA Organic certification must display the USDA Organic seal and the name of the certifying agency. The organic claim is regulated by the National Organic Program (NOP)—the percentages of organic content determine what organic terminology can be used on the label.

Common Label Compliance Errors to Avoid

Based on FDA warning letters and import alerts, the most common food label violations include:

1. Incorrect or outdated Nutrition Facts panel format (pre-2016 format still in use)
2. Missing sesame allergen declaration (required since January 1, 2023)
3. Incorrect net weight declaration (wrong amount, wrong format, wrong type size)
4. Unauthorized health or nutrient content claims (“boosts immunity” without FDA authorization)
5. Undeclared allergens — the most serious category, often triggering recalls
6. Ingredient list not in descending order by weight
7. Missing manufacturer name and address
8. Serving size not reflective of actual consumption

Labeling Compliance and Your Printing Partner

Your label printer is not a regulatory agency—they won’t catch every compliance issue in your label. But a printer with food industry experience can be a valuable second set of eyes. At White Graphics, our team is familiar with the visual and structural requirements of FDA-compliant food labels, including nutrition facts panel placement and size, net weight statement location, and allergen declaration formatting.

We can flag obvious issues before production. But for comprehensive compliance review, we recommend working with a food regulatory specialist or using a compliance review service.

What we can guarantee: when your label file is approved and production begins, you’ll get exactly what was approved—accurate color, correct dimensions, and precise print quality—so compliance issues don’t become production issues.

Updating Your Labels for Compliance

If your labels need updating to meet current FDA requirements, the process doesn’t have to be disruptive. Short-run digital printing makes it practical to update labels in small quantities—enough to cover your current inventory—while you plan your next full production run.

The key steps:

1. Audit your current label against current FDA requirements
2. Identify all required changes (not just the obvious ones)
3. Update your design file with all changes
4. Have a regulatory professional review the updated label before printing
5. Order a prototype to verify the final design
6. Print your updated labels in a quantity that matches your planned production

Don’t print a large quantity of updated labels until you’re confident the new label is fully compliant. Ordering a smaller quantity first gives you a final verification checkpoint.

Getting Help with Food Label Compliance

The FDA’s website (fda.gov) is the authoritative source for food labeling regulations, and their Food Labeling Guide is a thorough starting point for understanding requirements. The FDA also has a labeling guidance documents section with category-specific guidance.

For brands with complex products or claims, we recommend consulting:

• A regulatory affairs specialist with food industry experience
• A food and beverage attorney familiar with FDA enforcement
• Industry associations (GMA, SNAC International, etc.) that publish compliance resources for members

Frequently Asked Questions

What must be on a food label according to the FDA?

FDA-required food label elements include: a statement of identity, net quantity of contents, nutrition facts panel, ingredient list, allergen declarations, and the manufacturer or distributor name and address.

When did sesame become a required food allergen?

Sesame became the 9th major food allergen required for declaration on January 1, 2023, under the FASTER Act of 2021.

What is the FDA nutrition facts panel format for 2026?

The current nutrition facts panel format, required since 2020, includes updated serving sizes, larger calorie text, added sugars as a separate line item, and updated daily values. The pre-2016 format is no longer compliant.

Do small food businesses have to include a nutrition facts panel?

Small businesses that meet certain annual sales and employee count thresholds may qualify for an FDA exemption from nutrition facts labeling. Verify your eligibility with the FDA’s small business exemption criteria.

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Packaging Prototypes and Sales Samples: Why Brands Test Before They Mass Produce

There’s a moment in every product launch when everything looks great on screen. The design is dialed in, the colors look right, the copy is approved. Then the labels arrive, get applied to the actual containers, and something is off. The color shifted. The label doesn’t wrap cleanly. The font that looked clean at 72 DPI on a monitor is too small to read in print. Or the product goes to a retail buyer presentation and comes back with a list of required changes.

Packaging prototypes exist to catch these problems before they become expensive ones.

This article explains what prototypes and sales samples are, when to use them, and how to get the most out of the prototyping process—whether you’re launching a new product, pitching a retail buyer, or refreshing an existing line.

What Is a Packaging Prototype?

A packaging prototype is a small quantity of finished packaging—labels, cartons, pouches, or other packaging components—produced to verify design, materials, and print quality before committing to full production.

Prototypes are sometimes called “pre-production samples,” “proof samples,” or “mock-ups.” The terminology varies, but the function is the same: produce a small quantity of the real thing so you can evaluate it before the full run.

A true prototype uses the same materials, print process, and finishing as the production run. It’s not a photographic print or a cardboard stand-in—it’s the actual label or package, produced in small quantity, so what you see is genuinely what you’ll get.

Sales samples are a related but slightly different concept. Sales samples are prototype-quality packaging used specifically for retailer presentations, trade shows, distributor meetings, and direct-to-buyer selling. They may be applied to actual products or to containers filled with a stand-in material. The goal is to show a retail buyer exactly what the finished product will look like on their shelf.

Why Prototyping Matters: What It Catches

Color Accuracy

Color looks different on screen than it does in print. RGB monitors display a broader color gamut than CMYK printing can reproduce—which means colors that look vibrant on screen may appear duller or slightly shifted when printed. The difference between a design color and the printed result can be subtle or significant depending on the colors involved.

A prototype lets you see the actual printed color on the actual label material under real lighting conditions. If there’s a shift that matters—a brand color that reads differently than expected, a dark background that picks up texture, a gradient that banded—you catch it before production.

Label Fit and Application

A label that looks right in isolation may not perform correctly on the actual container. Issues that prototypes reveal:

• Oversize or undersize — The label is slightly off from what was spec’d. This happens more often than it should.
• Application issues — Air bubbles, wrinkling, or poor adhesion on textured or curved surfaces.
• Wraparound alignment — On containers where the label wraps fully or partially around, the front and back panel alignment needs to be verified.
• Squeezable containers — Labels on squeezable bottles can wrinkle or separate from the surface when the container is compressed. This needs to be tested.
• Shrink sleeves — Shrink sleeve labels change significantly when heat-applied. A prototype run through the actual shrink tunnel verifies the final appearance.

Readability at Actual Size

Compliance information on food and beverage labels often includes type that is very small—nutrition facts panels, ingredient lists, and net weight statements are frequently set at 6-8 points. What reads clearly on a large monitor may be nearly illegible in print. A prototype gives you a real-world readability check.

This matters especially for:

• Products requiring extensive compliance copy in limited label space
• Products targeting older consumer demographics where readability is important
• Products where the label will face regulatory scrutiny

Material Performance

Does the label material perform correctly in the product’s actual environment?

• A refrigerated product that fogs up in the display case may show label delamination or moisture penetration
• A product stored in warm conditions may show adhesive failure if the wrong adhesive is specified
• A product with oily contents may cause label curling at the edges if the material isn’t resistant to oils

A prototype run—including putting the labeled container through its actual storage, shipping, and display conditions—reveals these issues before they affect your full production run.

Compliance Review

The prototype stage is an excellent checkpoint for a final compliance review of your label. When the label is a physical object in hand—rather than a PDF on screen—it’s much easier to audit all required elements:

• Is the nutrition facts panel in the correct format?
• Is the allergen declaration present and complete?
• Is the net weight in the correct location and correct type size?
• Is the manufacturer’s name and address present?
• Are any claims on the label substantiated and compliant?

This physical review catches things that get missed in document review.

When to Use Prototypes and Sales Samples

New Product Launches

Every new product should have at least one prototype before the full label run is approved. No exceptions. The cost of a prototype is trivial compared to the cost of discovering a problem after a production run.

Redesigns and Label Updates

When an existing label is updated—new design, compliance update, new claims, new format—prototype the updated version before printing full quantities. Even experienced design teams make mistakes in revision cycles.

Retail Buyer Presentations

If you’re pitching a product to a retail buyer—whether a regional grocery chain, a specialty retailer, or a national mass merchant—you need to show up with a product that looks exactly like what you intend to sell. A buyer who sees a weak mock-up or a label pasted on by hand is not going to give your product the benefit of the doubt.

Professionally produced sales samples tell the buyer: this brand has its act together. The product looks ready to sell. That matters in a competitive review where many brands are competing for limited shelf space.

Trade Shows

Trade shows require quantity. You need enough samples to hand out to potential buyers, distributors, and press contacts over multiple days. Prototype-quality samples produced specifically for trade show use ensure you’re presenting the brand professionally.

Line Extensions

When you add a new SKU to an existing product line—a new size, a new flavor, a new format—prototype it before the full run. Line extensions introduce new design variables (different container shape, different label size, different material requirements) that need to be verified.

Investor and Partner Presentations

For brands raising capital or seeking manufacturing or distribution partnerships, a professionally produced prototype demonstrates execution capability. A finished product that looks retail-ready communicates credibility in a way that a rendering or a rough mock-up does not.

The Prototyping Process at White Graphics

At White Graphics, we produce prototypes and sales samples for product brands across a wide range of categories—food and beverage, health and beauty, specialty retail, and industrial products.

How it works:

1. Submit your artwork files. We review them for print-readiness and flag any issues before production.
2. Specify your requirements. Label dimensions, material, finish, quantity needed, and any special requirements (specific adhesive, specific core size for machine application, etc.).
3. We produce your prototype. Using the same digital printing process we use for production runs, we produce your prototype on the specified material with the specified finish.
4. Review and feedback. You evaluate the prototype, apply it to your actual containers, and assess color, fit, readability, and overall appearance.
5. Revisions if needed. If changes are required, we revise the files and produce a second prototype.
6. Production approval. Once the prototype is approved, we’re ready to run full production.

The typical turnaround for a prototype is 3-5 business days. Rush options are available.

How Many Prototypes Do You Need?

For internal review: 10-25 labels is usually sufficient to evaluate color, fit, and readability across a few containers.

For retail buyer presentations: 25-100 finished units, depending on the number of buyers you’re meeting with and whether you want to leave samples.

For trade shows: 100-500 units, depending on show traffic and your distribution strategy.

For investor presentations: 10-25 high-quality units is typically sufficient.

The beauty of digital short-run printing is that these quantities are practical and economical. You’re not paying for a conventional print run setup to get 50 prototypes.

Packaging Beyond Labels: Full-Package Prototyping

White Graphics produces more than labels. For brands that need a complete packaging prototype—not just the label—we offer:

Carton prototypes. Printed and die-cut paperboard cartons in prototype quantities. Used for retail packaging, product kits, and any application where the product ships or displays in a box.

Pouch prototypes. Flexible pouch packaging for food, supplement, and personal care products.

Corrugated prototypes. Printed corrugated boxes and inserts for branded shipping packaging or retail display use.

POP display samples. Point-of-purchase display structures in prototype quantities for retail buyer presentations and visual merchandising testing.

Having all your packaging components produced by the same partner simplifies coordination, ensures consistent color across components, and reduces the number of vendor relationships you need to manage.

What Good Prototyping Saves You

Let’s be direct about the economics.

A prototype run for 50 labels might cost a few hundred dollars. A full production run of 5,000 labels with a problem that requires a reprint costs significantly more—not just in label cost, but in the time and operational disruption of discovering and fixing the issue after the fact.

More importantly: no prototype run has ever cost a brand a retail listing. But arriving at a buyer presentation with sloppy packaging has.

Prototyping is not a place to economize. It’s one of the best investments in a product launch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a packaging prototype?

A packaging prototype is a small quantity of finished packaging produced using the same materials and process as the full production run, used to verify design, color, fit, and compliance before committing to full production.

How many prototypes do I need for a product launch?

For internal review, 10-25 labels is usually sufficient. For retail buyer presentations, 25-100 finished units. For trade shows, 100-500 units depending on traffic.

How long does it take to get packaging prototypes?

Typical prototype turnaround at White Graphics is 3-5 business days. Rush options are available.

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Short-Run Craft Beer and Beverage Labels: A Guide for Small Breweries and Craft Brands

If you’re running a small brewery, micro-distillery, or crafting a line of specialty beverages, you already know that your label is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It’s the first thing a customer sees on a shelf crowded with competitors. It tells your story before anyone takes a sip. And it has to survive condensation, ice baths, and refrigerator doors without peeling, fading, or looking like it was printed in someone’s garage.

The challenge is that most label printing has traditionally been set up for large-volume runs — tens of thousands of units at a time. That model doesn’t work for craft brands with limited cash flow, rotating seasonal releases, and multiple SKUs that might each sell a few hundred units per month. Short-run label printing exists specifically to solve that problem, and it’s changed what’s possible for independent beverage makers.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about getting labels that look professional, survive the cold chain, and actually make sense for a small-batch business model.

Why Short-Run Label Printing Makes Sense for Craft Beverages

The economics of craft beverage production are tight. You’re managing ingredient costs, equipment, distribution, licensing, and marketing — all before the product ever reaches a customer. Committing to 10,000 labels for a batch you’re only brewing 300 kegs of is a cash flow problem, not a strategy.

Short-run printing lets you order quantities that match your actual production volume. That might be 250 labels for a limited-edition seasonal release, or 500 labels across three different SKUs for a new product line you’re testing. You’re not locked into massive minimums, which means you’re not warehousing thousands of labels for a product that might pivot after customer feedback.

There’s another advantage that gets overlooked: design iteration. When you’re a growing brand, your label design will evolve. You’ll get feedback from retail buyers, distributors, and customers. You’ll rebrand. You’ll improve. With short-run printing, you can make those updates without writing off a pallet of outdated inventory. You order what you need now, refine the design, and reorder on the next batch.

For brands running seasonal or limited-edition releases — which is nearly every serious craft brewery — short-run printing isn’t just convenient. It’s the only model that actually makes operational sense.

If you want a broader overview of how this works across product categories, our guide to short-run label printing for product launches covers the full process from artwork preparation to material selection to press runs.

Label Materials That Survive the Beverage Environment

Not all labels are created equal, and in the beverage industry, material selection is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. A label that looks great in the design file but dissolves in an ice bucket is a branding disaster.

BOPP Film: The Industry Standard for Wet Environments

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is the go-to substrate for most beverage labels, and for good reason. It’s waterproof, dimensionally stable, and holds printed color with excellent clarity. When a beer bottle sits in a cooler full of ice water for three hours, a BOPP label stays put. When a kombucha bottle sweats through a refrigerated display case, the label doesn’t bubble, wrinkle, or lift at the edges.

BOPP also gives you flexibility in finish. A matte BOPP label reads as artisan and tactile — popular with craft spirits and specialty coffee brands. A gloss BOPP label pops on shelf and reads as clean and commercial. Both options are durable and water-resistant.

Adhesive Selection for Cold and Wet Applications

The film is only part of the equation. The adhesive underneath has to be matched to the application. Standard permanent adhesives work fine for products stored at room temperature, but beverage labels need adhesives rated for cold and wet conditions.

For refrigerated products, you want an adhesive that maintains its bond at low temperatures and resists moisture penetration at the label edge. For products going through an ice bath or wet merchandising display, that matters even more. A good printer will ask you about your storage, display, and distribution conditions before recommending an adhesive — if they don’t ask, that’s a red flag.

Paper Labels: When and Why

Uncoated paper labels have their place in the craft beverage world, particularly for spirits in bottles that never touch ice or condensation. A textured paper label on a whiskey or gin bottle gives a premium, handcrafted feel that BOPP can’t replicate. But paper labels and moisture don’t mix well. If your product is going into a cooler, a refrigerator, or any wet display environment, paper is the wrong call.

Shrink Sleeves for Unusual Bottle Shapes

Standard labels are designed to wrap around cylindrical surfaces. That works for most beer bottles and standard spirits bottles. But craft beverage packaging has gotten more creative — growlers, flasks, hexagonal bottles, stubby formats, and custom glass shapes are increasingly common.

When a standard pressure-sensitive label won’t conform to the surface geometry, a shrink sleeve is the solution.

How Shrink Sleeves Work

Shrink sleeves are printed on a flexible film that’s formed into a tube and placed over the container. When heat is applied, the sleeve conforms precisely to the shape of the bottle, wrapping curves and contours that a flat label can’t follow. The result is 360-degree coverage with no visible seam on the label surface.

For brands selling in multiple formats — a 16 oz can and a 32 oz crowler, for example — shrink sleeves can be engineered for each format while keeping consistent branding across the line.

Short-Run Shrink Sleeves

Shrink sleeves have historically been a high-volume format, but that’s changed. Digital printing has made short-run sleeves viable for craft brands. You can now order shrink sleeves in quantities that match a seasonal release or a limited-edition run without committing to the kind of volume that made sense only for national brands.

Seasonal and Limited-Edition Label Strategy

Seasonal releases are one of the best tools a craft brewery or beverage brand has. They create urgency, reward loyal customers, and give you something new to talk about throughout the year. But they require a labeling strategy that can keep up.

Plan Your Print Calendar

The worst time to figure out your label situation is two weeks before you want to release a seasonal product. Short-run printing is faster than traditional offset printing, but it still requires lead time for artwork review, proofing, and production. Most craft brands find that building a four-to-six week runway for label orders keeps them ahead of production schedules.

If you’re running four seasonal releases a year plus a core lineup of year-round products, map that out at the start of the year. Know roughly when you’ll need each label, and build those orders into your production calendar rather than treating them as a last-minute task.

Designing for Limited Editions

Limited-edition labels should feel special without requiring a completely new design process every time. The most efficient approach is building a consistent label template — a branded framework with your logo, consistent typography, and a defined layout — and varying the seasonal elements within that structure. The core label architecture stays the same; the artwork, colorway, and product name change.

This keeps your brand cohesive across releases while giving each seasonal product its own identity. It also speeds up your design process and reduces the chance of compliance errors, since the regulatory fields are already positioned correctly in your template.

Compliance: What Has to Be on Your Beverage Label

Compliance requirements for beverage labels are not optional, and they vary by product category, state, and distribution channel.

Alcohol Beverage Requirements

For beer, spirits, and other alcohol products, federal TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) regulations require specific information on every label:

• Brand name
• Class and type designation (e.g., “American Lager,” “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey”)
• Alcohol content by volume (ABV) — required on most products
• Net contents (volume in the container)
• Name and address of the bottler, brewer, or importer
• Government warning statement — the standard Surgeon General’s warning is mandatory on all alcohol products sold in the U.S.

State-level requirements can add additional mandates depending on where you’re distributing. If you’re selling across state lines, work with your compliance counsel to understand what each state requires.

Allergen Labeling

Allergen declarations are increasingly important for beverage brands. Beer brewed with wheat, rye, or barley needs to flag gluten. Products containing tree nuts, soy, or other major allergens require disclosure.

Non-Alcohol Beverage Requirements

Kombucha, specialty coffee, energy drinks, and other non-alcohol beverages fall under FDA labeling rules rather than TTB. Requirements include a Nutrition Facts panel, ingredient list, net quantity of contents, and manufacturer information.

Build compliance requirements into your label template from the start. Trying to retrofit regulatory text into a finalized design is harder than you’d think, and it often forces layout compromises that hurt the overall look.

Getting Started With Short-Run Beverage Labels

If you’re a craft brand ready to take your label program seriously, the process starts with understanding your production volume, your bottle or can format, and your distribution environment. From there, material selection and quantity decisions follow naturally.

Short-run printing gives small brands the flexibility to operate like a professional label program without the capital commitment that used to be required. You can test new products, iterate on designs, run seasonal campaigns, and keep your SKU lineup fresh — all without ordering more labels than you can realistically use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What label material is best for craft beer bottles?

White or matte BOPP film with a cold-temperature adhesive is the industry standard for beer labels. BOPP is waterproof, dimensionally stable, and holds color well in ice bath and refrigerator conditions.

Do craft beer labels need a government warning statement?

Yes. All alcohol products sold in the United States are required to carry the Surgeon General’s government warning statement under TTB regulations.

Can I order craft beer labels in small quantities?

Yes. Digital short-run printing allows quantities as low as 250 labels with no plate or setup fees, making it practical for seasonal releases and limited-edition batches.

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Short-Run Cosmetics and Beauty Labels: How Indie Beauty Brands Get to Market Fast

If you’re an indie beauty founder, you know the feeling: your formula is finally right, your branding is locked in, and you’re ready to get product into customers’ hands. Then reality hits. A traditional label printer wants you to order 10,000 units minimum. Your launch run is 500 bottles. Your serum formula might change again after customer feedback. Ordering a pallet of labels that could be obsolete in three months doesn’t make business sense.

This is exactly why short-run cosmetics label printing exists — and why it’s become a genuine competitive advantage for small-batch skincare brands, DTC beauty lines, and indie cosmetics entrepreneurs who need to move fast without overcommitting.

Why Short-Run Label Printing Makes Sense for Beauty Brands

The beauty industry has always rewarded speed. Trends cycle fast, customer preferences shift, and new ingredients go from obscure to must-have in a season. For indie brands, the ability to pivot quickly is one of your biggest advantages over large manufacturers locked into long production cycles.

Short-run cosmetic labels — typically defined as runs from 50 to a few thousand units — let you match your label inventory to your actual production volume. You’re not sitting on 8,000 labels for a SKU you discontinued. You’re not throwing away labels because you updated your ingredient list after reformulating. You’re printing what you need, when you need it.

This model is especially powerful during launch phases. Before you know which products will break out, short-run printing lets you test multiple SKUs without the financial risk of committing to large inventory on each one.

For a deeper look at the mechanics and economics of printing in smaller quantities across product categories, see our guide to short-run label printing for product launches — it covers material options, turnaround timelines, and how to prepare your artwork for efficient production.

The Compliance Reality: What Your Cosmetic Labels Must Include

Before you design a label, you need to understand what the FDA and FTC require — because getting this wrong means relabeling your entire inventory.

FDA Cosmetic Labeling Requirements

Under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), cosmetic labels must include:

• Product identity — what the product is and what it does
• Net weight or net volume — in both metric and US customary units
• Name and address of the responsible party
• INCI ingredient names — listed in descending order of predominance using standardized International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient names

That last point catches a lot of indie founders off guard. You can’t just write “lavender” — it needs to be listed as Lavandula angustifolia flower oil. Work with a cosmetic formulator or regulatory consultant to get your ingredient deck right before you go to print.

When OTC Drug Labeling Applies

If your product makes drug claims — SPF sunscreen, acne-fighting treatments, anti-dandruff shampoo — the FDA classifies it as an OTC drug. This triggers a mandatory Drug Facts panel with active ingredients, uses, warnings, and directions in a specific format.

Short-run printing works particularly well here because OTC drug products often have strict lot and batch number requirements, and your label content may need to be updated as formulas or warnings are revised.

FTC and Claims Compliance

The FTC governs the claims you make on your labels. If your label says a product tightens pores or repairs skin barrier function, you need to be able to substantiate those claims. “Clean,” “natural,” and “organic” also carry regulatory weight. Keep your label claims tight and defensible.

Choosing the Right Label Materials for Beauty Products

Material choice affects shelf appeal, durability, and how your product survives real-world conditions like humid bathrooms, refrigerators, or shipping transit.

White BOPP: Vibrant Color on an Opaque Background

White BOPP gives you a bright, opaque base that makes colors pop — especially important for bold brand identities with strong color blocks, intricate illustrations, or text-heavy ingredient panels that need maximum legibility.

White BOPP is waterproof, durable, and takes digital printing beautifully. For small-batch skincare labels where brand recognition and shelf appeal matter, it consistently delivers a professional, retail-ready result.

Soft-Touch Matte Finishes

For brands positioning in the premium segment, soft-touch matte lamination transforms the tactile experience of a label. The velvety finish communicates quality the moment someone picks up your product. It also photographs exceptionally well — important for brands driving DTC sales through social media and e-commerce.

Adhesive Considerations

Beyond the face stock, match your adhesive to the application:

• Glass bottles and jars require a strong permanent adhesive to prevent edge lifting
• Squeeze tubes need a flexible adhesive that won’t crack under compression
• Refrigerated products need cold-temperature adhesives

A good short-run label printer will walk you through these specs before you finalize your order.

Variable Data: Batch Numbers, Lot Codes, and Expiration Dates

Cosmetics regulation increasingly requires that your products be traceable. Batch numbers and lot codes link a specific production run to its ingredient sources, manufacturing records, and quality testing.

Short-run digital printing makes variable data easy. Each label in a run can carry a unique batch number, lot code, or expiration date without stopping the press. This is a significant operational advantage for small-batch skincare brands producing multiple formula batches with the same base label design.

Prototyping Before Your Full Launch Run

Before you commit to your production run — even a short one — order a small proof quantity and apply the labels to your actual containers.

This step catches problems that digital mockups never will:

• Does the label look as expected on your actual bottle or jar?
• Does the soft-touch matte hold up when your bottle is handled repeatedly?
• Is the font size on the ingredient panel legible at arm’s length?
• Do the colors match your brand standards in actual light?

Prototyping is especially important for multi-SKU launches. Running prototype quantities first lets you make adjustments before they become expensive.

Getting to Market Fast — Without Cutting Corners

The indie beauty space is more competitive than it’s ever been. Short-run cosmetic labels give you the flexibility to launch quickly, update frequently, and test without overcommitting — but they only work if the print quality and material selection are right.

That’s the combination to look for in a label printing partner: the capability to run small quantities economically, the expertise to guide you through material selection and compliance requirements, and the quality standards to put your brand on equal footing with the brands you’re competing against.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are INCI ingredient names on cosmetic labels?

INCI (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient) names are standardized scientific names required by the FDA on cosmetic labels. Common names like ‘lavender’ must be listed as their official INCI designation, such as Lavandula angustifolia flower oil.

Do cosmetic labels need a Drug Facts panel?

Cosmetic products that make drug claims — such as SPF sunscreen, acne treatments, or anti-dandruff shampoo — are classified by the FDA as OTC drugs and require a Drug Facts panel with specific formatting and required fields.

How small can I order cosmetic labels?

With digital short-run printing, cosmetic labels can be ordered in quantities starting from 50-100 units, making it practical to prototype, test, and iterate without large inventory commitments.

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Short-Run Food Labels: What Artisan Food Makers and Specialty Brands Need to Know

If you’re making small-batch hot sauce, jarring honey from your backyard hives, or selling house-made granola at the farmer’s market, you already know the challenge: your product is exceptional, but your label has to carry that story to a stranger in thirty seconds.

The problem most small food producers run into isn’t design — it’s quantity. Traditional label printing pushes minimum orders of 1,000, 5,000, or even 10,000 units. For a cottage food operation or a specialty brand still testing flavors and markets, that’s not practical. It’s wasteful, expensive, and leaves you stuck with a garage full of labels when your recipe changes, your branding evolves, or your seasonal product sells out in three weekends.

Short-run food label printing solves all of that. Here’s what you need to know to use it well.

Why Short-Run Label Printing Makes Sense for Food Brands

The food industry moves fast — especially at the artisan and specialty level. Farmer’s market customers give you immediate feedback. A new heat level, a limited seasonal flavor, a recipe tweak — these happen constantly in the early stages of a brand. Committing to a massive print run every time something changes is a financial trap.

Short-run printing — typically starting at quantities as low as 50 to 250 labels — gives food producers the flexibility that matches how they actually operate. You can test a new SKU without betting a thousand dollars on it. You can update your ingredient list after reformulating without tossing five hundred perfectly good labels. You can print a limited holiday flavor and have labels that actually say “limited edition.”

For more context on how this works across different product types and launch scenarios, the article on short-run label printing for product launches walks through the broader strategy in detail.

Short-run also matters for compliance. Food labeling requirements change, and small brands often need to update their labels well before a large print run would naturally deplete. The ability to reprint in small quantities means you’re never forced to choose between running out of compliant labels and throwing away non-compliant stock.

Choosing the Right Label Material for Your Product

Not all food labels are created equal. The substrate determines whether it survives the journey from your kitchen to the customer’s counter.

Paper Labels: The Natural, Handcrafted Look

Uncoated paper labels have a tactile, matte quality that resonates strongly with artisan and farm-to-table brands. They read as honest and handmade — qualities your customers are actively looking for when they choose specialty food over mass-market products. Paper labels work well for dry goods: spice blends, coffee, tea, granola, crackers, baked goods in sealed packaging.

The tradeoff is moisture sensitivity. Paper labels are not suited for products that will be refrigerated, submerged in ice, or handled with wet hands repeatedly.

BOPP: The Workhorse for Wet Environments

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is a synthetic film material that is water-resistant, tear-resistant, and holds print beautifully. For condiments, sauces, jams, honey, pickled goods, and anything that will sit next to a sweating ice pack at an outdoor market, BOPP is the professional standard.

BOPP labels have a clean, slightly glossy appearance that can be finished with a matte overlaminate for a more refined look. They’re durable enough to handle the abuses of a refrigerator door — condensation, oil drips, being jammed next to other jars — without peeling or smearing.

Freezer-Grade Adhesives for Refrigerated and Frozen Products

Standard label adhesives are not designed for cold environments. When a label is applied to a warm, dry container and then placed in a refrigerator or freezer, the adhesive contracts and the label can lift, bubble, or fall off entirely.

Freezer-grade adhesive is formulated to bond in cold and humid conditions. If you’re selling frozen soups, ice cream pints, frozen meals, or refrigerated sauces, you need labels with a cold-temperature adhesive — full stop.

FDA Compliance: What Has to Be on Your Food Label

This is the part that trips up new food producers more than anything else. The FDA has specific requirements for what must appear on a food product label, and they are not optional. The moment you move into retail — grocery stores, specialty shops, online sales — you need to be fully compliant.

Understanding the details is important enough that it deserves its own deep read. Before you finalize your label design, review our article on FDA food label requirements so you know exactly what’s legally required on your packaging.

The Five Required Elements

At minimum, a compliant FDA food label for a packaged food product includes:

1. Product Identity Statement — A clear, common name for what the food is, on the principal display panel.

2. Net Quantity of Contents — How much product is in the container, in both imperial and metric units.

3. Ingredient List — All ingredients listed in descending order by weight. Even small recipe changes can change ingredient order, making your previous labels non-compliant.

4. Allergen Declarations — The nine major food allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame) must be clearly declared, either in the ingredient list or in a separate “Contains” statement. Short-run printing genuinely protects you here — if a supplier change introduces an allergen into your supply chain, you can update your labels quickly.

5. Nutrition Facts Panel — Most packaged foods require a Nutrition Facts label in the standard FDA format. Some small businesses qualify for the small business exemption depending on annual sales volume.

Manufacturer or Distributor Name and Address — Also required.

Seasonal Strategy: Print for the Calendar, Not the Warehouse

One of the clearest advantages of short-run label printing for food producers is the ability to build a seasonal strategy without inventory risk.

Think about what a baker does well: pumpkin spice in fall, peppermint in winter, lemon lavender in spring. A hot sauce maker might do a limited-edition batch with summer garden peppers. A honey producer might call out a specific wildflower bloom that only happens a few weeks a year.

These seasonal stories are marketing gold at farmer’s markets and in specialty retail. Customers who buy a “Summer Harvest Pepper Mash” in August are telling a story about themselves — they found something rare, they supported a local maker. That brings them back next season.

Short-run printing makes seasonal SKUs affordable. Instead of committing to thousands of labels for a product that only exists for six weeks, you print what you need, sell through, and either reprint for next season or move on. No waste, no excess inventory.

Scaling from Farmer’s Market to Retail: What Changes on Your Label

There’s a meaningful gap between what you need on a label to sell at a local market and what you need to get stocked at a regional grocery store or specialty retailer.

Retailers have their own requirements layered on top of FDA minimums. Many require barcodes (UPC codes), best-by dates in specific formats, lot codes for traceability, and sometimes case pack quantities on the label. Specialty diet retailers may require certification logos (Certified Vegan, Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified) that involve third-party verification.

This is where short-run printing becomes a strategic tool. When you’re in the farmer’s market phase, you print simple, compliant labels in small quantities. When a retailer says they’ll take your product, you update the label to add the barcode, adjust the format, add the lot code field — and you print another short run. You’re not stuck with 2,000 farmer’s market labels that don’t meet the retailer’s specs.

Ready to Print Your Food Labels?

White Graphics has been helping food producers, specialty brands, and small-batch makers get professional-quality labels without the large-quantity commitment. Whether you’re starting with 100 jars of jam or scaling toward regional retail distribution, we’ll help you choose the right materials, nail your compliance requirements, and get a label that sells.

Request a quote at whitegraphics.com | 630-629-9300

Frequently Asked Questions

What food labeling rules apply to farmer’s market products?

Cottage food laws vary by state and may exempt small-scale producers from some FDA requirements when selling directly to consumers. Once products move into retail or online channels, full FDA labeling compliance is required.

What is the most durable label material for food jars?

White BOPP film with a permanent adhesive is the most durable choice for food jars, especially for refrigerated products, condiments, and anything that will face moisture or handling.

When do food labels need a barcode?

Barcodes are not required by FDA but are typically required by retailers before they will stock a product. If you plan to sell through grocery stores or specialty retailers, a UPC barcode is a practical necessity.

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Short-Run Supplement and Nutraceutical Labels: Compliance, Batch Numbers, and Getting to Market

Launching a supplement brand is not like launching a candle or a skincare line. The regulatory surface area is enormous. Before a single bottle leaves your warehouse, your label must carry an accurate Supplement Facts panel, mandatory disclaimer language, lot traceability, net quantity statements, and a long list of other FDA-required elements — all while fitting cleanly on a container that may be curved, tapered, or smaller than you’d like.

For supplement entrepreneurs and nutraceutical startups, that complexity collides hard with another business reality: you probably don’t know exactly how your formula will perform, how your market will respond, or whether regulators or your own quality team will require a revision in six months. Ordering 50,000 labels at launch is not just expensive — it’s a liability.

Short-run supplement label printing exists precisely for this situation. It lets you go to market compliantly, trace every batch, iterate your formulation or design, and avoid sitting on obsolete inventory when a label update becomes necessary.

Why Short-Run Printing Makes Sense for Supplement Brands

The supplement category is one of the most change-prone in consumer goods. Formulas get refined. Serving sizes shift. An ingredient supplier changes specs and your Supplement Facts panel needs to be updated. A new health claim gets added — or pulled back — based on legal review. A certification body requires a panel revision before they’ll issue your badge.

Every one of those changes renders your existing label stock unusable. If you printed 20,000 labels at a large-run price break, you’re absorbing that loss on every revision cycle.

Short-run label printing for supplement brands solves this by letting you print quantities matched to your actual production batch — 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500 units — so your label inventory turns with your product inventory. You’re not holding six months of labels for a product that may look different in three.

For brands just entering the market, short-run is also the right tool for validation. You can go live with your pilot SKU, test consumer response, gather retailer feedback, and iterate before you commit to long-run quantities.

For a broader overview of how short-run printing works across product categories and launch phases, see our guide to short-run label printing for product launches.

Variable Data Printing: Lot Numbers, Batch Codes, and Expiration Dates

Most label printers treat variable data as an afterthought. For supplement brands, it’s a core compliance requirement that needs to be built into your label printing process from the start.

Why Lot Traceability Is Non-Negotiable

FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for dietary supplements, codified in 21 CFR Part 111, require that manufacturers maintain records sufficient to trace a product through every step of production and distribution. That traceability runs through the lot number on your label. If a quality issue surfaces — a contamination concern, a potency discrepancy, a supplier recall — your ability to pull the right units quickly depends on accurate, legible lot coding on every label.

What Variable Data Looks Like in Practice

In a short-run supplement label environment, variable data typically includes:

• Lot number or batch code — unique identifier tied to your production records
• Expiration date or best-by date — required for most supplement forms
• Manufacturing date — sometimes included separately from the lot code
• QR codes or GS1 barcodes — increasingly expected by retail buyers and 3PLs

When you work with a printer capable of variable data printing, these fields are populated digitally within each print run. No manual stamping. No aftermarket inkjet coding that may smear or misalign.

FDA Label Requirements for Supplement Products

Before you submit a label to print, every field needs to go through a compliance review. The FDA’s requirements for dietary supplement labeling are detailed, and errors can trigger warning letters, import alerts, or retailer delistings.

The Supplement Facts Panel

The Supplement Facts panel must follow specific formatting requirements under 21 CFR 101.36, including:

• Serving size and servings per container
• Amount per serving for each declared ingredient
• Percent Daily Value (% DV) where applicable, with a dagger symbol (†) for ingredients with no established DV
• Ingredient source (e.g., “Vitamin C as ascorbic acid”)
• Proprietary blend disclosure, if applicable — with total blend weight and individual ingredients listed in descending weight order

The panel must meet minimum type size requirements and include the full ingredient list below the panel ruling. Panels that are crowded, condensed beyond compliant sizes, or missing required elements are a common cause of label revisions.

Required Disclaimer Language

Any supplement label that includes a structure/function claim — statements like “supports immune health” or “promotes cognitive performance” — must carry the FDA’s mandatory disclaimer verbatim:

“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

This language must appear prominently and conspicuously on the same panel as the claim it qualifies. Your label design needs to allocate real estate for this text — it cannot be set in a type size that renders it invisible.

Additional required elements include the manufacturer or distributor name and address, net quantity of contents, and a complete ingredient list for all non-dietary ingredients (fillers, binders, capsule material, flow agents).

Choosing the Right Label Material for Supplement Containers

Supplement products live in environments that are hard on labels — fulfillment centers, gym bags, humid bathrooms, and kitchen counters where moisture and oils are constants.

White BOPP for Durability and Print Quality

White biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is the industry standard for supplement bottle labels. It’s waterproof, tear-resistant, and holds print color with excellent fidelity. On HDPE or PET supplement bottles, white BOPP adheres reliably, resists moisture and abrasion, and maintains sharp legibility on fine-print compliance copy — which matters when your Supplement Facts panel is set in 6-point type.

Multi-Panel and Booklet Labels for Complex Copy Requirements

Supplement products frequently carry more required content than the container surface area allows. A 60-count bottle of a multi-ingredient stack may need to communicate a Supplement Facts panel, usage instructions, warnings, the mandatory disclaimer, and contact information — across a surface that measures roughly 3 by 4 inches.

Multi-panel labels — which fold out in layers like a small brochure adhered to the container — are a practical solution that allows full regulatory copy without reducing type to illegible sizes. These formats are fully compatible with short-run production and are increasingly common for brands selling through natural grocery channels or international markets with additional disclosure requirements.

Prototyping: The Step Most Supplement Brands Skip

Short-run label printing makes it practical to produce a small prototype run before committing to production quantities. For supplement brands, this step is worth building into your regulatory workflow, not just your design process.

A prototype run of 50 to 100 labels lets you:

• Apply labels to your actual containers and verify fit, alignment, and wrap
• Confirm that compliance copy meets FDA minimum type size requirements at real scale
• Submit physical samples to your regulatory counsel for review before finalizing
• Test adhesion and durability on your specific bottle material
• Evaluate how the label scans in a retail or e-commerce photography context

Regulatory issues that are easy to catch on a physical label — a disclaimer that reads as too small, a Supplement Facts panel truncated by the label edge — can be missed entirely in digital mockup review. A short prototype run before your launch print saves revision cycles and keeps your market entry timeline intact.

Going to Market with Confidence

For supplement entrepreneurs and nutraceutical startups, label strategy is not a last-step decision. The compliance requirements, variable data needs, material choices, and copy volume that define this category mean your printer needs to be a capable partner — not just a vendor taking a file and running it.

Short-run label printing gives early-stage supplement brands the flexibility to iterate, comply, and scale without the inventory risk of large-run commitments. The same capabilities that serve a pilot batch of 500 units serve a brand scaling to 5,000 — with the variable data, material quality, and regulatory print precision the category demands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is required on a supplement label by the FDA?

Supplement labels must include a Supplement Facts panel, required disclaimer language (‘These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA…’), net quantity, ingredient list for non-dietary ingredients, and manufacturer name and address.

What is a lot number on a supplement label?

A lot number (batch code) is a unique identifier that traces a specific production batch through manufacturing records, ingredient sources, and quality testing. FDA supplement GMPs require this traceability under 21 CFR Part 111.

Can supplement labels have variable data like expiration dates?

Yes. Digital short-run printing supports variable data printing, allowing each label in a run to carry a unique lot number, expiration date, or batch code without stopping the press or manual stamping.

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GS1 Sunrise 2027: What Every Short-Run Label Buyer Needs to Know Before Retailers Stop Scanning Your UPC

If you sell a packaged product through a retail channel, the barcode on the back of your label is about to do more work than it has done in 50 years. By the end of 2027, the world’s largest grocery, mass-merchant, and convenience retailers expect to scan a two-dimensional barcode — a QR code or DataMatrix — at the register instead of the linear UPC stripe most brands print today. The transition has a name: GS1 Sunrise 2027.

For brands that order labels by the truckload twice a year, this is a major project. For brands that order short-run labels every few months, it is the easiest deadline they will hit all decade. The artwork updates, the new barcode goes on the next reorder, and you are done — without scrapping a warehouse pallet of obsolete labels.

This article explains what GS1 Sunrise 2027 actually is, what it means for the print on your label, and what to do in 2026 if you want to be ready before your retail buyer sends a memo.

What Is GS1 Sunrise 2027?

GS1 is the standards body that maintains the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) — the number behind every UPC and EAN barcode at retail. Sunrise 2027 is the industry’s stated commitment that, by the end of 2027, every retail point-of-sale scanner in major channels should be able to read a 2D barcode at checkout in addition to the linear UPC.

The “sunrise” framing is borrowed from telecommunications: a date after which the new capability is universally available, even if the old format is still permitted. Sunrise 2027 is not a regulation. There is no fine. What it is, is a coordinated commitment from retailers, point-of-sale vendors, scanner manufacturers, and brand owners to make 2D-at-POS the default — first in food, then in general merchandise, beverages, and household goods.

If you sell into Walmart, Kroger, Target, Tyson, Albertsons, or any of the dozens of retailers that have announced 2D adoption plans, you should assume your buyer will eventually ask you when your packaging will carry a 2D code. Some are already asking.

Why Retailers Are Pushing for This

The linear UPC is a remarkable piece of engineering, but it has one limitation: it can only carry the GTIN. It cannot tell the cashier that this particular jar of pasta sauce expires next Tuesday. It cannot flag a recalled lot. It cannot tell a self-checkout kiosk that the consumer is scanning the right size of a multi-pack.

A 2D barcode can carry all of that. In a single square code, it can encode:

• GTIN — the same product identifier as the UPC
• Batch / lot number — for traceability and recall management
• Expiration date — for automatic markdown of nearing-expiry items at checkout
• Serial number — for warranty, anti-counterfeit, and individual unit tracking
• A web URL — that resolves to a product page, ingredient list, recipe, or digital twin

For grocers, the payoff is enormous. Expired food no longer leaves the shelf. Recalls happen at the register, not after a customer has eaten the product. Markdown logic for short-dated stock can be automated. For brands, the payoff is that every package becomes a digital touchpoint without printing a separate QR code beside the UPC.

This is the reason Tyson Foods committed to 2D codes on fresh meat packaging. It is the reason Walmart began piloting 2D at self-checkout. It is the reason GS1 US has been running stakeholder workshops since 2022.

What This Looks Like on Your Label

For most products, the transition will not look like a sudden swap. It will look like a brief period — probably 18 to 36 months — when both barcodes appear on the package side by side. The cashier scans whichever the scanner picks up first. Behind the scenes, the POS reads the 2D when the linear UPC is missing or damaged.

The most common pattern emerging on packaging today:

• Linear UPC in its existing position on the back panel or bottom of the can
• 2D code placed nearby, sized about the same height as the UPC, in a clear quiet zone
• Brand-controlled QR codes for marketing — recipes, sweepstakes, social — start to migrate into the GS1 Digital Link 2D code, eliminating the duplication

Some packaging will go further and place the 2D in a more prominent spot — on the front panel, near the brand logo — explicitly inviting consumer scanning. That is a marketing decision, not a compliance one. The retail-required 2D needs to be readable by the POS scanner; the location matters far less than the print quality.

GS1 Digital Link: One Code, Two Audiences

The most useful concept in the entire transition is GS1 Digital Link. It is the standardized URI structure that lets a single 2D barcode serve both the cashier and the consumer.

When the cashier’s scanner reads the code, it pulls out the GTIN and prices the item. When a shopper points their phone camera at the same code, the URI resolves to a web page — a product page, a how-to video, an ingredient panel, an allergen disclosure, a recipe library — controlled by the brand.

A simplified GS1 Digital Link URI looks like this:

https://example-brand.com/01/00614141999996/10/ABC123/17/261231

That URI encodes the GTIN (`01`), the lot number (`10`), and the expiration date (`17`). The cashier’s POS reads the structured data. A consumer’s phone follows the URL and lands on whatever page the brand chooses to show — current promotions, refill subscription, or a page that changes based on the lot or expiration.

This is the single most important reason to adopt the 2D code rather than printing a separate QR code beside the UPC. Two codes on a label invite scanning confusion. One code, properly encoded, serves everyone.

Print Quality Requirements for 2D Barcodes

A 2D barcode is more demanding to print than a linear UPC, but the demands are well within the capability of modern digital label printing. The four requirements that matter most:

Contrast

The dark elements of the code must be sufficiently darker than the light elements for the scanner to read reliably. In practice, this means black on white is ideal; dark blue or dark brown on white is acceptable; reversed-out (white on dark) is risky and should be tested before a full run; and metallic, foil, or transparent-stock backgrounds make 2D codes unreadable. White Graphics prints 2D codes on white BOPP, white paper, or other white-faced substrates and recommends keeping the code background a solid white field.

Quiet zone

A 2D barcode must have empty white space surrounding it on all four sides. The quiet zone for a QR code is typically four times the width of one module (one of the small squares that make up the code). Cluttered artwork that crowds the barcode is the most common cause of scan failures.

Module size

The smallest square in the code (the “module”) must be large enough for the scanner. Retail POS scanners generally need a minimum module size of 10 mil (about 0.25 mm). Smaller is technically possible with high-resolution print, but a 10-mil minimum is the safe specification for retail.

Error correction level

QR codes have built-in error correction at four levels: L (~7% recovery), M (~15%), Q (~25%), and H (~30%). For retail point-of-sale scanning, Level M is the typical choice. Higher levels add resilience to scuffing and partial obstruction at the cost of a slightly larger code.

A digital press like the Xeikon CX300 produces 2D codes that meet all four requirements at standard short-run print quality. There is no special equipment required, no plate to make, and no learning curve once the artwork includes the code.

Why Short-Run Label Buyers Have an Advantage

Brands that print 200,000 labels twice a year are looking at a major inventory write-off when the 2D requirement lands. Brands that order short-run labels every six to ten weeks have a much simpler path:

1. Update the artwork to include a 2D code (typically a one-time design fee)
2. Place the next reorder using the updated artwork
3. Move on

There is no scrapping of obsolete inventory. There is no “we still have 80,000 of the old design, can we keep selling them through 2027?” conversation with the retail buyer. Short-run printing is, in effect, the perfect tool for any compliance transition that lands within an 18-month window — which is exactly what GS1 Sunrise 2027 is.

This is also true for the 2026 cosmetic labeling refresh and the proposed front-of-pack nutrition rule we cover in companion articles. Short-run printing turns big regulatory deadlines into small artwork updates.

Your 2026 Action Plan

If you sell into a major retail channel, here is the realistic project plan for 2026:

Q2 2026 — Get your house in order

• Confirm your GTIN is registered with GS1 (not just the digits printed on a UPC made up by a former designer)
• Decide which product pages on your website each SKU’s 2D code should resolve to
• Audit your retail partners — which ones have already announced 2D timelines? Which are silent?

Q3 2026 — Update your artwork

• Add a GS1 Digital Link 2D code to each SKU
• Keep the linear UPC in place
• Verify quiet zone, contrast, and module size on the proof
• Run a short prototype on actual label stock and scan it with a real retail-grade scanner

Q4 2026 / Q1 2027 — Transition the catalog

• Place reorders using the updated artwork as your existing label inventory depletes
• Track which SKUs are on the new artwork and which are not
• For long-tail SKUs that reorder rarely, decide whether to do an artwork update on the next standard reorder or push the timeline

2027 — Sell through old inventory and respond to retailer asks

• As individual retailers issue formal 2D requirements, confirm your impacted SKUs are already on the new artwork
• Address any remaining tail SKUs

The brands that suffer in 2027 will be the ones that sat on 200,000 pieces of old artwork and ran out of runway. The brands that come through cleanly will be the ones that started in 2026 and let normal reorder cycles do the work.

Questions to Bring to Your Printer

Before you finalize artwork for a 2D-equipped label, walk your printer through these:

1. Can your press hold the 10-mil module size? Any modern digital press can. Confirm anyway — and ask for a printed sample with a scan test.
2. Will you check the 2D code on the proof? Pre-press should run the proof through a verifier. Ask whether they do.
3. Where on the label do you recommend placing the 2D code? A printer who knows label layout can spot quiet-zone problems your designer might miss.
4. Can you handle variable-data 2D codes? If you want every label to carry a unique lot or serial, the printer needs variable-data print capability. Most digital presses do.
5. Have you printed GS1 Digital Link codes before? Not strictly required, but a printer who has done it before will move faster.

Common Mistakes Brands Are Already Making

A handful of patterns are showing up across early-adopter projects. The good news is they are easy to avoid:

Treating the 2D as a marketing QR code. A code generated by a free QR-code website may scan with a phone but will not be a valid GS1 Digital Link and will not work at the point of sale. Use a code generator that produces a properly structured GS1 Digital Link URI.

Skipping the quiet zone. Designers who have never laid out a 2D code routinely place it inside a colored box or right against a graphic. The code may scan in the print proof and fail in the wild. The white margin around the code is part of the code.

Choosing a complex background. A 2D code on a textured kraft background, a holographic substrate, or a full-bleed photograph is asking for trouble. Place the 2D code on a solid white field every time.

Using a domain you do not control. The URL inside the GS1 Digital Link should resolve to a domain you own and a page you maintain. Free QR-redirect services that go dark in two years are the wrong choice for a label that may be on shelves for 18 months.

Forgetting to test with a real scanner. A code that scans in the design tool may not scan reliably under retail lighting on a glossy laminate. Print a prototype, hand it to your retail buyer, and have them scan it on their actual hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is the global retail industry’s transition from one-dimensional UPC barcodes to two-dimensional barcodes (QR codes or DataMatrix) by the end of 2027. The 2D code carries the same GTIN as the UPC but can also encode batch, lot, expiration, serial number, and a web URL.

Do I have to remove my UPC barcode?

Not yet. During the transition period, most retailers expect both the linear UPC and the 2D barcode to appear on the package. The 2D code adds capability — it does not replace the UPC overnight.

What is GS1 Digital Link?

GS1 Digital Link is the standardized URI format that turns a 2D barcode into a web link the consumer’s smartphone can scan. The same code that scans at checkout also resolves to a product page when scanned by a phone.

How does this affect short-run label printing?

Short runs are an advantage during the transition. Brands can update artwork, add the 2D code, and reorder in 1,000- or 5,000-label increments without scrapping a 50,000-piece inventory of the old design.

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MoCRA Year Two: The Cosmetic Label Clauses That Quietly Went Live, and What Indie Beauty Brands Need to Refresh in 2026

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act — MoCRA — was the biggest change to U.S. cosmetic law since the original Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. It was signed in December 2022, and most of its labeling rules went live in December 2024. Most large brands knew it was coming and updated their labels months before the deadline. Most indie, DTC, private-label, and contract-manufactured brands did not.

If you make a cosmetic, personal care, or beauty product that is sold in the United States, and you have not refreshed the back-panel artwork on every SKU since 2024, this article is the checklist of changes you need to make on your next short-run label reorder.

This is a plain-English summary of what changed and where the label is affected, written for a brand owner who is about to send artwork to a printer. Verify your specific obligations with FDA guidance or qualified counsel before signing off on a print run.

Why MoCRA Matters for Label Buyers

Most of MoCRA is administrative — facility registration, product listing, safety substantiation, and an adverse event reporting system. Those are accountant and regulatory consultant problems. They do not change the label.

Two parts of MoCRA do change the label:

1. A required adverse event reporting contact must appear on the label of every cosmetic product distributed in the United States.
2. A future fragrance allergen disclosure rule will, once finalized, require listing certain fragrance allergens by name in the ingredient panel.

A third future rule on talc product testing — directed by MoCRA but still being developed by FDA — will not change the label content directly but may interact with marketing claims about talc.

The point of this article is not to scare anyone. The point is that any cosmetic product still selling on shelf or DTC in 2026 with pre-MoCRA artwork is overdue for a refresh, and short-run label printing is the cheapest way to do that refresh in motion — without scrapping inventory or paying flexo plate fees for a small SKU.

The Labeling Changes Already in Effect

Domestic Contact for Adverse Event Reporting

This is the rule that quietly turned a lot of perfectly legal pre-2024 cosmetic labels into noncompliant ones.

The cosmetic label of a product distributed in the United States must include domestic contact information that consumers can use to report a serious adverse event. The “responsible person” — typically the manufacturer, packer, or distributor whose name already appears on the label — must provide a U.S. address, phone number, or website where adverse events can be reported.

In practice, the cleanest way to comply is a single line near the responsible person statement, on the back panel:

Distributed by Example Beauty Co., 123 Main St, Anytown USA. Report adverse events: 1-800-555-0100 or example-beauty.com/contact.

A few things to be careful about:

• The contact must be domestic. A foreign address by itself does not satisfy the rule, even if the brand is headquartered abroad. A U.S. distributor address, U.S. phone number, or U.S. website works.
• A website must be functional. A website link that 404s, that redirects to a parked page, or that does not provide a clear path to report an adverse event is not a valid contact method.
• A general contact page is acceptable. You do not need a separate “report adverse event” page. The general contact form on your website is sufficient as long as a consumer can plausibly reach you through it.
• Single-product brands often miss this. A small indie brand whose label says only “Made by Founder Studio LLC” and lists no contact channel is the most common offender. Add the contact line.

Professional Use Labeling

A cosmetic intended for use by a licensed professional — a salon hair color, a professional-only chemical service, a spa-only product — must clearly state on the label that it is for professional use. The exact wording is not prescribed, but “Professional Use Only” or “For Use Only by Licensed Professionals” is the typical phrasing.

If you sell the same formula in both a consumer SKU and a professional SKU, the two labels must visibly distinguish themselves. This is usually a small artwork change but it is one of the most-missed details among brands that scaled from professional-only into retail without splitting the label.

The Labeling Changes Still Coming

Fragrance Allergen Disclosure

MoCRA directed FDA to issue a rule requiring fragrance allergens to be disclosed by name on the label. FDA published a proposed rule in 2024 and is working through the comments. When the final rule is published — likely in 2026 — brands will have a defined compliance window before the disclosures must appear on retail product.

For label buyers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: design the next ingredient panel with room to grow. The European Union has long required disclosure of dozens of fragrance allergens by name in the ingredient list. The U.S. rule, when finalized, is expected to align with much of the EU practice. Brands that already sell in Europe largely have the panel layout in place. Brands that sell only in the United States may need to expand the ingredient panel by 5–15 lines of text.

If your back panel today is already crowded, plan for a layout that can absorb a longer ingredient list without shrinking the legibility of the existing required content.

Talc-Containing Products

MoCRA also directed FDA to issue a rule requiring testing of talc-containing cosmetic products for asbestos. This is a manufacturing and quality rule rather than a labeling rule, but it interacts with marketing claims. If your label says “asbestos-free” or carries a similar claim, make sure your testing protocol is documented to support the claim.

The Three SKUs Most Brands Need to Re-Spin First

If you make a cosmetic line with more than a handful of SKUs and you want to triage which labels to refresh first, this is the order we typically see:

1. Your hero SKU — the product that drives the most volume. It is the most-scrutinized label by retailers and the one most likely to land in front of an FDA inspector or a third-party auditor. Update this label first, even if you have inventory left, so future reorders carry the new artwork.

2. Any SKU with a fragrance. When the fragrance allergen rule is finalized, scented products will be the most affected. Begin to plan the back-panel layout now so you are not scrambling when the compliance window opens.

3. Any SKU sold into a retailer that has compliance audits. Mass-merchant retailers, drug stores, and some e-commerce platforms have begun running periodic label compliance sweeps. A non-compliant label can trigger a chargeback or a delisting. If your retail buyer has flagged labels for any reason in the last 12 months, those SKUs are first.

For private-label and contract-manufactured products, the responsible-person line is the most common gap. The contract manufacturer is rarely the responsible person — the brand is. Make sure the brand’s domestic contact, not the manufacturer’s, is the one on the label.

What Did Not Change (But People Think Did)

A few clarifications, because every MoCRA discussion picks up some myths:

INCI ingredient naming did not change. The cosmetic ingredient panel still uses INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names in descending order of concentration. MoCRA did not change this rule.

The “drug facts” panel for OTC products did not change. OTC drug labeling — sunscreen, anti-acne, anti-dandruff, anti-perspirant, fluoride toothpaste — is governed by separate FDA monographs, not by MoCRA. Those rules continue to apply unchanged.

Net contents declarations did not change. Net weight, fluid ounces, milliliters, all in the same place, in the same format as before.

The principal display panel rules did not change. Front-panel statement of identity, brand name, and net contents continue to follow the rules that were in effect before MoCRA.

In short: MoCRA mostly adds back-panel content. The front of pack does not change unless your product makes a claim that requires substantiation under MoCRA’s safety substantiation provision.

Designing the Back Panel for the Next Five Years

If you are sending artwork to a printer for a 2026 reorder, design the back panel with the next five years of regulatory drift in mind. Practical recommendations:

Reserve white space. A back panel laid out tight in 2024 is now overdue for a contact-line addition and may need a longer ingredient list within 18 months. Build a layout that can absorb 10–20 additional lines of text without shrinking the existing required content below legibility minimums.

Use type at or above the minimum legibility size. FDA does not always specify a font size, but type below 1/16 inch x-height is at risk of being deemed not “prominent and conspicuous.” Bigger is safer.

Standardize where the responsible-person block lives. Pick one location on every SKU’s back panel where the responsible-person statement and adverse-event reporting contact appears. It will make every future audit, retailer request, or rule update faster.

Check label clarity on the actual substrate. A back-panel design that is legible in a PDF proof can fall apart on a glossy white BOPP film with overprint varnish. Order a prototype label on the actual stock you intend to use, and read it under retail lighting before signing off on the production run.

Order a prototype before production. This is true for any label, but it is especially true for cosmetic SKUs where the legal exposure of an unreadable required disclosure is meaningful. See our guide to packaging prototypes and sales samples for the standard prototype workflow.

Questions to Bring to Your Printer

Before placing a cosmetic-SKU reorder, walk your printer through the following:

1. Has the artwork been updated since December 2024? If not, this reorder is the moment to update it.
2. Does the back panel include a domestic contact for adverse event reporting? Confirm in writing.
3. Is there room in the ingredient panel for additional fragrance allergen disclosures? Plan for the proposed rule.
4. What substrate are we using, and how does the back panel hold up at small type sizes? White paper, white BOPP film, and white synthetic stocks each render fine type a little differently. Ask for a printed proof on the actual substrate.
5. Can we order a prototype before the production run? Always yes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MoCRA?

MoCRA is the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, signed into law in December 2022. It is the largest expansion of FDA cosmetic authority since the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and it added requirements for facility registration, product listing, adverse event reporting, safety substantiation, and labeling.

What labeling change is in effect right now?

As of December 29, 2024, the label of every cosmetic product distributed in the United States must include domestic contact information (address, phone number, or website) where consumers can report adverse events. Many indie and DTC brands have not yet refreshed their labels.

What is the fragrance allergen disclosure rule?

MoCRA directed FDA to issue a rule requiring fragrance allergens to be disclosed on the product label. FDA proposed the rule in mid-2024. Once finalized, brands will have a defined compliance window to add the new disclosures, almost certainly by adjusting label artwork.

Does MoCRA apply to small indie brands?

The labeling rules apply to nearly every cosmetic product sold in the United States. Some smaller businesses are exempt from facility registration and product listing requirements, but the labeling rules apply broadly.

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EUDR for Label Paper: What U.S. Brands Exporting to Europe Need to Ask Their Printer Right Now

If your brand exports a packaged product to Europe and that product carries a paper label, a regulation you may never have heard of has quietly turned a routine reorder into a documented supply-chain question. The regulation is the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and as it phases in, it requires that every paper-based product entering the European market be backed by chain-of-custody data going all the way back to the forest of origin.

For U.S. brands shipping a few thousand units a quarter into the European Union, this is not a “we will figure it out later” situation. The information needs to be in place before the product enters the market, and it needs to come from your label supply chain. Plastic-film labels (BOPP, PET, and similar synthetic substrates) are outside EUDR’s scope. Paper labels are not.

This article explains, in practical terms, what EUDR is, what it asks of paper substrates, what it does and does not change for the U.S. printer, and what a smart short-run label buyer should ask their printer in 2026 before a single carton ships to a European warehouse.

This is a high-level introduction, not a regulatory opinion. EUDR is administered by EU regulators and the obligations on EU “operators” and “traders” are detailed and category-specific. Verify your specific compliance approach with qualified EU counsel.

The One-Paragraph Version

EUDR requires that any of seven commodities — cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood — and a defined list of products derived from them, including paper and paperboard, be free of deforestation that occurred after December 31, 2020, when placed on the EU market. The “operator” placing the product on the EU market must submit a Due Diligence Statement that includes geolocation data tracing the commodity back to its harvest plots. For a U.S. brand exporting a packaged product with a paper label, the U.S. label printer and the paper mill behind that printer are part of the upstream chain that the EU operator (often the brand’s EU importer or distributor) needs to document.

That is the entire scope of the article in one paragraph. The rest is what to do about it.

What EUDR Actually Requires

EUDR was adopted in 2023 and is being implemented in phases. For paper and paperboard products, the regulation imposes three core requirements on the EU operator placing the product on the EU market:

Deforestation-free origin. The wood fiber in the product must have been harvested without causing deforestation after December 31, 2020. “Deforestation” has a specific definition under the regulation that aligns broadly with international forest-loss accounting.

Legality of harvest. The wood must have been harvested in compliance with the relevant laws of the country of harvest — labor, environmental, indigenous-rights, taxation, and forestry laws.

Due diligence statement with geolocation. The operator must submit, through the EU’s Information System (TRACES NT), a Due Diligence Statement that includes the geolocation coordinates of the plot or plots where the wood was harvested. Geolocation accuracy requirements differ by plot size but are specific.

For a U.S. brand, the legal weight of the regulation falls on the EU side of the transaction — the EU operator is the one who must submit the due diligence statement. But the data has to come from somewhere. It comes from the upstream supply chain, including the U.S. label printer and the paper mill the printer buys from.

In practice, the way this lands for short-run label buyers is: your EU importer or distributor will at some point ask you (the U.S. brand) for documentation about the paper used on the labels. You will then need to ask your U.S. printer. Your printer will then need to ask the paper mill. The mill will provide a chain-of-custody document that, ideally, traces back to forest-management units with geolocation coordinates.

Where Label Paper Sits in the EUDR Scope

EUDR enumerates the products it covers in an annex. Paper and paperboard products are explicitly listed. Pressure-sensitive label paper — the white paper face stock used in many short-run food, beverage, and personal-care labels — is paper. It is in scope.

What this means in practice:

• A paper label on a beverage bottle exported to Europe is in scope.
• A paper label on a cosmetic jar exported to Europe is in scope.
• A paper-faced shipping label, retail price label, or warning label on the carton is in scope.
• A BOPP film label on the same beverage bottle is not in scope under EUDR. (Other EU rules may still apply.)
• A PET or polyester synthetic label on the same cosmetic jar is not in scope under EUDR.

That last point is the practical lever many U.S. exporters are reaching for. Plastic-film label stocks have no wood fiber and therefore no EUDR obligation. Brands that historically chose paper labels for the craft aesthetic are increasingly evaluating whether a similar look can be achieved on white BOPP film — keeping the visual design while moving the substrate out of EUDR’s scope.

The Information Your EU Importer Will Ask You For

The exact format depends on the importer’s compliance program, but the typical EU-side request to a U.S. brand looks like this:

1. Identity of the paper supplier. The mill or merchant that produced the paper substrate.
2. Country of harvest. The country (or countries) where the wood fiber was harvested.
3. Forest-management certification status. FSC, PEFC, or equivalent — including the chain-of-custody certificate number.
4. Geolocation of harvest plots. Where the wood physically came from, expressed as plot-level coordinates.
5. A signed declaration from the brand that the upstream documentation is accurate to the brand’s knowledge.

For some EU importers, items 1–3 will be enough — they are doing the geolocation work themselves with the mill. For others, the U.S. brand will be expected to pass through the geolocation data. Find out which model your importer uses before you reorder.

FSC, PEFC, and What Certifications Do (and Don’t) Cover

Most well-run U.S. label paper supply chains already carry FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) chain-of-custody certification. These are widely accepted markers of responsible forest management.

Where they help with EUDR:

• They establish that the paper supply chain has documented controls
• They generally cover the legality-of-harvest requirement
• They make the upstream conversation with the mill far easier
• They give the EU importer a recognizable starting point

Where they fall short:

• EUDR specifically requires plot-level geolocation data, which is not, by itself, part of the FSC or PEFC chain-of-custody document
• “FSC Mix” and similar mixed-source certifications may not satisfy EUDR’s deforestation-free origin requirement without additional supporting data
• Many mills are still in the process of adding EUDR-specific data layers on top of their existing certification programs

The accurate framing is: FSC or PEFC plus EUDR-specific geolocation data is the working baseline. FSC or PEFC alone is a strong starting position but not a complete answer.

Why Plastic-Film Labels Are Easier for EU-Bound Products

For short-run brands that export a small but real percentage of their volume to Europe, the simplest solution is often substrate substitution. White BOPP film and white synthetic substrates are not derived from wood fiber, are not in EUDR’s scope, and produce a finished label that is generally more durable than a paper label anyway.

The trade-offs to weigh:

• Visual character. A craft-aesthetic brand that intentionally uses uncoated paper labels for a tactile feel may not want to switch substrates for the EU SKU. A SKU-specific substrate change is possible — print the U.S. SKU on paper and the EU SKU on white BOPP — at the cost of carrying two label SKUs.
• Cost. White BOPP film is typically more expensive per square inch than paper, but the difference is meaningful on long runs more than on short runs.
• Application. Some bottle and jar applicators are tuned for paper. Verify with your filler that BOPP labels apply cleanly on existing equipment before committing.
• Sustainability narrative. A brand whose U.S. story is “uncoated kraft paper labels” may not want to tell a different story in Europe. That is a brand decision, not a print-engineering decision.

For brands that send their entire catalog to Europe, the right move is usually to invest in EUDR documentation for the paper supply chain and keep the paper substrate. For brands that only send a few SKUs, an EU-specific BOPP version is often the lower-friction path.

Questions to Bring to Your Printer Right Now

Before placing your next reorder of any label that may end up on a product shipped to Europe, walk your printer through the following:

1. What paper mill supplied the face stock for the labels you ran on my last order? This is the single most useful starting question. Without it, no other EUDR conversation can begin.
2. Is that paper FSC or PEFC chain-of-custody certified, and do you have the certificate number on file? A printer that can answer “yes, here is the cert number” in one email is a printer with a managed paper supply chain.
3. Has the mill begun to provide EUDR-specific geolocation data? Most mills supplying U.S. printers have started this work but the maturity varies.
4. Could we run an EU-bound version of this SKU on white BOPP film instead of paper? Often the simplest answer for SKUs with small EU volume.
5. Can we order a prototype on the alternative substrate before committing? Always.
6. Will you support our EU importer’s documentation request when it comes? A printer who treats this as part of normal customer service is a partner. A printer who treats it as someone else’s problem is a future regret.

The 2026 Game Plan for U.S. Exporters

A realistic plan for a U.S. brand that exports a small but consistent volume of paper-labeled product to Europe in 2026:

Q2 2026 — Inventory the exposure.

• List every SKU that ships to the EU
• Identify the substrate of each SKU’s label (paper vs. plastic film)
• Confirm with your EU importer which compliance model they use (do they need geolocation data from you, or will they get it directly from the mill?)

Q2–Q3 2026 — Document what you have.

• Ask your printer for the paper mill identity and FSC/PEFC chain-of-custody certificate for each SKU
• Begin a small documentation file by SKU — supplier, certificate, geolocation status, importer’s stated requirements

Q3 2026 — Decide the substrate strategy.

• For SKUs with significant EU volume, invest in completing the paper documentation chain
• For SKUs with small EU volume, consider an EU-specific white BOPP version on the next reorder

Q4 2026 onward — Operate the routine.

• Treat EUDR documentation as standard receiving documentation, the same as a certificate of analysis or a country-of-origin declaration
• Update the file when supply chains shift, mills change, or the brand redesigns the label

This is not exotic work. It is the same kind of supplier qualification any food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical exporter has been doing for decades. EUDR is just adding paper to the list.

What This Does Not Change

A few things to keep clear:

EUDR does not affect U.S. domestic sales. A label on a product sold only in the United States is outside EUDR’s scope. The regulation governs products placed on the EU market.

EUDR does not change U.S. paper supply. U.S. label paper continues to be produced under U.S. forestry laws. The regulation creates a documentation requirement, not a supply restriction.

EUDR does not require a different printer. A competent U.S. printer with FSC- or PEFC-certified paper supply can serve EU-bound product. The work is documentation, not relocation.

EUDR does not stop you from shipping to the UK. The United Kingdom has its own forest-risk-commodity regulation in development, separate from EUDR. Different rules; same general direction. Plan for both.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EUDR?

EUDR is the European Union Deforestation Regulation. It requires that products entering the EU market — including paper and paperboard products such as label stock — be proven free of deforestation that occurred after December 31, 2020, with documentation back to the geographic origin of the wood fiber.

Does EUDR apply to label printing in the U.S.?

EUDR applies to products placed on the EU market. If a U.S. brand exports a finished product carrying a paper label to the European Union, the EU operator placing that product on the market needs to be able to demonstrate compliance for the paper substrate. The U.S. printer and U.S. brand are part of that documentation chain.

Is FSC or PEFC certification enough?

FSC and PEFC certifications are valuable supporting documents but are not, on their own, a complete EUDR due diligence package. EUDR additionally requires geolocation data of harvest origin. Certifications help; they do not substitute for the regulation’s specific data requirements.

What about BOPP film and synthetic substrates?

BOPP and other plastic-film label stocks are not made from wood and do not fall under the wood-product scope of EUDR. Plastic substrates may still face other EU regulations (such as packaging waste rules), but they are not subject to EUDR’s deforestation due diligence.

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The FDA Front-of-Pack Nutrition Rule: Why Your 2026 Food Short Run Might Be Obsolete in 18 Months

In January 2025, FDA proposed the most consequential change to U.S. food labels since the redesigned Nutrition Facts panel rolled out in 2016. The proposal: every packaged food sold in the United States would carry a small box on the front of the package, displaying the per-serving levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, each tagged as Low, Med, or High.

It is not a replacement for the back-panel Nutrition Facts panel. Both would coexist. The front box is a quick-glance summary; the back panel remains the detailed reference.

The rule is not final. FDA closed public comments in mid-2025 and is working through the responses. A final rule is expected, and once it publishes, food brands will have a defined compliance window — historically three years for large companies and four for small. By the time everything settles, every packaged food on the shelf will carry the new front-of-pack box.

For short-run label buyers, this is a planning conversation. The labels you print in 2026 do not need the box yet. The labels you print in 2027 might. The labels you print in 2028 almost certainly will. This article explains the rule, how the design will affect your front-panel artwork, and how to plan inventory through the transition without scrapping a pallet of perfectly good labels.

This article is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Track the FDA’s final rule and confirm specific obligations with qualified counsel before redesigning your label.

What FDA Actually Proposed

FDA’s proposed rule, published January 16, 2025, would require a standardized Nutrition Info box on the principal display panel — the front face — of most packaged foods. The box reports the per-serving content of three nutrients: saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. For each nutrient, the box shows the percent Daily Value alongside one of three descriptors:

• Low — meets FDA’s “low” threshold for the nutrient
• Med — between the low and high thresholds
• High — meets the threshold considered nutritionally concerning

The format and visual design are spelled out in the proposed rule. The box is rectangular, monochrome (black on white, or matched to the package), and standardized across all products so consumers can compare items quickly without hunting for context.

The rule is grounded in years of FDA research showing that consumers do not consistently use the back-panel Nutrition Facts panel at the moment of purchase. A small, pre-evaluated front-of-pack indicator collapses the decision into something a shopper can read in two seconds.

The Three Nutrients in the Spotlight

Saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars are not chosen at random. Each is tied to public-health concerns that FDA and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have flagged repeatedly:

Saturated fat is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. Many baked goods, packaged meats, and dairy products carry meaningful saturated fat per serving.

Sodium is associated with hypertension and broader cardiovascular outcomes. Most U.S. consumers exceed recommended daily sodium intake by a substantial margin, and packaged foods are a major contributor.

Added sugars is the nutrient that drove much of the 2016 Nutrition Facts redesign. Added sugars (versus naturally occurring sugars) became a discrete line on the back panel in 2016. The proposed rule extends that emphasis to the front.

Brands whose products score “Low” on all three will want to display the box prominently — it is, effectively, a free shelf-talker. Brands whose products score “High” on one or more will need to think carefully about formulation, portion size, or how the rest of the front panel reads next to the new box.

How Big Is the Box, and Where Does It Go?

FDA’s proposed designs occupy a meaningful portion of the principal display panel — roughly 10 to 15 percent on a typical front face, depending on package size and format. The exact specifications scale with the size of the package itself, so a small jar gets a smaller box and a family-size carton gets a proportionally larger one.

Placement requirements steer the box to the upper third of the principal display panel, where consumer eye-tracking research shows it is most likely to be noticed at a glance. Brands cannot bury it in a corner or place it on a flap.

For label artwork, this translates to a real design constraint. The brand mark, the product name, the variety descriptor, the imagery, and any front-of-pack claims now need to coexist with a roughly 10 to 15 percent block of mandatory standardized content in the upper portion of the panel. This is the single biggest reason to think about your front-panel design now, not the day FDA publishes the final rule.

What This Does to Your Front-Panel Artwork

A front panel that was beautifully composed in 2024 will, in many cases, need to be re-laid-out around the new box. Specifically:

Top-edge claims will compete for space. A “USDA Organic” seal, a “non-GMO” badge, a “gluten-free” call-out — anything currently parked in the upper portion of the front panel — has to share or move.

Imagery cropping changes. A full-bleed product photo with the brand name floating in the upper third will need to make room for the box. Re-cropping the image, reducing its area, or moving the brand name down are all options, each with brand-equity tradeoffs.

Typography hierarchy may shift. The mandatory box has a defined visual weight. If your existing front-panel typography is light or quiet, the box will dominate visually. Brands often respond by strengthening the brand mark to keep it from being upstaged.

Flag-and-banner-style claims become harder. A diagonal banner across the top corner of the package — common on snack foods, frozen meals, and beverage cans — collides with the front-panel placement. Expect to redesign or remove these on the next refresh.

This is design work, not just compliance work. Brands that treat the change as a simple “drop in a box” will end up with disjointed front panels. Brands that take the change as the prompt to refresh the entire front panel will, in many cases, end up with stronger packaging.

The Inventory Math: Why Short Runs Win This Transition

This is where the conversation becomes practical for your reorder decisions in 2026.

Suppose you order labels in long flexo runs of 250,000 per SKU, twice a year. If the FDA rule finalizes in late 2026 with a compliance date of late 2029, you have a planning problem. You will, at some point in 2027 or 2028, place an order that becomes obsolete before it is fully consumed. Whichever way the timing breaks, you will eat some scrap.

Now suppose you order short-run labels of 5,000 per SKU every six to ten weeks. When the rule finalizes, you simply route the next reorder through your designer with the new front-panel layout. The labels printed yesterday continue to ship on the existing inventory. The labels printed next month carry the updated artwork. There is no scrap, no inventory write-off, and no awkward conversation with your retail buyer about whether your packaging is current.

This is the same logic that applies to the GS1 Sunrise 2027 transition and the MoCRA cosmetic refresh. Short-run printing is not just an economical way to launch new SKUs. It is the lowest-risk way to navigate any compliance window measured in months rather than years.

Retailers Will Likely Move First

A pattern worth noting: in past nutrition labeling transitions, mass-merchant and grocery retailers have set their own timelines for compliance, often ahead of FDA’s official enforcement date. Private-label suppliers in particular tend to be asked to update artwork well before the regulation requires it.

If you sell into Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, or any of the other retailers that exercise tight category control, plan for the conversation. Buyers may ask whether your packaging is “ready for the new front-of-pack rule” before FDA’s compliance date arrives. The brands that have a draft refresh in hand and a printer who can produce a short run quickly will move faster than the brands waiting for a memo.

Designing the Front Panel Now to Avoid Two Refreshes

If you are doing a label refresh in 2026 anyway — for any reason — design with the front-of-pack rule in mind, even though it is not yet required. Practical recommendations:

Reserve a 10–15 percent block in the upper third of the front panel. Even if you fill it temporarily with marketing content, design as if the mandatory box will eventually live there.

Move existing top-corner claims now. Migrate “Organic,” “Non-GMO,” and similar callouts to the lower portion of the front panel or onto side panels where they will not collide with the future box.

Strengthen the brand mark. A bolder brand expression at the center of the panel will hold up against the visual weight of the new box.

Audit your imagery. A full-bleed product photo cropped tightly to the edge of the package may not survive the new layout. Choose imagery that allows for the upper-third real estate to be reclaimed.

Print a prototype on the actual substrate. Always — but especially before committing to a layout that will live with you for the next several years. See our packaging prototypes guide.

Doing the front-panel rework once, with the rule in mind, beats doing it twice — once before the rule and once after.

What Does Not Change

A few clarifications, because every regulatory conversation picks up some myths:

The back-panel Nutrition Facts panel does not go away. It continues to be required. The front-of-pack box is in addition to, not in place of, the back panel.

Ingredient lists do not change. Existing ingredient list rules — descending order by weight, allergen disclosures, common-name conventions — continue.

Net contents declarations do not change. Net weight, fluid ounces, milliliters in their existing places.

Statement of identity does not change. The product’s identity (what kind of food it is) remains a separate front-panel requirement that is not affected by the new box.

The rule does not affect dietary supplements. Supplements have their own labeling regime under the Supplement Facts framework. The proposed rule covers conventional foods.

In short: the rule adds a single defined element to the front panel. It does not redefine the rest of the label.

Questions to Bring to Your Printer

Before placing your next packaged-food label reorder, walk your printer through the following:

1. What is our current label inventory level by SKU? A short-run printer should be able to tell you, given your reorder cadence, when you are likely to be holding old artwork after the rule lands.
2. Can we plan a layout refresh on the next standard reorder rather than an emergency rush? Standard lead times are always cheaper.
3. Are there font, color, and contrast specifications we should hold to so the future front-of-pack box reads cleanly when we add it? Box typography has defined contrast minimums.
4. Can we print a prototype with a placeholder front-of-pack box to test how the panel reads? Useful even before the rule is final, as a design exercise.
5. What lead time do you need if FDA publishes the rule and a retailer asks us to comply early? Realistic expectation-setting now beats panic later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FDA front-of-pack nutrition rule?

FDA proposed a rule in January 2025 that would require most packaged foods sold in the United States to display a small front-of-pack box showing the per-serving levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, each labeled as Low, Med, or High. It is in addition to the existing Nutrition Facts panel on the back, not a replacement.

Is the rule final yet?

As of early 2026, the rule is proposed but not final. FDA accepted public comments through mid-2025 and is now reviewing them. A final rule is expected, with compliance dates likely several years after publication. Track FDA’s announcements for the official date.

How much front-panel space will the box take?

FDA’s proposed designs occupy a meaningful portion of the principal display panel — roughly 10 to 15 percent on a typical front face, depending on package size and format. Brands should design their next refresh with that block of front-panel real estate reserved.

Why does this affect short-run buyers especially?

Brands that print labels in 200,000-piece runs face a real risk of holding obsolete inventory when the rule lands. Brands that order short runs every two or three months can absorb the change with a single artwork refresh on the next reorder, with no scrap.

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