Product labels for small businesses: choosing size, material and finish

Product labels for a small business need to do three things: fit the pack, survive how the product is stored and used, and carry the information a customer (and sometimes the law) expects. Work through those in order, measure first, then material, then content, and the choice between the label products on offer becomes straightforward.

This guide is for makers, food producers, candle and soap makers, craft sellers and small shops putting their own name on what they sell.

1. Measure the pack, not the product #

Measure the flat area where the label will sit. On a jar, that is the straight part of the side between the shoulder and the base, not the full height. On a curved bottle, a label that is too tall will crease; keep it within the straight section. On a box or bag, allow a margin so the label does not wrap onto an edge.

Write the maximum width and height down in millimetres, then choose the nearest label size that fits inside it.

2. Choose a size and shape #

Our stickers on a sheet come in a wide range of set sizes, from small 25 × 51 mm rectangles up to 94 × 140 mm, including squares, circles and ovals. Common choices:

• Small jars and tins: 37 mm or 51 mm circles, or 50 × 37 mm ovals, on the lid or the side.
• Standard jars and bottles: 62 × 33 mm or 76 × 51 mm rectangles, or 60 × 49 mm ovals.
• Boxes and bags: 51 × 51 mm squares as a seal, or larger rectangles as the main label.

If you are torn between two sizes, print both at 100% on paper, cut them out and hold them against the pack. The right one is usually obvious in seconds. Many small businesses use two product labels: a front label with the brand and product name, and a smaller back label with the details.

3. Paper or polypropylene #

This is the choice that decides whether the label still looks good after a few weeks.

Material	Good for	Avoid for
Gloss paper	Dry goods, boxes, bags, gift items kept indoors	Anything wet, chilled or oily
Matt paper	Labels you write on (batch numbers, dates), dry goods	Bathrooms, fridges, outdoors
Waterproof polypropylene	Chilled and frozen food, drinks, cosmetics, candles, anything handled with wet or oily hands	Nothing much, apart from labels you want to write on with a biro

Our guide to paper or polypropylene labels goes into more detail. For products that live in a fridge or a bathroom, polypropylene is the safe choice.

Which products offer which material: stickers on a sheet come in matt or gloss sticker paper; our logo stickers, address labels and kitchen labels add a waterproof polypropylene option; and custom sticker sheets are printed on white or transparent polypropylene with a choice of laminations.

4. Gloss or matt finish #

Gloss makes colours brighter and suits bold, colourful brands. Matt looks calmer and more natural, suits craft and premium products, and is easier to read under shop lighting because it does not reflect. If you will handwrite anything on the label, choose matt paper. Laminated polypropylene has a matt finish too, so it keeps that calmer look while standing up to water.

5. What to put on product labels #

At minimum, most product labels carry:

• Your brand name or logo.
• What the product is (the name a customer would search for).
• Size, weight or volume.
• How to get in touch or buy again: a web address or social handle.

Depending on the product, you may also need ingredients, allergens, use-by or best-before dates, storage instructions, safety warnings or a batch number.

Food and drink

If you sell pre-packed food, the law sets out what the label must show, including the name of the food, the ingredients with allergens emphasised, the quantity, date marking and your business name and address. The government’s page on food labelling and packaging is the place to start, and your local trading standards or environmental health team can advise. For kitchens, our allergen labels and food rotation labels are designed for handwritten details.

6. Branding labels and seals #

Not every label is about information. A logo sticker on a bag, box or tissue wrap does a lot for a small brand. Our custom logo stickers come as 60 × 49 mm ovals or 88 mm circles, and business and address labels handle return addresses on parcels.

7. How many to order #

Label products are priced by quantity, and the price per label usually drops as quantities rise. Work out how many products you will sell in the next few months, add a margin for spoiled labels, and order that. Do not over-order product labels for a product whose recipe, weight or address might change soon; you will throw the old ones away.

If you have several products, keep the same label size and layout across the range and change only the product name and details. It looks more professional and makes reordering easy.

Applying product labels neatly #

A good label badly applied still looks homemade. Clean and dry the surface first; dust, grease and condensation all stop labels sticking. Apply at room temperature, not straight out of the fridge. Line up one edge first, then smooth the label across from the middle outwards so no air is trapped. On jars, a simple jig (a strip of card or a block that sets the height) keeps every label at the same level down a row of products.

Common product label mistakes #

• Paper labels on chilled or wet products, which wrinkle and peel.
• A label taller than the straight part of a curved jar, so it creases.
• Tiny text trying to fit everything on the front. Move detail to a back label.
• Different sizes and styles across a product range, which looks accidental on the shelf.
• Ordering thousands of product labels before the recipe or pack size is settled.

Artwork and checks #

Design at the exact label size with bleed, keep text 2 to 3 mm inside the edge, and use text at least 6 pt so it can be read. You can design labels in our online designer and see exactly what you’ll get, or upload your own file for a free file check by a person. Browse our sticker sheets and labels to compare every size.

UK mainland delivery is £7.95 per order and free when your goods total is £99 or more after discount codes.