The Power of Giving Back

Giving back, a simple term that can pack a big punch! Each year Label Works makes a commitment to give back by volunteering time, donating funds and providing necessary resources – and this year was no exception. We strive to support and connect with our local community and our employees never disappoint.

This year, employees engaged in a wide variety of activities that were not only fun, but also benefitted many great causes. In March, employees tested their basketball skills and competed against each other to raise funds for LEEP – an organization aimed to enhance the quality of life for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities through inclusive education, recreation and healthy living opportunities.

We also organized our annual weeklong rally benefitting the Greater Mankato Area United Way. Throughout the week, employees were served up a delicious breakfast and baked potato bar, competed in a chili cook-off and indulged their sweet tooth in a bake sale. Company-wide bingo and Wheel of Fortune games were played all week for tons of great prizes. Rounding out the week was a silent auction in which employees of each department worked together to gather items for their themed baskets – with the closing bids on Friday boasting a combined $600 contribution.

Upcoming annual fundraisers include events and activities to benefit the local ECHO Food Shelf, Toys for Tots and Salvation Army’s Coats for Kids. Giving back is so important to Label Works and the success of our community; our employee’s generous nature and kind hearts continue to inspire us year after year.

As we enter in to the holiday season and reflect on all that we have to be thankful for, consider giving back to local groups in your community that help those in need. Not sure where to start? Just ask! Contact an organization in your area with your desire to get involved.

Introducing PackageWorks; a New Product Line from FolderWorks

PackageWorks™ specializes in short-run quantities for the fast-changing retail market where niche brands, regional product introductions, and burgeoning “micro” markets demand high-quality packaging in smaller quantities.

FolderWorks™ production capabilities are perfectly suited to satisfy the needs in this burgeoning marketplace (fueled by eCommerce specialization and niche marketing) of smaller companies and product lines/production runs for the kind of high quality, low quantity packaging that will set their products apart and enhance brand loyalty.

Niche product and marketing entrepreneurs are popping up in locations all over the country, especially with entrepreneurs in local communities. The need for short-run, high-quality packaging is booming for products in almost all vertical markets and product lines. The hot recent trends are:

  • The food and beverage industry with candies/confections and cookies/crackers
  • The beer, wine and spirits industry with specialty beers, wines and other specialty liquors
  • The pharmaceutical and Neutraceutical industry especially with Cannabis/CBD oil products

PackageWorks™ focuses on folding carton styles that suit a wide range of products for all niche products/markets. PackageWorks™ has access to state-of-the-art CAD design and prototyping equipment required for this type of custom package design/mock-ups. Also, PackageWorks™ has unique access to other related products that can help with packaging such as labels, inserts, bottle-neckers, and hang-tags for clothing and other items.

Moreover, PackageWorks™ can provide the specialized custom finishes and coatings that add pizzazz and pop to retail packaging on the small scale that micro products and niche marketers require to set their brands apart and build brand loyalty.

When you work with PackageWorks™ you can feel confident in knowing you are supported by a family of companies with many years of paper product and packaging production experience in a wide variety of industries.

It’s quick and easy to reach us! Give us a call at (866) 227-3725 or email packaging@folder-works.com  to get the process started. Now it’s easier than ever to open yourself up to capitalize on the fast-growing micro-product, niche marketing boom!

6 Reasons to Check Out Holiday Greetings


There’s a lot to love on Navitor.com, and we are introducing new Holiday Greeting Card options! If your customers create greeting cards for their holiday mailings, they should consider these new products, available to Navitor dealers through our website. Here are six reasons your customer should check out holiday greetings this holiday season.

1. One Price, Many Options
Your customer can keep things simple with clear, readable black print if they choose, but special touches like envelope printing, personalized verses, and foil stamping are available at no additional cost. There are no additional fees for the special touches that make your customers’ holiday mailings merrier.

2. These Cards Make the Design Process Easy
If your customers are looking for a way to create stylish holiday mailings but want to simplify the design process, holiday greeting cards make it easy. Pre-designed cards and a selection of stock verses will give your customers a selection of high-quality design options to choose from, letting them get back to their busy holiday preparations.

This streamlined design process will also keep things simple for you, which can be a gift in the busy holiday season. Need something a little more custom we’ve got you covered.

3. Custom Messaging is Still an Option
If your customer wants to make their greeting a little more personal, they can create a custom message and pair it with their favorite pre-designed card image. This gives them plenty of personalization potential but allows them to use the ready-made designs.

4. Ready to Mail
An upgrade to Fastick envelopes is available with every order, and they can be printed with your customer’s return address free of charge. This means that your customers can check envelopes off their to-do list as well.

5. High-End Greetings Look Elegant
In addition to making your customers’ ordering process simple, these greeting cards are high-end pieces of print that add an elegant touch to your customer’s holiday mailing efforts with minimal effort. Your customer’s personalized text on the card and the envelope can be printed in their choice of ink colors or, for added flair, choose foil.

6. Ordering is Easy—For Both of You!
Holiday greetings make the ordering process simple. For your customer, they make the design process smoother—simply select one of the stock designs. For you, they allow you to create a card online with just a few clicks—simply log on to your Navitor.com account to order through our online ordering tool.

Are you ready to explore these new greeting card options? Click here to explore our new selection, and to place your order.

Do your customers send announcements or greeting cards in the holiday season? What details are their favorites? We’d love to hear more in the comments below.

3 Ways Custom Printed Post-it® Notes Will Drive Repeat Business, Solve Problems and Build Awareness

The holiday season is fast approaching—do your customers have the print they need? Not only is the holiday season a great time to order your customer’s tried-and-true favorites, it’s also a great time for them to get creative with their print orders. In that spirit of creativity, we wanted to share a few ways that customers have use Post-it® Notes to solve a challenge.

1. Pizza Chain Builds Repeat Business with Coupons
A well-known pizza chain was looking for a better way to deliver coupons to customers while ensuring that the coupons would stay visible until the next time their customer placed an order.

Needing a solution that could be applied at the time of purchase, then removed and reapplied to another surface limited the options available to them.

Unlike other products, Post-it® Notes are repositionable and have the added benefit of sticking to stainless steel finishes, like a refrigerator. What they found is that in many cases their coupon was the only thing on the front of the refrigerator, keeping their company top-of-mind for everyone in the household. When it came time for another purchase, their coupon was more likely to be used.

As a result, the franchise location was able to participate in a program that was affordable and allowed them to keep multiple coupon variations on hand.

2. Custom Printed Post-it® Notes streamline in-flight drink service
A benefit of engaging in your surroundings may just land you your next order! When a National Sales Representative was traveling on a business trip she noticed the flight attendants struggling to record drink requests.

Observing the process she asked the flight attendant if she had considered a better way to record orders. The flight attendant indicated that having a way to attach the drink requests to the back of the device used to charge credit cards would be ideal. The sales representative requested a sample of what was currently being used to help explore options to improve their process.

Custom Printed Post-it® Notes, displaying the PAX Seating Chart and other necessary form fields, was pitched to the airline and they were immediately interested in the solution. The flight attendants on the review panel recommended moving forward with the idea and are now able to take and deliver drink orders faster.

3. Regional Food Drive Increases Donations with Custom Printed Post-it® Notes
A youth organization that holds an annual food drive was experiencing a decline in annual donations. Previously the organization left custom printed plastic bags on doors throughout their community. The bags, which were previously donated, were imprinted with directions on how to donate. This year the organization needed to cover the cost of the bags and were looking for a more affordable alternative.

By utilizing Post-it® Notes the organization was able to adhere the information to the front door. The Post-it® Notes allowed the homeowner to take the note from the front door and reposition it on their refrigerator or cabinet; making it easier to locate and remember.

The use of Post-it® Notes resulted in a highly visible reminder of the food drive. The size of the reminder was perfect for transferring from the door to a calendar and then to a grocery bag for the donation. The organization’s feedback was the Post-it® Notes served as a wonderful reminder, kept their costs down and drove an increase in donations.

Do your customers get creative with Post-it® Notes? What’s their favorite use? We’d love to hear more about their favorite uses in the comments below.

5 Ways to add a Touch of Luxury to Business Cards

Whether your customer is trying to reach out to a more upscale clientele, updating their brand with a more luxurious feel, or wants to promote a particularly stylish event, adding a touch of luxury to their print order is a good way to create that high-quality feeling. What print products can they use to achieve that look? Here are our tips for adding a touch of luxury to your customer’s print order.

Capture the Look of Gold or Silver Leaf with Foil Stamping
Nothing says “luxury” quite like a metallic, and bringing that metallic to your customer’s design is a great way to give it a touch of luxury and to emphasize their message or their logo. Whether your customer wants the tried-and-true look of gold foil on an ivory or white stock, pairs the sheen of foil with muted colors for a vintage look, or is seeking the sophisticated and chic look of foil paired with darker hues like black or jewel tones, foil stamping is a great choice. It makes an especially big impact on business cards, where it shows off that high end feel with every networking event or sales meeting.

Add Depth With Enhanced Finishes
An alternative to traditional foil is the variety and luxury provided by Enhanced Finishes. Choose Spot Gloss to add a glossy finish, Raised Foil to add depth and shine, or Raised Spot Gloss to provide a tactile element to a spot gloss finish.

When in Doubt, Paint it Black
Black never goes out of style, and there is a reason for that! Black can be elegant or edgy depending on your customer’s style—use black ink to print text paired with foil stamping or embossing to emphasize classic elegance or use heavy black coverage and a glossy finish for an edgier style.

Choose a Heavyweight Stock for a More Substantial Feel
Sometimes, luxury is something you have to feel, and heavyweight stocks are one way to convey that luxury if your customer wants to use a full color image in their print. Extra thick stock can give business cardsannouncements, or postcards a substantial feel that instantly makes an impression, and color core pairs that heavyweight feel with a vibrant colored core that shows along the edge of the print piece. Choose the color core stock that matches their design, or use a black core to add a sleek touch that matches any design.

Looking to Make Something Really Extraordinary? Consider Crystal Glitter Stock If your customer wants something completely unique and eyecatching, they should consider a design that takes advantage of the heavyweight thickness and unexpected pop of color that comes from color core stock with the sparkle of a glittered surface!

Do your customers look for luxury touches for their print? Which ones are their favorites? We’d love to see your recommendations for luxurious print in the comments below.

Why are Presentation Folders Important?

Do you have a customer who is unsure about whether or not they should order folders? Folders are an ideal place for personalization in any market because they are as practical as they are versatile. Whether your customer wants the flexibility of full color or the precision of spot color print, folders can be printed to suit their brand perfectly. There are plenty of reasons why you should consider introducing your customers to custom folders on their next order!

With an average retail order value of $800, presentation folders have the opportunity to increase your profit potential. Each folder order is an important high profile, high value, high risk/high reward sale for you and your customer. Presentation folders of all sizes, certificate holders, table tents and card carriers, are all options to consider with your next customer order!

Presentation Folders are used across nearly every vertical and customer regardless of their business type. Just take a look at the businesses within your community, nearly all of these businesses require some type of folder. Here are a few of the vertical markets in your community that have a need for folders:

  • Education & Academics
  • Automotive
  • Construction & Contractors
  • Finance & Banking
  • Government
  • Healthcare & Medical
  • And more


Want to Know More?

These aren’t the only customer groups looking for personalized folders; every customer potentially has a need for folders! We’ve created this helpful tool Keep Your Marketing On Target to help you prospect your local businesses.

Did we miss a Vertical Market that your business has been successfully selling Folders to? We’d love to continue the conversation with you in the comments below.

Shelf Appeal with Custom Labels

With just seconds to grab a consumer’s attention, are your product labels doing their job? Labels generate shelf appeal. Shelf appeal generates sales. Whether you find yourself gravitating towards products that are bright and flashy or clean and simple, labels play an important roll in getting your product noticed.

Traditional 1-color to Process color labels offer a classic approach with bold designs. Add a touch of elegance by simplifying your design to a foil and/or embossed imprint. With quick turnaround times and low minimum quantities, these labels are a cost-effective solution for short-run, seasonal or variable applications.

Want the look of a foil imprint AND process color printing? Our Color-Logic™ labels allow us to produce up to 250 different metallic colors using five inks on a single print run. Create stunning dimensional effects and gradients that bolster added excitement not found in traditional process color labels. A little shimmer and shine is sure to get your product noticed.

On a shelf full of standard shaped labels, achieve an instant impression with a uniquely shaped label. Our freeform™ laser cut labels allow you to create attention-grabbing, custom shaped labels without the custom die or setup charges! And with low minimums and quick turnaround times, we make it fast and effortless to be unique.

Like the idea of disrupting the shelf, but want to take it a step further? Try Limitless Unique Labels! Create one-of-a-kind labels that offer individual customer experiences. Our software crops, scales and rotates a single art file to create randomized outputs – leaving your product with a 100% uniquely custom label every time.

With a combination of stocks, adhesives, sizes and process options, we’ll find the right label solution for your product!

  • Digital & Flexographic printing
  • Foil stamp & embossing
  • freeform™, Color-Logic™ & Limitless Unique Labels
  • Liner side & adhesive side printing
  • Variable data, consecutive numbering & barcoding
  • UV & moisture resistant varnishes
  • Gloss & matte laminations

Give our label experts a call today at 800.522.3558 or visit www.labelworks.com to learn more and order online.

Signage Helps Healthcare Improve Patient Experience

About 3.8 million inpatient visits and 20 million outpatients visit healthcare facilities in the United States on a daily basis. If you work with customers in the healthcare industry, every one of those millions of visits is a chance to improve patient experiences, and signage is an excellent way to create a smoother patient experience and much more! Here are six signs perfect for your customers in the healthcare industry.

1. ADA Signage
Public buildings need to consider ADA accessibility, and for hospitals and clinics this is even more important. Stock ADA signage for room identification and restrooms takes the guess work out of ADA compliance.

However, if your customer wants to create ADA compliant signage with branded style, custom ADA signage can be a way to bring together both their brand and accessibility. This means that the signage will blend harmoniously with their interior décor for a polished and professional look.

2. Floor Decals
Floor decals are a great way to give instructions or further personalize a space. They can be used to mark the start of a line for shot clinics, highlight the path leading to a pediatric department, or simply add style and visibility to a ramp. Because they are printed in full color, they can be created to coordinate with event banners, match interior décor, and more.

3. Wall Decals
Whether your customer wants to make their waiting rooms friendlier with colorful wall art or wants to add signage information directly to the window at the welcome desk, full color wall and window decals are easy to apply to almost any smooth surface. Not only are they easy to apply, they can easily be removed or repositioned as needed.

4. Window Decals
Want to add a full color image to a window or glass door without decreasing visibility? We offer two options designed to pair full color print and easy visibility. Clear decals feature a transparent stock that is easy to see through, while perforated interior window film lets your message be seen from the outside without blocking visibility from inside.

5. Desk Signage
From welcome desks to doctors’ offices, desk signage can be a good way to add identification or instructions to a desktop. One classic way to use desk signs is to use them to show who works at any given desk, but they can also be used to mark welcome desks with instructions for patients, mark tabletops at shot clinics, and more.

6. Wayfinding Signage
Going to a hospital or clinic can be a nerve-racking experience for many patients, and being uncertain where to go can increase those feelings of uncertainty. Wayfinding signage, however, is a great way to guide patients through healthcare facilities, label departments, and more. Not only will this improve patient experiences, but it will also help many patients navigate facilities themselves without need for employee support as they go from location to location.

Want to know more? The specialty products perfect for the healthcare market don’t end with signage. We’ve created a sales pack to help you increase your business with signage in the rapidly growing healthcare vertical.

In addition, we have developed a catalog specifically for ADA, wayfinding, and architectural signage.

Do your customers in the healthcare industry have a favorite signage option? We’d love to hear your top suggestions in the comments below.

Want to Start 2020 on the Right Foot? Take a Look Back at the Best of Years Past

Sometimes the best way to make the New Year a success is to take the best lessons from the past. With that in mind, we’re celebrating the last quarter of the year by highlighting some of our favorite articles from past Insiders. We hope this will let you start the New Year right.

What’s in store for you? In October, we’ll be showing off articles from 2016. November will be looking back at the best of 2017. December will feature the favorites from 2018. Be sure to sign up for the Navitor newsletter to stay up to date, and keep an eye on your inbox to get weekly reminders of these favorite articles alongside new ideas, new product announcements, and more!

To get the ball rolling, we’d love to hear if you have any favorites! Let us know in the comments below.

QUIZ: Which Luxury Print Option Are You?

Whether your customer is looking for a way to reach out to a high-end clientele or simply loves the finer things in life, luxurious print is an appealing way to make their print stand out. And every luxury print option has a personality. From classic print options to something brand new, the print you and your customers use can say a lot about you. So, which luxury print option fits your personality?

1) How would you define luxury print?
A) High-quality materials
B) Elegance
C) Subtlety
D) Standing out from the crowd
E) Classic details that stand the test of time

2) What does your workspace look like?
A) I invest in a sturdy desk and a computer that will last me a long time
B) I have a few pieces of décor that add style
C) I like to keep things clean, so it’s normally pretty minimalist at my desk
D) It changes with the season—I love changing things up
E) I’ve got an antique desk and a few favorite photographs

3) You’ve got an evening to yourself—what would you like to do?
A) A nice dinner is always a favorite
B) Sometimes I enjoy heading out for a drink, but I can be just as happy to stay in and watch the latest movie
C) I keep things quiet
D) Concerts are always entertaining
E) I love a good book

4) What makes you stand out the most?
A) I’ve got a strong presence
B) I am great at showing people what their skills are
C) I’ve got a quiet presence, but I make an impact when I need to
D) I energize people
E) I’m well established, and people recognize me

5) What’s the last thing you wrote by hand?
A) A check
B) A letter to a friend
C) A note to yourself
D) A birthday card
E) A thank you note

ANSWERS
Mostly A’s: You’re extra thick stock. You stand out immediately, but you’re just as practical as you are a presence in every room you enter.

Mostly B’s: You’re foil. You’re as versatile as you are stylish. Colored foils add a touch of fun, while silver and gold keep things classic and elegant—just like you are flexible and love a bit of shine.

Mostly C’s: You’re embossing. You’re subtle, but you’re also definitely stylish. You might not have all the frills of another print option, but you’re classic and dependable.

Mostly D’s: You’re glitter stock. New, exciting, and glitzy, you’ve got a lot of personality and are sure to make a splash.

Mostly E’s: You’re engraving. You don’t mind being a touch old fashioned because some of the best things are tried-and-true.

So, which luxury print option are you? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.