Case Study: Da'kine Foods

Axiom understands that the label is the company's marketing vehicle. Because of this, Axiom takes the time to work closely with these clients to make sure they understand their options and get high quality, high performance labels that will help the products fly off the shelves.

A growing gourmet kitchen was using litho glue labels for its line of gourmet sauces and was unsatisfied with their performance. Glue labels tend to not lay down smoothly and also the edges have a tendency to flag as the glue wears off. Because of this, the group contacted Axiom to make the switch from the litho glue labels to pressure sensitive labels for their in-house brand of sauces to ensure a clean, professional look that would endure over time. 

After learning about the business and the goals they had for their new pressure sensitive labels, Axiom recommended running the labels on the digital press. Digital printing also gives clients the ability to change the label on the fly as they tweak recipes and have new information that is required on the labels to meet specifications of different distribution channels. Weighing the options substrate and adhesive options open available to them, the kitchen decided to use a basic paper label with a 4 color process as it was an economical choice. Because the kitchen did not hot-fill the sauces and also does not freeze the products, no special adhesive was necessary. The key to the process was Axiom's thorough evaluation of the client's needs and understanding their product

The kitchen was extremely happy with not only the quality and ease of the digital printing and press proofing process, but also with the application of the digital labels. Because of the high quality results and excellent service level the Axiom Art Department and Sales Representative provided them throughout the process, they began referring their customers -who they created private label products for- to Axiom.

Axiom walked these "first-timers" through the process of printing custom pressure sensitive labels including the pros and cons of running digital versus flexo, choosing label material options, printing 4 color process versus deciding to match PMS colors, using a UV varnish or laminante, and whether to use cold or hot temperature adhesives. For a smaller company with an eye on the bottom line, Axiom explained that the digital press allows a new company to run smaller custom label volumes without having the start-up costs associated with traditional flexographic presses. Not only that, but smaller volume could be printed more economically when run digitally.

Axiom was also asked to create the artwork for one of the lines from scratch. The company did not yet have artwork for their new sauce and looked to the seasoned Axiom Art Department for help. When it was time to go to print, the company wanted a weathered, rustic look to really set off the artwork that had been created so the labels were given a matte varnish, as opposed to glossy. The labels ended up complementing the sauce itself, which is the goal of any great packaging design.