VAR's Demo Leads To Labeling Solution Project

Never underestimate the impact your Web page can have on your business, and never underestimate the value of a good product demo. Those are two lessons VAR and label converter Fernqvist Labeling Solutions learned after finalizing a deal with Madly Pop'n, a manufacturer of 27 flavors of popcorn.

It all started when a representative from Madly Pop'n visited Fernqvist's Web site and requested some information on a new label solution for its popcorn. In addition to its retail location, online store, and direct mail catalog, Madly Pop'n sells a large number of privately labeled popcorn bags and tins. The privately labeled goods have custom-printed full-color labels including company logos and photos. These goods are used for holiday gifts, new product launch kits, trade show giveaways, party favors at corporate and private events, and promotions for sporting events. The company had its label templates printed at a label production facility, and then it printed individual Avery labels for each popcorn flavor or customer. Surplus preprinted labels would be warehoused.

Sample Labels, High Resolution Keys To Sale
"Initially, the customer was considering a one-color thermal transfer printer," explains Fernqvist's sales rep, Duane Shepley. "However, after meeting with them, we realized the best solution would be a color inkjet label printer because a good portion of their label production was going to be short-run jobs." At the time, Madly Pop'n was working with a minor league baseball team that was interested in selling its popcorn with color labels that would include the team's logo and product information for the many different flavors. Using a Primera LX800 color printer, Shepley created some sample labels for Madly Pop'n with the baseball team's logo. He also created some sample labels for a casino promotion Madly Pop'n was working on.

The LX800's 4800 dpi (dots per inch) print resolution provided Madly Pop'n with professional looking labels that could be printed on demand. Furthermore, the LX800 can print labels between 1.5 inches and 8 inches wide and up to 24 inches long. It can even print onto a variety of different materials including tags, synthetics, continuous forms, transparent polyesters, and high-gloss label stock that's water-resistant. Madly Pop'n also needed a printer that could print incremented or decremented numbers onto labels. These numbers are typically product serial numbers, box numbers (e.g. box 1 of 10, 2 of 10, 3 of 10, etc.), or any numeric or alphanumeric field that will change by a given value with each printed label. The LX800 has that capability. All of these features, coupled with an MSRP of $2,495, convinced Madly Pop'n that the LX800 was the labeling solution it had been searching for.

More Than Just A Label Printer Sale
Since Madly Pop'n was in the Chicago area (also home to Fernqvist), Shepley provided free setup and training. "The LX800 is fairly easy to set up and install drivers, very similar to other inkjet printers," comments Shepley. "That allowed me to spend most of the training on the actual label design [a version of NiceLabel label creation software comes with the Primera LX800] process, which is where most people need some instruction, especially if they want to start printing labels immediately. As with Madly Pop'n, I typically get customers to the point where we have created two or three actual labels that can be used as templates for making other similar-looking labels."

Since Fernqvist installed and set up the LX800, its subsequent conversations with Madly Pop'n have been regarding supplies such as labels, ink cartridges, label rewinders, and software upgrades. The VAR also has created a list of the most popular label sizes for the LX800.

"Today, Madly Pop'n has a lot more flexibility to respond to its customers' custom label projects," Shepley concludes. "For instance, at the recent Harry Potter Festival held in Oak Grove, IL, Madly Pop'n was able to print popcorn labels with the names of the beans referenced in the Harry Potter book. So, instead of Butter Popcorn, it was called Ear Wax popcorn, while Black Licorice became Dirt."