Product Combinations Yield Profitable Results

Form/label combinations benefit distributors, as well as their customers.

Forms and labels are a natural combination to win distributors greater profits and reap savings for their customers.

"There's not an industry that can't use form/label combinations in some way," said Ed Brandt, owner of Brandt Affixing, Carrollton, Texas. Brandt, which offers both blown-on (piggyback) and integrated label constructions, has seen "nice, steady growth" in form/label combinations, he said.

Bill Reid, director of marketing for Printegra, Peachtree City, Ga., agreed that the form/label market is growing. "In the past three years, we've averaged 30 percent growth with this [product category]," said Reid. Although it's a relatively new product line for Printegra, he noted that the company has experienced steady growth because of the product's inherent advantages.

Distributors can increase their sales by promoting the increased efficiency and elimination of matching errors available through form/label combinations, Reid said.

Tried-and-true products, such as pick tickets with affixed labels or shipping lists with return authorization labels, are becoming more popular due to the surge in online consumer purchasing, Brandt commented. "Integrated labels are the perfect way to manage the increased volume of orders shippers have experienced," he said.

Innovation is also driving sales, according to Roger Buck, national form sales manager for Ward/Kraft, Ft. Scott, Kan. The company's LaserBand product—a laser-printable wristband for identifying hospital patients—gives distributors an edge over the directs, Buck said.

"Our band is unique in that once it is printed, the nurse can simply peel the band from the form and fold the lamination over the imaged area for protection," he said. Another hot product for the medical industry is Ward-Kraft's joined-web pharmacy prescriptions.

Hot Applications

"Health-care and distribution are two primary markets distributors should look to for applications," advised Buck. He explained that chain-of-custody, drug dispensing/information capture, pharmacy prescriptions and patient sign-in forms are common areas for form/label use.