Distributors experience priceless benefits by offering two products as one.
Although Form/Label combinations may not make up a large percentage of business for most distributors and manufacturers—some reporting total annual sales of 2 percent or less for these products—they are products that make sense to provide and promote. After all, the applications for form/label combinations are limitless, and the benefits; priceless.
For instance, John Strecker, vice president of sales and marketing for Data Label, Terre Haute, Ind., said that some of the specific uses for form/label combinations include packing lists, order forms, invoices, statements, service reminders, returned goods forms, patient information forms, laboratory forms, pharmacy forms, direct mail response, advertising response, lead response, tuition remittance, alumni response, fund raising and warehousing just to name a few.
"Any type of fulfillment company can use a form/label combination product," said Strecker. "And it is a product that is greatly appreciated since clients need only to purchase one product instead of two.
"Not to mention that a client's transactions become easier, particularly if control numbers and bar codes are applied to the form and label simultaneously."
Jonathan Israel, sales representative for the Cooley Group, Syracuse, N.Y., seconds the motion that benefits to the end-user are priceless. Having created an invoice bearing two labels at its bottom for a wedding gown preservation company, Israel said one can't really put a price tag on the time and money his client is saving.
"Time is actually a bigger factor for this company since it has to pack so many gowns," said Israel. "And by having an invoice that matches up easily with the shipping labels, it is easier for the company to track all customer information."
Making this product even more valuable to the end-user, added Israel, is that it is a continuous form. As such, it is printed on a pin-fed printer, not a laser, and it has multiple parts enabling the product to be placed in different areas for different reasons, such as billing or shipping. Currently, Cooley sells 5,000 to 7,000 of these labels to their wedding gown client every six months with intentions to develop a yearly order amount to provide a savings to the client.
But form/label products are not limited to companies that ship and invoice. According to Israel, one of the best sources for distributor business comes from companies that utilize membership cards, such as zoos and gyms.
"Companies mailing out membership cards love these products because they combine a thank-you letter with a membership card—a very popular mailing these days," said Israel.
Design Possibilities
Data Label also offers a variety of form/label combos, but there is one specific type—the single-ply, dual web, form/label combination—that Strecker said meshes well with Data Label's experience and capabilities.
Running its products through a Mark Andy Flexo Label Press with 10 color stations, Strecker explained that the form consists of two webs—a single-ply form web that is attached to a pressure sensitive web. The method of attachment for these webs, said Strecker, consists of a continuous glue line or utilization of the pressure sensitive adhesive on the label web.
"Pinfeed applications of this product require these two webs to be side-by-side," noted Strecker. "On the other hand, a sheeted laser application allows the two webs to be side-by-side, or one at the top and the other at the bottom of the finished sheet."
End-users who benefit from such a product include mail and Internet order companies, pharmacies, nursing homes and hospitals.
As for when or how to sell form/label combinations to these clients, Strecker suggested promoting them anytime it makes logistical sense to have a single-ply form accompanying a label.
"Form/label combinations are a solution to the end-user's problems of logistics, productivity, accuracy and ease-of-use," said Strecker. "A distributor just needs to exhibit a problem-solving mindset in order to help the customer with these products."
Preventing Problems
One way to get into this mindset is by understanding a customer's systems, processes, problems and bottle necks, Strecker said. To do so a distributor should know the customer's current printing system and whether or not a form/label solution, or other anticipated change or implementation of technology such as bar coding, may require a new printing system.
"It may be necessary to change the printing system based on the desirability of laser over dot matrix or vice versa," said Strecker. "It may also be necessary to change the printing system to accommodate the varying material thicknesses inherent to twin-ply form/label combos."
The material thickness of the single-ply form side versus the multiple-label side, and also the thickness of the over-lapping portion of both webs combined with the glue line that often holds the two together, may present some difficulties for the end-users current printing equipment.
However, Strecker noted that this is not the problem that it has been in the past because most printing devices produced today are more tolerant of variations in material thickness. "But it's always best to test samples to identify potential problems before placing any orders," he warned.
While frustrations can occur on the manufacturing end, Israel recommended that distributors be prepared to look for and deal with problems occurring on the end-user's end as well. "One of the biggest problems that occurs when using form/label products is that the client may not change variable information for different types of form/label jobs," he said.
For instance, different client customers will receive different forms that contain information printed in different areas of the form.
"If changing the placement of information from one form style to another, distributors should remind end-users to change those variables," said Israel. "On the client's end, this is a computer programming issue that will slow down processes if not handled beforehand."
Strecker reminded that as with any business, there is no adequate substitute for experience, but distributors who want to learn more about form/label combinations should read all trade articles on the subject, network with their distributor peers and attend trade shows to talk with other distributors and manufacturers about form/label combos.
"The only formal training that I know of is the DMIA Business Printing Curriculum which has one of their seven e-business modules focusing specifically on form/label combination products," Strecker concluded.
By Sharon R. Cole
- Companies:
- Cooley Group
- Data Label
- Mark Andy
- People:
- John Strecker
- Jonathan Israel
- Places:
- Terre Haute, Ind.