How Cannabis Producers Save Money with Short-Run Digital Label Printers

How Cannabis Producers Save Money with Short-Run Digital Label Printers

Thanks to changing laws and regulations all across North America, cannabis producers and cannabis industry pioneers are finding plenty of new ways to make profits in this booming industry… as well as some new headaches that have never played a major factor before.

One such headache: cannabis labeling.

Cannabis labels require that printers and producers adhere to ever-changing rules, regulations, and requirements needed to safely and legally package and sell cannabis to consumers in states and territories where the product is now legal.

For many in the cannabis industry, this makes cannabis labeling one of the toughest pieces of the puzzle to solve. Fortunately, an in-house digital printer may be the solution your cannabis labeling process has been searching for.

Using a digital label printer, cannabis producers can quickly and efficiently adapt to new regulations—all while maximizing visual appeal and brand visibility—to achieve a remarkably quick return-on-investment. Here’s a closer look at why so many cannabis producers are choosing in-house label production for their cannabis products, and why a digital label printer may be the right choice for your business.

Meeting the Challenge of Changing Label Laws & Regulations

When it comes to creating compliant labels for products in the cannabis industry, many states place the same kinds of requirements on printers that are usually placed on pharmaceutical products: all ingredients and information must be clearly visible and available for consumers, and proper warnings must be included as dictated by local legislation.

However, unlike standard pharmaceutical products, the regulations for cannabis labeling are rarely (if ever) standard across various jurisdictions. That means many cannabis label producers have to be flexible enough to adapt to different requirements for products sold in different states. This also includes many state-specific challenges that, for cannabis producers not printing their labels in-house, can be tough to keep up with. 

In addition, cannabis producers must take significant steps to minimize the product’s appeal to minors. While specific rules vary, producers generally must avoid using any cartoon characters, any words like “candy,” or anything else that may be particularly appealing to children. 

Even with guidelines requiring so much specific content on the cannabis labels themselves, the possibility still exists for frequent and rapid changes to those same guidelines on a state-by-state basis. That’s why flexibility is so crucial to cannabis label producers—and why an in-house digital label printer may be the best solution to remain responsive and ready for whatever changes may come in the future.

Cost Savings and Achieving ROI With An In-House Digital Printer

A digital label printer is more than just a good way to keep your label production process flexible—it may also be the best way to meet the changing demands of the market while achieving ROI quickly and efficiently.

For cannabis producers still buying pre-printed or bulk-printed labels from a third-party printer, keeping up with changing rules and best practices can be an expensive (and sometimes wasteful) process. By bringing the label production process in-house, cannabis producers can significantly reduce the time and expense of producing quick, custom, short runs of cannabis labels.

Whether you’re adapting your labels regularly to meet changing labeling regulations, balancing your brand against required label elements, or simply expanding your product line to meet growing demand in the industry, a digital label printer could be key to helping you stay ahead of the competition now and for years to come.
 

Quickly Adapt To Remain In Compliance

The laws around what’s required on a cannabis product label seem to change with each passing month, and rarely remain consistent from state to state. 

The California Department of Public Health, for example, provides specific required labeling guidelines for both cannabis flower and for all manufactured cannabis products, each of which dictates that the producer list information like:
 

  •  Place of origin for the cannabis plants used
  • Net Weight of the product
  • A California-specific Universal Cannabis symbol
  • Licensed Cultivator information
  • Date of packaging
  • Cannabinoid content

Additionally, there may be specific guidelines governing the labeling of recreational/adult-use cannabis versus medical cannabis. The Council on Responsible Cannabis Regulation, for example, discusses how producers in states where adult use is legal must include language indicating “Only available for customers 21 years or older” on recreational packaging. Medical packaging, however, may not be governed by similar age requirements and may bring separate labeling requirements that label producers must adjust for.

Using a digital label printer designed for easy on-the-fly adjustments to label design, material, and size, cannabis producers can seamlessly adjust to evolving requirements and distinct regulations as they occur. This helps reduce the amount of non-compliant labels printed and helps minimize a producer’s cost-per-label even when laws continue to change.
 

Striking the Right Balance: Labeling vs Branding

Because cannabis producers must remain compliant with so many regulations when designing and printing cannabis labels, one major element of label design is sometimes left on the back burner: branding.

But as just about any producer will tell you, branding has become a critical part of making a cannabis product stand out from the competition on increasingly crowded retail shelves.

For some jurisdictions, rules around cannabis branding may be significantly restrictive. In Canada, for example, a producer’s ability to include distinctive branding on a cannabis label is heavily restricted. Producers must limit cannabis labels to one single background color, and overall label size requirements keep cannabis labels relatively small.

In other areas—like California or Colorado—rules around branding on cannabis labels can be much less restrictive. That gives cannabis producers operating in those areas much more room to develop distinct visual branding on their labels.

Using a digital label printer designed for both flexibility and beautiful label production, cannabis businesses can ensure their labels are providing the most brand-focused impact in the markets where that will have the most impact, all while remaining compliant with regulations in all other cannabis markets. 
 

Custom Production For New Products & Offerings

Perhaps more so than any other emerging market in the economy today, the cannabis industry offers numerous untapped opportunities for businesses to offer new products to meet new demands from consumers. To do so, cannabis producers must be both flexible and responsive in creating new product lines and offerings… and a digital label printer can help achieve just that.

By bringing the label production process in-house, cannabis producers can quickly and efficiently create new, compliant, and brand-focused labels for new products as they are produced—rather than waiting for a new batch of labels to arrive from a third-party printer. 

Additionally, in-house label production allows producers to create distinct, effective short runs of labels for limited-run or exclusive product offerings, helping maximize the effect of your labels without adding the undue burden of minimum label order requirements.

Take Your Cannabis Labels To The Next Level with An In-House Digital Label Printer

If you’re a cannabis producer, chances are good you’ve run into some issue with cannabis labeling in the past—whether it’s keeping up with changing laws around cannabis packaging, working to build your own visual brand on your packaging, or struggling to keep your product lines reflective of the product available in the market today. 

By bringing your cannabis label production process in-house, you can take control of the label production process, helping reduce these major labeling headaches and positioning your business for success regardless of what challenges may still be ahead.


If you’re ready to bring your cannabis labeling process in-house, or if you’re looking to improve your existing label production process, our team can help. Take a look at how we’ve helped our customers in the cannabis industry achieve unprecedented control over their label process ( and rapid ROI in the process)—then, get in touch with our team and let’s get started on bringing your cannabis label production to the next level.

Tags: Cannabis, Digital Printers, Label Printers