PROTOTYPES

For any customer that manufactures products, producing prototypes, samples, and high-quality, short-run labels for product testing is crucial for success. Designs that appear flawless on a flat proof or die line can look entirely different when applied to actual substrates. A product that seems destined for success might fail once it hits the marketplace. Prototypes and short test runs reveal design flaws and test the efficacy of your product or idea. With digital label production, such tests are not only feasible but efficient and cost-effective.

Prototypes serve as a tangible representation of your final product, allowing you to evaluate and refine your design before full-scale production.

What might this look like in the real world? Say a cosmetics company creates a prototype of their new lotion bottle label. The initial design, which contains intricate patterns and details, looks perfect on screen and flat proofs. Once the label is applied to the bottle, however, it is discovered that the curvature of the bottle causes the intricate patterns and text to appear skewed. Thanks to the prototype, the company redesigns the label for better readability and aesthetic appeal.

Samples are small batches of your product that you can use for marketing, testing, and feedback purposes. They provide a glimpse into how your final product will be received by consumers and stakeholders.

For example, a beverage company uses samples to gauge consumer reaction to their new energy drink packaging. Feedback from these samples highlights that the color scheme is too similar to a competitor’s product, leading to confusion. This insight allows the company to adjust their design and differentiate their product in the market.

Short-run test runs involve producing a limited quantity of your product to test in the marketplace before committing to a large-scale production. This approach minimizes risk and provides valuable data on product performance.

Say a food manufacturer conducts a short-run test of their new vegan frozen pizza. It launches the pizza in a handful of key locations. The product does not sell as well as expected, and the manufacturer pulls it from the shelves. Thanks to the ability to do very short test runs, the manufacturer was able to minimize its investment in a non-viable product.

Here at Wise, our HP Digital Label Press is designed to meet the diverse needs of your product manufacturer customers. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your customers use prototypes, samples, and test runs to avoid costly mistakes, gather invaluable feedback, and ensure their products are market-ready.