Measure the container you will actually use, and work out the label size from it. Two numbers matter. The height of the flat part of the side sets the label's height. For a label that wraps all the way around, the distance around the container (the circumference) sets its length.
A container sold as "4 oz" comes in many shapes, so a size chart for "4 oz jars" is only a guess about yours. That's why we ask for the label size, not the container.
Find the flat band
Hold a ruler upright against the side of the jar or bottle. The part where the ruler touches the container along its whole length is the flat band. Where the container starts to curve in toward the shoulder or the base, the label will not lie flat.
Make the label a little shorter than the flat band, with room at the top and bottom so the edges never reach the curve. A label that runs onto the curve wrinkles at its edges, and careful application can't fix that.
Measure around it
For a label that wraps all the way around:
- Wrap a strip of paper around the container at the height the label will sit.
- Mark where the strip overlaps itself.
- Lay the strip flat and measure to the mark. That is the circumference.
Then decide how the ends meet:
- A small gap between the two ends is the usual choice and the easiest to apply neatly.
- An overlap works too, but the ends must line up, and the outer end sits on the label instead of on the container.
For a front or back label that does not wrap, measure only the width you want it to cover. On a round container, keep it narrow enough that the sides stay readable from the front.
Make a paper version first
Cut your planned size out of paper, tape it on, and look at it from where a customer will. A paper mock-up catches a label that is too wide to read, too tall for the flat band, or covering the seam of the jar.
Tapered and odd shapes
If the ruler test shows no flat band at all, as on a tapered tub or a rounded bottle, a rectangle will not lie flat on it. Keep the label small and on the straightest part, or ask us before you order. Labels for tins, tubes, and tight curves has more on difficult shapes.
Send us the label size
What you order is the label size you arrive at: its width and height. Choose that size on Custom Roll Labels or on one of our sheet labels. If your container supplier gave you a drawing of the label's shape and size (sometimes called a dieline), send it with your artwork.
Set your artwork up at the label size. Run background color 0.125" past the edge on a roll label, or 0.06" on a vinyl sheet label. Keep text 1/8" inside the edge on a roll label, or 0.09" on a vinyl sheet label. Safe area and bleed on labels explains both.