Size a wine label to the flat band of the bottle, not to the bottle's full width, and leave a margin inside that band. A label sized to the width runs onto the curve and wrinkles.

Measure the flat

A wine bottle curves away steeply at the shoulder and at the base. A label that runs past where the glass starts to turn wrinkles along its edges, however carefully it's applied.

Measure the flat band, then leave a margin inside it. On a standard Bordeaux bottle, that band is much shorter than people expect.

Then send us that label size (its width and height), or your supplier's dieline if you have one, and we'll work to it. How to measure a jar or bottle for a label walks through the measuring.

Front, back, and neck are separate items

Each label has its own minimum: 25 of a design on sheet labels, and 100 of a design on Custom Roll Labels. So a small neck run beside a larger front run is normal, and a single-vineyard or single-vintage label doesn't need a large order.

Required text

Set the government warning and the other required details at the size your regulator wants, and send them at that size. Keep all type at 6 pt or larger, or 8 pt for thin (light or script) fonts. Your proof shows how the text lands before anything prints. See compliance text on small labels.

Keep everything that must survive inside the safe area: 0.09" inside the cut on sheet labels, and 1/8" on roll labels. The text pushed nearest the edge is almost always the required text, because that's what gets squeezed when space runs short.

Every vintage after the first

Your approved artwork stays on file, so an exact reorder of an unchanged label skips the proof round. If the vintage on the label changes, that's new artwork, so the label gets a new proof. See how to reorder.

Timing

Sheet labels ship 3 to 5 business days after you approve your proof, and roll labels 5 to 7, plus shipping time. Rush is available for a fee. The clock starts at approval, not at checkout, so if bottling is booked, answer your proof promptly.