(AKA, “centers”, “hubs”, “stickers”) — Record Labels are the circle thing in the middle of your record.

GGR pricing includes BLACK AND WHITE LABELS.  

Any B&W print is ok – photographs, drawings, halftones, anything that uses only K (process black) in the design.  In Photoshop, this would be grayscale mode.

LABEL UPGRADES:

You can upgrade your label art (additional charges apply) if you can’t make something work in the colors listed above.

FULL COLOR (CMYK) PRINT — You print any image you want on the labels.  But — two very important notes:  1. We do not recommend any sort of rich black combination on labels — blacks should always be only 100% K on record labels.  2.  While we totally understand the desire to match label art with jacket art, please just keep in mind that labels will change in color after baking and pressing onto records, so it is nearly impossible to get them to match up with jacket artwork precisely.

SILVER and BLACK LABELS — You can print Silver (pms877) on a black backdrop; OR black on a silver or gold backdrop.  Please note that these metallic inks work best for text and very simple logos — we do not recommend art that incorporates halftones/texture with metallic inks, because they are very susceptible to smearing.

OTHER PRINT OPTIONS — Our best advice is to call us at (800) 295-0171 before you even start to design your labels, if you are thinking about something outside of the options listed above.  Some things just won’t work on record labels, and it is best to know this before you put too much time/effort/money into a design that may be problematic.  We can also quote custom options to you, but would prefer to discuss before you submit your art.

OTHER LABEL-SPECIFIC NOTES:

Record labels are baked in an oven and then pressed into your records – they are not a sticker that is merely adhered to the record in a separate step.  They actually serve the integral function of cooling the center area of the record while it is being pressed.  So, colors can (and do) shift from what they may look like on a computer screen or test printout to what they look like on finished records.  They can even vary throughout a run of the same record – as well as if printed on different dates.  Keep this in mind when thinking about your overall package – it is often better to avoid trying to match label colors exactly to jacket colors, due to the variables associated with record labels.

Another consideration is circular borders, or “rings” around the edge of a label design.  Record labels are diecut in a hydraulic press – hundreds of sheets at a time.  The paper does compress and move under these pressures, which causes labels to almost never be *perfectly* centered.  This is why you see a 1/8″ bleed and 1/8″ safety margin on our label template – the paper may move in any direction within these margins.  When you have circular borders or “rings” around the edge of your label art, it will draw the eye toward the un-centeredness of the label on a spinning record than it otherwise would if these design elements were not in the artwork.  (This is not to say NOT do do these sorts of designs – they have been common on labels for decades – but do keep this in mind before committing to a specific design).

Finally, we strongly recommend that you read our art guide before starting your design work.