8mm Forum: How do you label your film cans/containers?

This is topic How do you label your film cans/containers? in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by David C. Lucidi (Member # 4020) on December 01, 2014, 08:44 PM:

Hey all,

(Posted this on the other forum too, just a heads up).

After seeing a recent cartoon I bought, come in a can with one of those "label maker" labels on the can itself, I realized it was time to update my own lousy method (which consisted of using leader tape with magic marker). It doesn't help that my handwriting isn't the neatest.

Since my company owns commercial printing equipment, I decided to give it a shot. Made some labels at work, and applied them to about 1/5 of my cartoon cans. Nothing fancy (for now), just title, year, filmstock, condition (if applicable), and who stars in it. You can't really tell in the picture (due to size limits on this forum), but some of the cartoons are two different film stocks, so I have it listed as such (including the percentage of each). If I want I can get fancier later, as I can literally use any font, any color scheme, and even put logos on it (but 400' cans limit what can be done legibly).

I am toying with doing the actual theatrical full color logos on my full length features, since I will have much more "label room" on the PlioMagic and Fiber cases.

Thoughts? Examples of how you do yours? Feedback and other examples being posted are appreciated!

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on December 31, 2014, 06:30 AM:

Good job, David. I own a label printer and essentially I do the same with my films (super 8, 16 and 35).

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on December 31, 2014, 07:07 AM:

I bought a label printer a dew days ago. I decided to put the title of the film and the gauge (as I have several) and the indication sound or silent. However some cans are too thin for the 12 mm labels so I put them on the top of it (instead of the side) for the moment, waiting to find maybe later another label printer for those cans. It is anyway an improvment as I put before the title of the film on a paper Inside the can. It may look not pratctical but most of the films have already the title printed or added by a previous owner. The only not labelled films I have are the Super 8 features I respooled on large spools and the 9,5 films I put also on larger spools. It was not a problem before but with the growing number of large 9,5 spools I acquired these last months, it is necessary now to be less messy.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on December 31, 2014, 08:30 AM:

Dominique, surely it is easier nowadays to just use a PC and an everyday printer with say Microsoft Publisher?

That way you can print whatever sized labels you want in any size, colour and font.

I use this software all the time for my box art as I find cans really drab and boring to look at. I keep my cans in the loft and use cardboard boxes in feature bind where necessary all fully decorated as close as possible to the original artwork.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on December 31, 2014, 08:46 AM:

Andrew, do you use special label paper or normal paper that you tape ? I admire those who do artwork on their cans and boxes.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on December 31, 2014, 09:15 AM:

I just use photographic paper, then laminate it. For labels only, I wouldn't even go to the expense of photo quality paper. Just a decent intermediate would do fine.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on December 31, 2014, 09:53 AM:

Andrew
I hope your loft is not freezing cold in winter and steaming hot in summer.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on December 31, 2014, 10:02 AM:

Sure is Maurice but it's ok for the storage of empty plastic cans and empty projector boxes and dozens of empty AV kit boxes, which is all I keep up there besides the soon to arrive Christmas Tree & Decs.

All films and machines adorn every orifice of our house at living quarters level, much to the complete disgust of my beautiful wife!

We really could do with a house each lol! [Big Grin]

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