Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/83237
P A CKA GING time to a massive space in the port of Richmond, Calif. The 40,0000-square-foot plant is a stylishly refurbished factory where Fords were manufactured prior to World War II, when it switched to making tanks for the war effort. Monvera turns out about 500,000 cases of wine bottles per year (about 80% of its business) in runs from 100 to 40,000 cases. A typical winery client orders some 2,000 cases per year, according to Caitriona Anderson, vice president of sales and marketing. Most of the balance of printed bottles is for allied products such as olive oil and vinegar. Like Mike Bergin, Anderson emphasized the relative economy of screen printing vs. paper labels, as well as the versatility of the medium. "A lot of people think screen printing is very expensive, but this is because the look of the screen printing conveys such a high-end image," she said. "Customers can expect to pay somewhere between 40 cents to $1 for the printing. We feel the pricing is competitive when compared to paper for smaller size runs," she said. Monvera does not charge extra for full-wrap labels, eliminating the need for hard-to-place multiple or oversized paper labels. Take advantage of the medium Just as elaborate designs, embossing and special label stocks can add to the cost of paper labels, design elements and inks affect the price of screen-printed bottles. Flashy, precious metal inks come at a price. "Most customers only print one to three colors, because that's all you need to create a great screen-printed label," Anderson said. "You can use less colors than on paper labels. In screen printing, the bottle surface is the background, and the art floats on the bottle. Even just one color can look very special with the right art. If you have a good design you don't need a lot of colors," she explained Mike Bergin pointed out, however, that screen printing is not the same as four-color offset or digital label printing. "It's spot color," he said. So although you can choose simply to replicate your paper label, it may be beneficial to take full advantage of the medium by designing a specialized package. Both Bergin and Monvera have in-house design departments versed in the medium's capabilities. "Some customers already have art designed especially for screen printing. In these cases, it is sometimes the graphic design- er that initiates contact," Anderson said. "We weigh in on any adjustments that we think need to be made to the art in order to achieve the best result when screen printing." Wineries that want to refresh their image without a complete rebranding can, of course, provide existing label art, which can be modified to accommodate screen printing. "Various design techniques that we can use make the art more visually compel- ling," Anderson said. "The label is different but still retains the elements of the existing branding. We love to do this." As with any wine packaging, it's essential to have your Certificate(s) of Label Approval (COLA) from the TTB prior to beginning the printing process; since screen printing is perma- nent, be sure to allow sufficient lead time. Obviously, bottles must promptly be delivered to the printer, who will replace them in the case shippers prior to winery pickup. Summer is the busiest season for the screen printers and winter the slowest; average lead time with final art and COLA approval is "typically two to three weeks," Anderson said. Watching a commercial screen-printing operation is not unlike seeing a busy bottler at work: It's highly automated with skilled workers operating complex, precise machinery to apply the ink. The printed bottles are then conveyed to massive, computer-con- WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 39