[Mrs Bee]

I have designed my own labels and used the Avery labels for a couple of years. 

I have started making and selling my preserves at various venues in my area.

i found using the avery labels worked but it could be a pain and an expensive way of doing things.
You have to buy the labels and the printer ink.
I have just invested in a brother designated label printer.  Yes it is a tad expensive, but if you do lots of preserving it is a good investment and it is a doddle to use, So much easier to print exactly the number of labels you want rather than having to stick to the avery sheet of labels and waste some of the labels.

the roll of labels work out much cheaper too as you  don't have to buy printer ink. Not sure exactly how it works but the labels come with the ink in them and the printing activates it. And the lettering is waterproof. Could have done with that last summer at a summer fair in which the heavens opened!!! A real pain having to relabel a load of jars.

Still a sell out tho' despite the weather conditions

[Maryann]

I'm now using the Avery DesignPro 5 software which is free to download and haven't wasted a single label since.
I use the 7 x 3 (21 labels per sheet) Avery type labels but purchased on E-Bay and very cheap. Obviously they are not genuine Avery labels but they work fine.

With the DesignPro 5 software you have a Master label on which you can create your theme and insert logo's or Text boxes and this will appear on 'every' label (but still add other info on each label. For example - you could use your name or picure of a cottage like 'Freds Preserves' or similar and then if you make 10 jars strawberry jam and 10 jars raspberry jam you can change the other labels by adding info on the label.
OR you can ignore the Master label and just create a different label on each tab. Its really quite easy to follow so don't be put off by my poor description.
In the print preview it give you options of where to start your labels on the page so you just click on the next empty box (to correspond with your page of labels) and away you go. I use this method for all my Christmas cards and haven't wasted a single label since.

[devonbarmygardener]

I'm not having much luck with the labels - I tried printing off the ones on 'All My Labels' but nothing came out - just empty boxes with the little red cross in the box.

I had this happen to me too.
Had designed some lovely labels for my 'Citrus Dandelade' too

However, have just discovered this wonderful stickyback plastic from Scrapbook Adhesives - 3M i think off the top of my head and it sticks to plain paper, then you roll it through this new gadget i've got and hey presto, peel off the backing paper and you have your own stickers!

Thats it now - never looking back from this again!

Emma

[Raven50]

I got fed up with paying through the nose for a dozen ready-printed labels, so here's what I do...

First, I buy a bumper pack of plain white self-adhesive paper labels from the Pound Shop or a stationers if they are on offer. You generally get 100 in a pack, and they come in several sizes, and - you've guessed it - cost a pound from Poundland 

I then get some waterproof coloured pencils or pens and put a leaf or fruit in one corner, and perhaps a border if I'm feeling inspired and if the jars are destined to go to friends and relatives. Get creative!

If they are just for home use, I write the labels out as I need them.

My point is, it's worth it if you want to fancy your jars up for presents, but if you just want to know the contents, a plain label at a penny each will do, rather than a printed one at 5p....

[Kleftiwallah]

Got sick of printing out rectangles with little red crosses in a corner so I went looking and found this site

http://www.jamlabelizer.com/

Go on give it a try, the more using it will help each other with ideas.

Cheers,   Tony.

[grendel]

we used a dymo machine. (with  nice metallic tape)
Grendel

[Maryann]

Got sick of printing out rectangles with little red crosses in a corner so I went looking and found this site

http://www.jamlabelizer.com/

Go on give it a try, the more using it will help each other with ideas.

Cheers,   Tony.

Tony - I love the labels but what do you use to print them out on 
At the moment I design my labels using Avery software and Avery labels which I buy in self adhesive A4 sheets (21 labels to a sheet) and they look quite good. However, the ink does run a bit when you put jams etc in a fridge as the condensation makes them damp.
I am now considering using tie on lables - like plain brown luggage labels tied around the jam jar with raffia or string for a more artisan look. I have bough small hexagonal jars to complete the look.
I don't bother for our own use but have recently started selling jams, jelly, and chutney to raise money for a small dog charity and a lot of the people I sell to are buying the products for gifts so I would like to make the presentation better - adds to the cost but they do sell very well. My only problem with this is how to write on the labels in a nice style - I have good italic handwriting but am considering using these Avery labels (C32300-10) which can be printed off as it would look nicer.

[davejg]

IF you have access to a colour laser printer (have a look at work) there is someone on ebay selling white polyester labels in the avery sizes 10 sheets of a4. I had the 21's and the 14's
to print and put on plastic plant pots they have survived outside all winter some pots have even floated label still stuck on and no damage to print.

[Maryann]

I've moved on to printing on Avery round labels and it's such a bonus as I can stick these to the jam jar lids and see immediately which jam I am looking for.
I store my preserves in large cardboard boxes in the garage or pantry and when I get an order it couldn't be easier to find the ones I want now as I'm looking down at the contents 

Prior to this it was a case of lifting out each jar to read the label or shuffling them around on shelves to locate the ones I wanted.  I do pack them in Alphabetical order as well which helps but as I make quite a few different types i.e. Strawberry, Strawberry & Raspberry, Strawberry & Rhubarb etc it can get complicated but now with the round labels on the lids it's perfect.

To make the jams nice as Christmas gifts I bought some white paper doillies and used them as covers tied around with ribbon or raffia and stuck another round label on the top of that - looked really pretty.
I try to keep costs of labels down but my first purchase of cheaper round labels was a bit of a disaster as they didn't match the Avery template - however I was able to use them with Word and although a bit plain & simple it did the job using a nice Edwardian Script Font. I now have the authentic Avery labels (they have only just started to produce plain white 60mm size) and I'm hoping to design something better. The round labels also fit odd shape jars better if you have any of those - I find the rectangle ones wrinkle up and wont wrap around the jar due to shape.