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Top 10 Packaging Design Innovations that Could Change 2019

Top 10 Packaging Design Innovations that Could Change 2019 There are so many different types of packaging designs, but what is a packaging innovation? Over the years there have been significant updates and breakthroughs in the packaging world to make package designs more desirable for customers and more environmentally friendly. The updates aren’t stopping now, are there are plenty of new packaging design ideas that have either just hit the market or are planning a market release in the future. Either way, these packaging innovations could change how we shop and consumer products, all [...]

How to Make a Barcode Inventory System for a Small Business

How to Make a Barcode Inventory System for a Small Business At Smith Corona, we have built our business around the barcode.  Without it, the label industry wouldn't have the experienced the growth that it has over the past 20 years.  It's easy to forget that some businesses are just starting to barcode and label.  This guide is for those customers who are just beginning to use barcodes and need a good foundation. Inventory management is an essential aspect for many businesses - big or small. While it is possible to track inventory by [...]

New Changes to California’s Proposition 65 Warning Labels

New Changes to California's Proposition 65 Warning Labels What is Proposition 65? Proposition 65 is another name for the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. It is a California law that aims to protect drinking water sources from any toxic substances that can cause harm. Proposition 65 tries to reduce or eliminate exposures to chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive problems by requiring warning labels. Any substances that are known to have a 1 in 100,000 chance of causing cancer over a 70-year period or substances [...]

Your Company and FSMA Compliance

FSMA Compliance The Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, was signed into law by former president Barack Obama in January 2011. The FSMA gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate how food is grown, harvested, processed, and transported. With the cold supply chain rising and showing no signs of slowing down, the FSMA is needed now more than ever. Why is the FSMA needed? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48 million people get sick due to a foodborne illness every year. To make matters worse, [...]

Benefits of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) and Why Your Business Should Participate

Benefits of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) Produce Traceability Initiative, or PTI, is a voluntary program designed to help companies in the produce industries maximize their tracking and tracing strategies.  They aim towards a standardized industry approach to how fresh produce products are labeled and tracked. PTI is an industry-led initiative that is aiming to get its participants to use case level tracking, electronic record keeping and using Global Trade Item (GSI) system standards for product information.    Here are some of the many benefits the Produce Traceability Initiative offers: Gives confidence [...]

Price Increases in the Labeling Industry

Price Increases in the Labeling Industry For the first time in over twenty years, the labeling industry is seeing multiple price increases. Almost everything that is used to create a label is seeing price increases, from paper to silicone to the freight. Everyone is facing the same problem, and no one is used to these price increases, but here at Smith Corona, we are still doing everything we can to get you high-quality labels. With new announcements from Avery, Raflatac, Green Bay, Mactac, and others, thermal labels prices will increase once again by 3-6% in [...]