Details Lead To Better Quality Paragon Printing & Mailing, a distributorship in Mankato, Minn., sells labels to clients ranging from mom-and-pop shops to the Mayo Clinic. One reason behind the company's success is vendors that provide top-notch products and services. Connie Hanek, a sales consultant with Paragon, sold 1,500 weather-resistant labels to Schwickert's, a commercial roofing, heating and air-conditioning company. The company needed the 10 1/2 x 4-inch labels to mark heating units on roofs of buildings. The labels, printed in black, identified the heating unit number and maintenance contact information. They also prominently displayed Schwickert's name. Hanek sent a copy label along with the order to Label Works, North Mankato, Minn., a custom printer and converter of pressure sensitive labels in up to eight colors. The manufacturer's capabilities include weather-resistant, laser, tamper-evident and static-cling labels, as well as bumper stickers, security hologram foils, foil stamping and blind embossing. Label Works saw the label and had a concern: It was die cut into several labels: a 7 1/2 x 4-inch one and 15 small labels with letters and numbers. The smaller ones would be placed on heating units next to the main label to identify the units. The smaller labels varied in size, and some of the letters and numbers weren't centered. The manufacturer wanted to fix this. "At first I said, 'Just go ahead with the order,'" Hanek says. "The labels go on a roof, and the client approved the order. But Label Works was concerned they weren't centered." The manufacturer re-did the labels, creating custom dies to ensure all the smaller labels measured 1 x 1 inches. Label Works charged for the dies, but not the redesign work. Such attention to detail and quality impresses Hanek—and her customers. The project exemplifies how distributors and manufacturers should work together to select the right face stock, liner, adhesive and overall construction. They must consider the surface where the label will be applied (wood, glass, metal), the texture of the surface (cylindrical, rough, flat), the expected usage period (days, months, years), the temperature at application and the method of imprinting (ink jet, ion deposition, laser printer, handwritten).