Articles

Easy Labeling for Dried Mushroom Packages

I normally don’t mix my artistic bent with mushroom events, but a friend turned me on to riend turned me on to Worldlabel, a supplier of compatible Avery labels. Worldlabel offers free auto-fill PDF templates, and my gift-giving became worlds easier. So, I thought I’d share this label trick with you, as I know that some of you are real mushroom photographers/artists. For those who can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, I’ll share the tricks I use with iStock. This is one way to label those dried mushroom packages for yourself or for gifts.

1. Go to the PDF auto-fill label site and scroll down to the label samples. Choose WL-OL150, or the 4″ x 3.33″ shipping label and click on the “AutoImage /Auto Text” option. You’ll need Adobe Reader on your computer for the auto-fill PDF to open. If you don’t have this software, you can go to Adobe and download it for free.
2. The PDF file for the labels will open in the same window (as a PDF) unless you right click to open in a new tab or window. You will see a blue area where you can place an image, but if you don’t, just click on the “Highlight Fields” option in the upper right (Note that you can save this template – the information is in the purple band at top left):

3. Unless you have an image that you’d like to use (like a drawing or a photo), then head to iStock. You’ll need to create an account at iStock, but you’ll discover many high-resolution photos and vector graphics for only one dollar (you purchase ‘credits,’ and each credit is worth one dollar).
4. Since I want to label some packets filled with dried morels, I searched for “morel” photographs, and found an image that was mouth-watering. I wanted a photo that would be clear at 1″ x 1″. Fortunately, all the smallest images at iStock can reduce easily from the smallest images available for the 1″ x 1″ size.. I found the following photograph and purchased the ‘XSmall” image. If you want an image and you’re unsure if it will work for you, iStock will allow you to download a “comp” or an example, to play with until you’re sure that’s the image you want in most cases.

NOTE: Examine the iStock purchase agreement carefully before you make a purchase or use an image from their stock. If you use an image for an article, such as this one, you don’t need an extended warranty because readers can’t download the image and reuse it – the resolution is too low to produce a nice printed image (plus I’ve copyrighted this article to cover my rear on that one – so don’t think about using the label I create). And, if I use this image on small packs of dried morels that I give away, I don’t need to use the extended license, either…as long as I keep the number of reproductions under 500,000 (I don’t have that many dried morels, trust me). If you want to use an image for resale, in many cases, you can purchase an image to imprint on t-shirts, etc., but you will need to pay extra credits for that privilege.

5. Once you click on the download, the image can be saved to your hard drive or you can open it immediately in a graphic program so you can resize the image if you want. In this case, I’ll want to make sure the image is square for the 1″ x 1″ space, but it can be any size as long as it’s square. Once you upload it to the PDF, the image will be scaled. If you try to place a rectangular image in the square space, however, that image will become distorted. Unfortunately, I can’t spend the time showing you how to use a graphic program, but you can use either Photoshop or download and use the open source GIMP to resize the image and/or the canvas.

NOTE: Iif you don’t have a graphics program, don’t worry – just pick an image that is somewhat square, and very little distortion will occur when you add it to the auto-fill PDF.

6. Now, go back to the auto-fill PDF file and click on the type in the auto-fill PDF file that says, “Click here to add image or logo.” When you do this, a window will pop up that allows you to add the image you downloaded. Click on the image that you’ve saved, and it will be added to the PDF file. Once you’ve added it to the PDF file, you’ll see that the image is automatically added to all the other address labels on that page – like magic!

7. Now, I want to add some type to this label. Since images aren’t enough, I want to add that the package that I’ll apply this label to will be filled with morels. And, I’ll want to add my name and a date so the recipient can check freshness. For this job, I simply place my cursor next to the morel photograph and begin to type in the blue area…

8. You’ll notice, as you begin to type each line, that the auto-fill feature in the PDF will kick in and fill out the other label areas for you. So, you only need to fill out one label to complete the entire sheet. But, you might want to change the type. In this case, just highlight the type you want to change and press “CTRL + E” (control key and ‘e’ key). A narrow, long gray font-properties window will pop open that allows you to change the style, color, and type size (changes will affect the type throughout the entire sheet):

9. I changed the type to Verdana 18 pt bold, but I did not change the color. You also can center the type, make it flush left or right or justify the type.
10. Now I’ll add some information about how to rehydrate the mushrooms in the larger blue space below the mushroom image. I changed that type to Verdana 12 pt italic:

11. I can save the PDF file and/or print it out on a label sheet (choose Worldlabel WL-OL150 labels, compatible to Avery 5164 or 8164). Since the auto-fill PDF files have been designed to fit those label sheets, all you need to worry about is whether you have the label sheets inserted in your printer correctly (that would be label-side down in some printers, label-side up in other printers). The blue fields will not show up on your final printed piece.

Now that you know how to use the auto-fill PDF label sheets, the only thing holding you back is your imagination! You can use art and photographs and PDF files to make labels for your canning, for packages, for organizing at home and for many other uses. Save time, have fun and create a one-of-a-kind gift.