Transition Guide: What to Look for When Switching Pressure Sensitive Label Suppliers

Switching label suppliers is never a decision you’d make lightly. Taking such a big supply chain step usually means something isn’t working, such as slipping quality, poor communication, or jammed-up lines. You may also be taking a closer look at vendor relationships as part of a broader focus on reducing costs and improving value.

Whatever the trigger, switching feels risky. After all, your labels touch every SKU, every order, and every customer’s first impression of your product.
Brands often weigh the risk of switching against the comfort of staying put. But if your current supplier is causing downtime, inconsistent quality, or unreliable communication, staying put may feel safe, but familiarity doesn’t guarantee reliability.

When reviewing Pressure Sensitive Label suppliers appears inevitable there are four key questions you need to ask:

1. What’s your total cost of ownership, not just your unit price?
2. How do you ensure color consistency?
3. Who do connect with when something goes wrong?
4. Will you be able to support us long-term?

The suppliers’ answers to each question will clarify your next steps.

Question 1: What’s Your Total Cost of Ownership?

Unit price is the easiest number to compare, but it’s also incomplete. The real cost of a label shows up on your line, not on a quote.

Think about the downtime waiting on a jam, the scrap pulled off a run, or the reprint ordered because a color drifted or a die didn’t track. None of that shows up in a per-unit price comparison, but it all shows up on a P&L.

Line speed is one of the clearest, most measurable ways to see this play out. In some applications, customers have reported line speed improvements averaging 15 additional units per minute after switching to Inland labels, along with fewer stoppages, less scrap, and fewer reruns.

The support behind the label matters, too. Inland provides field technical service at no additional cost, working directly with customers to address press performance and runability challenges and helping identify issues that could lead to downtime, waste, or lost productivity.

Do the math. Inland can help you identify the right inputs and quantify the potential impact of switching.

Question 2: How Do You Ensure Color Consistency?

Speed without consistency doesn’t solve your problem. Color consistency is one of the most critical pieces of your label supplier relationship.

We support rigorous color management standards across our facility network, helping maintain consistent color from one order to the next. That consistency helps protect your brand while reducing the risk of color drift, rework, and costly reprints.

This matters even more as your SKU count grows. Every new product, reformulation, and label revision is another chance for color to drift if your supplier can’t certify color consistency or fully support you behind-the-scenes. Ask suppliers about color management and how they fix it if something starts to drift off course.

Question 3: Who Do I Call When Something Changes?

Every supplier promises good communication, but do they actually practice it when it’s inconvenient? In other words, do they still answer the phone when the news is bad?

When there’s a delay, quality issue, or a corrupt file, your supplier should regularly communicate with full transparency. As you evaluate your options, find out how the team responds during challenging communications. You deserve a real process, not just a vague promise of “we’re very responsive” or “we have customer service.”

Question 4: Will You Be Able to Support Us Long-Term?

The least stable partner on your supply chain dictates the stability of the entire thing. If your label-printing partner experiences financial distress or ownership churn, that instability becomes your problem, often with little warning.

Ask about the depth of technical expertise behind the account, as well as the supplier’s track record of building lasting customer relationships. How experienced is the team in solving complex label challenges and supporting customers as their needs evolve? Ask for examples of customers they’ve worked with for many years. Long-standing relationships can be a strong indicator of consistent service, reliability, and the ability to grow alongside a customer over time.

Longevity is also important. A company with decades of operating history and multiple generations of ownership has already proven it can weather change without disappearing.

Look for Proof, Not Promises

Every supplier will tell you they’re responsive, reliable, and easy to work with. But that’s just marketing. True proof requires real numbers, named certifications, and outcomes you can verify.

When a private label food manufacturer needed a responsive, transparent label partner, they found our team. Over the past decade, that relationship has grown to the point where Inland now serves as the sole supplier of the customer’s Cut & Stack, Shrink Sleeve, and Pressure Sensitive labels. Label volume increased 123% in 2024 and another 30% in 2025, ultimately leading to a three-year supply agreement signed in December 2025.

Now that’s real proof: a decade-long relationship that has grown in both volume and trust.

Curious how we’d answer these four questions? Request a sample or schedule a consultation to find out.