We've added a new feature in ReciPal that makes it easier to understand what size label you're downloading. Now, the dimensions of your label export are displayed in inches. In this blog we'll breakdown how this update can simplify sizing your labels.

If you prefer to learn by watching, here's a quick video that shows how to leverage the added dimension information:

How it works

From the label page, you can now see the dimensions of your label in inches beneath the width slider which allows you to adjust the layout of your label. While the width slider shows the pixel length of the element that you're adjusting, the dimensions show the full measurements of the label your exporting. Keep in mind, the dimensions are based on some assumptions about the DPI settings and other factors that could affect the exact values. That said, it should give you accurate information about the sizing of your label that can help decide what size labels you need to order or how you need to adjust your layout to fit your constraints.

Ratios Matter Most

Since ReciPal provides vector files (as PDFs), your labels can be scaled up or down without losing quality. So as long as you understand the ratio of your label, you can easily scale to a size that works for printing. For instance, a label that is 3 x 6 can also work as 2 x 4 because the ratios remain the same. To figure out the ratio, just divide the width by the height. 3 / 6 = 2 (ie a ratio of 1:2). Since 2 divided by 4 also equals 2, these two dimensions share the same ratio (1:2). Let's say you need the width of your label to be 4". Going with the same example, we could use the 1:2 ratio and calculate that the height needs to be 8" (4 x 2). If you needed to to scale your label down to 1/2" width the dimensions would need to be 1/2 x 1" (since 1/2 * 2 = 1).

Of course, there is a limit to how small you can go. According to FDA regulations, the smallest acceptable font size for a nutrition label is 1/16 inch in height, measured based on the lowercase letter "o". That's pretty small. You can always measure this to be sure, but the end goal is legibility, so generally speaking if you can easily read it, that means you've probably met the threshold (or just have world class eyesight).

Printing Labels

For printing labels, we partner with Avery and ReciPal users get 20% off their first order. Avery has durable, waterproof film labels that are resistant to moisture and great for food products. In any shape or size, you can order as few as two label sheets or thousands of roll labels with no setup cost.

The size of your label will be somewhat dependent on your product. That said, playing around with sizing can help optimize the process. For example, if you're ordering sheet labels, only three 3 x 6 labels will fit on one sheet, whereas eight 2 x 4 will fit on the same sheet. So this adjustment in label size would cut your costs in half.

Order Your Labels Now

How it all measures up

At ReciPal we're always looking to add features that make users' lives easier. We had gotten a number of questions about how to choose the right label size and we realized we could make that process a lot easier by just displaying the label dimensions. This feature paired with the ability to adjust the width lets you easily configure labels to the sizes you need. If there are other ways that we can simplify sizing just let us know!