Part two of a two-part article exploring how packaging and production teams can stay agile during the holiday season through strategic planning and practical insights into the immediate and long-term benefits of in-house label and packaging printing.
Operational Advantages that Go Beyond Speed
In Part 1, we explored how consumer behavior, holiday timing, and production pressures have repositioned seasonal labels and packaging as a competitive advantage. Bringing label and packaging printing in-house offers measurable business benefits for many manufacturers. What does a successful transition look like?
While speed and flexibility are the most visible benefits of in-house printing, even deeper values lie in control and continuity.
With the right systems in place, teams can launch seasonal SKUs without third-party delays, run multiple versions for regional or promotional targeting, and respond rapidly to changes in ingredients, regulations, or customer specifications.
This flexibility can help prevent missed windows during the critical holiday period and reduce the risk of obsolete inventory due to forecast shifts or delayed approvals. For many teams, it’s not just about moving faster—it’s about making more accurate decisions with greater confidence.
Assessing Readiness for In-House Printing
No two operations are alike. Before investing in in-house label or direct-to-package printing equipment, teams must assess where their current workflows fall short.
Some key questions to consider:
- Lead times: Can existing suppliers keep pace with increasingly early and compressed seasonal timelines?
- Label change frequency: Are seasonal updates weekly or highly tailored by product or market? If so, outsourcing likely creates costly bottlenecks.
- Waste and obsolescence: Do minimum order requirements result in stockpiles of unused seasonal materials, some of which may never be used again?
- SKU complexity: Are new variants introduced throughout Q4 that strain existing outsourcing workflows?
Companies managing high SKU volume, customization, or regulatory turnover are particularly well-positioned to benefit from internalizing print operations, especially those with multi-shift production or region-specific labeling needs.
Cost, Scale, and Resources
In-house printing can reduce costs by minimizing overproduction, avoiding rush fees, and improving response time. Any investments in new equipment and materials are ultimately realized through long-term operational and financial returns.
Larger manufacturers often recover costs quickly across thousands of units. For smaller operations or startups, entry-level desktop systems enable prototyping and iteration without significant capital outlay.
Success also depends on ownership. Teams that fully integrate printing into their workflow, from software compatibility to operator training, achieve the best results. Durable, compliant label materials and tested output processes are equally critical.
Thinking Beyond the Holidays
While the holiday season may be the initial driver to embrace the advantages of in-house label printing, the benefits extend year-round. Once in place, systems that enable in-house label printing support the following:
- Limited-time promotions
- Personalized packaging
- Multilingual or regional variants
- Private-label and customer-specific branding
What begins as a seasonal necessity can quickly become a permanent capability for packaging agility.
A Smart Investment for Production Agility
During the year’s final stretch, when every day between production and peak demand counts, in-house control over labels and packaging can be the difference between making the sale or missing the opportunity. The ability to print on demand, customize, and adapt adds flexibility when needed most.
For production and packaging leaders looking to streamline operations and expand creative potential, in-house label printing is a smart strategy to implement now, for both immediate impact and long-term value.
