Printing On Coffee Bags – Requirements & Technologies

Coffee is big business. With around two billion cups of coffee being slurped by the world’s billion coffee drinkers, this age-old beverage is constantly being innovated and reinvented. Indeed, it’s speculated that over 166.63 million 60 kg bags of coffee are roasted and brewed across the world.

Like all forms of food items, coffee bags must conform to strict traceability guidelines. Such guidelines ensure consumer safety and ensure an accurate inventory is kept through coffee bag labels. Companies must ensure coffee bag labels detail date codes, batch codes, origin location, and more.

Failing to print legible, accurate codes on coffee bags can incur the risk of fines, lost inventory, and difficult relations with distribution partners. Printing coffee bag labels isn’t complex – with modern printing technologies, printing it has never been simpler.

WHAT IS A COFFEE BAG LABEL?

While containing coffee, coffee bags filled with beans aren’t required to follow the same labeling laws. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lays out the standards: classifying coffee bags as “food & beverage” with coffee bags being treated differently. Labeling like nutritional fact tables and ingredient lists aren’t necessary for bags of ground coffee and beans, so long as no additives or additional ingredients beyond the beans or ground were contained within the product.

Nevertheless, as the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) explains, some labeling standards are required. According to the FPLA, all consumer goods, including coffee bags, must list the following:

1. A statement identifying the commodity – coffee beans or grounds.
2. The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor.
3. The net quantity of contents – in metric units.

For coffee companies, complying with these standards is not complicated, simply by displaying the information on the bags themselves.?

Traceability information is needed in other circumstances, such as shipping to distribution partners. Most commonly, this includes:

• Barcodes
• Expiration dates
• Lot codes

Barcodes are standard across all product packing, whereas lot codes and expiration dates change on a batch-by-batch basis – necessitating modern printing technologies.

PRINTING ON COFFEE BAGS: WHAT TO DO?

When printing coffee bag labels, there are three primary hardware options:

1. Thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers
2. Continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers
3. Laser coders

A smaller roaster could mark coffee bags in small batches by hand for expiration dates, barcodes and QR codes, for instance. However, as the demand scales, automated marking hardware is necessitated. In large assembly lines, automated technologies, like pouch-filling machines and vertical form fill seal (VSSF) packing machines, are already used to pack coffee bags. Meanwhile, machines can mark the coffee bags with variable data and rapidly apply coffee bag labels with print and apply systems to ensure operational efficiency.?

When choosing between CIJ printers, TIJ printers, and laser coders, coffee companies look for fast marking speeds, compatibility with their chosen coffee bag materials, and 24/7 marking capabilities. While CIJ printers and laser coders can handle the industrial number of coffee bag labels, they differ in upkeep needs and associated costs. On the other hand, CIJ printers are designed for high volume, high-speed continuous production lines. As such, they’re usually more expensive than TIJ printers and require considerably more maintenance. CIJ printers do tend to be a lower upfront capital cost compared to laser coders.

Coffee companies should balance other factors:

• CIJ inkjet printers cost more initially and incur greater ongoing expenses, like maintenance needs and consumables.
• Most TIJ requires zero-to-minimal maintenance, whereas CIJ requires constant upkeep due to clogging and leaking.
• CIJ inkjet printers require ink and make-up fluids, with additional cleaning needed to keep the printer functional. In contrast, TIJ printers are cartridge-based and often come with a new printhead with each cartridge.?
• CIJ printers are low resolution while TIJ printers are high resolution – performing better for barcodes, logos, and graphics in addition to alphanumeric codes.?
• Laser coders do not need any consumables, as the laser removes material to produce the code, e.g., the coloring on a cereal box when printing the expiration date. However, the upfront costs are typically much more expensive.

Coffee companies should also consider the materials their coffee bags are made from: Kraft paper, folding cartons, lightweight plastic, foil, etc. The selected material can significantly impact (as seen above) deciding which type of printing method and ink to use.?

BEYOND COFFEE BAG LABELS

Most coffee companies do not solely sell beans or ground. Other perishable products and food items also require labeling according to the federal- and state-level requirements. Common marking and coding requirements can include:

• 1D & 2D Barcodes
• 128 Barcodes
• Additives
• Allergens
• Alphanumeric Text
• Batch Codes
• Best Before Dates
• Best By Dates
• Expiration Dates
• Expiry Dates
• Fact Panel & Warnings
• Freeze By Dates
• Graphics
• GS1-128 Barcodes
• Ingredients
• Live Dates & Times
• Lot Codes
• Manufacture Dates
• Net Weight & Quantity
• Nutritional Facts
• Sell-By Dates
• Serving Size
• Servings Per Container
• Shift Codes
• Track & Trace Information
• UPC-A Barcodes
• Use By Dates

Across the beverage industry, it’s not solely coffee bag labels that are necessary. Almost all beverages need a reliable form of automated marking. Think milk, liquor, coconut water, CBD-infused beverages, protein shakes, and much more.

With beverage containers made from materials like plastic, glass, metal, or cardboard, manufacturers need versatile, cost-effective, and efficient marking solutions for everything from craft beverages to large-scale consumer goods. And that does not disrupt or ruin a company’s beautiful packing and branding.

Across the beverage industry, inkjet printing is the go-to option to provide high-resolution graphics, alphanumerics, and barcodes for all surfaces and shapes – from plastic drink bottles to plastic coffee bag labels.

USE A HANDHELD OR INLINE INKJET FOR PRINTING ON COFFEE BAGS

Coffee bag labeling requirements are understandably strict. But, with the right inkjet printer – be it handheld or inline – such standards are simple to comply with.?

Before you commit to a printer, please speak to our team of marking experts. As a third-generation legacy company, we’ve got decades of experience. Contact us today to find out which marking solution best suits your needs.?

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