CREATIVE PRINT

Printing homemade labels

From jam jars to gift tags, handmade labels created with your Canon printer can help you to organise your life, home and hobbies.
Printed homemade labels on a green cutting board next to a pair of scissors and a Canon SELPHY Square QX10 portable printer.

Whether it's to organise wardrobes, food cupboards or crafting supplies, or to make stylish table settings, branded business stickers or homemade gift tags, handmade labels are not only incredibly useful, but a way to express your creativity too.

We asked two crafters and online creators how they make organisation stylish and beautiful through labelling. Caroline Prudhon runs crafting blog Linea's Papers (@lineaspapers), while Laetitia Lazerges (@Vert_Cerise) is a DIY blogger, professional crafter and author of 19 books on crafting and DIY.

"I'm a big fan of organising everything, from paperwork to the pantry, because it makes my life easier and saves me time," says Laetitia, who started her craft blog back in 2007. "Labelling is the best way to combine organisation and creativity."

Where to get sticking and how it can help organise your life

A bottle of detergent and a jar of bicarbonate of soda, both with handmade labels, on a marble worktop next to a vase of flowers and a bowl of grated cheese.

Organisation doesn't always have to mean hiding things away. Why not try making handmade labels for jars to display on the shelves and worktops in your kitchen. "I love the home decor trend of open shelves," says Laetitia. "It's beautiful on social media and looks relaxed and unfussy." © Laetitia Lazerges

Black storage drawers in an office setting organised with colourful, homemade printed labels.

"I wanted to reorganise and label one piece of furniture with my own designs," says Caroline. "Organising can be boring, so creating colourful labels can be a great way to add joy and personality to the process." © Caroline Prudhon

The calm of decluttered spaces and organised belongings helps to lift interiors into joyous spaces, clear our minds and has a positive impact on our wellbeing. "Having an organised home is so restful for the mind," says Laetitia. "You spend less time looking for lost items and you don't need to remember where everything is."

Caroline, who has been a keen crafter since she was a child, runs a small business from her workshop in France. She decided to add labels to her office drawers to bring some character to her workspace. "I need it to be organised and functional but also pretty and inspirational," she explains. "I truly believe that a clear space brings a clear mind. Organising and cleaning the space will help you to see clearly and feel more productive. Personally, I always feel stressed or panicked by my daily tasks when my home is messy, but as soon as I put everything in its place, it's like a new day ahead."

Organising your life with homemade labels

A printed homemade label with sunflower motifs and text in a cursive font emerging from a Canon SELPHY Square QX10 portable printer.

Choose a consistent look and feel across your handmade labels for a creative yet co-ordinated look. "A cursive font [resembling handwriting] is both readable and joyful," explains Caroline. © Caroline Prudhon

A red-haired woman sticking a homemade label onto the drawer of black storage cabinet.

"The fun part is the sticking, when you can see everything falling into place as you planned," says Caroline. © Caroline Prudhon

Caroline likes to work out the basics of what she's trying to organise first before making her homemade labels. "Organisation can be overwhelming to start with," she explains. "So figure out what's important, what needs to be at hand and what can be stored together. That way, you'll know exactly which labels you will need and how many, and you can enjoy the process of making them without stressing about the where and what.

"You'll also need a durable label that can withstand sun, water and time," she continues. "Something that you're not afraid to touch with dirty hands and don't have to replace often."

Laetitia agrees that there are questions you need to ask yourself before getting started on the design. "What type of labels do you need? What will be the perfect size? The size, shape and type of container will determine your label design," she says.

How to design your handmade labels and stickers

A red-haired woman using the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app on her phone. A Canon SELPHY Square QX10 printer is on the desk in front of her.

Caroline created her labels using the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app which works great with her SELPHY Square QX10. "The customisation options are perfect for designing beautiful labels," she says. "It's very easy and satisfying." © Caroline Prudhon

A printed homemade label, with the phrase "You got this", stuck onto an office machine.

Caroline says: "I loved the layout options – you can do smaller labels without wasting paper. I made some unique labels in the app and put inspirational quotes everywhere." © Caroline Prudhon

"Generally, we need a few labels, so we don't want to spend too much time making each one," says Caroline.

You can create your own handmade label designs or search for ready-made templates to download and print on the Canon Creative Park app, which offers free papercraft resources for Canon printers. The app is full of customisable papercraft projects you can personalise with text and your own images, such as message stickers or Japanese style designs – search for 'Stickers' to see some of the options available.

Laetitia says it's fun to experiment with contrast and different font sizes and weights to literally put your own stamp on your items. "Make sure key information is included without cluttering the label with too much text," she says. "Don't be afraid of white space. Play with contrast. Use different fonts – two or three maximum – of different sizes or thickness to grab attention. Have fun and inject some creativity into your design with colours, doodles and graphics."

How to print your homemade labels

A sheet of homemade labels emerging from a printer, next to some scissors and cut-out labels, and the lid of a cosmetics container with a printed label.

The Canon PIXMA TS7440 printer is an ideal wireless home printer for artistic projects that allows you to print on all kinds of creative media. © Laetitia Lazerges

A pack of printer paper on a worktop alongside a sheet of printed homemade labels and several small cosmetics containers with printed labels.

"I like to use the photo paper," says Laetitia. "The glossy finish is gorgeous and looks professional." © Laetitia Lazerges

With your labels created, the fun part is bringing them to life in print. Laetitia used the Canon PIXMA TS7440, printing the labels straight from her phone with the Canon PRINT app, which works with most Wi-Fi printers. "I like being able to print wirelessly and the quality is great for showing off vivid colours," she says.

The Canon PIXMA TS7440 is compatible with a range of different creative media and Laetitia used Canon Red Label Superior printer paper and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II for her gift tags and cosmetics labels, ideal for objects such as jars.

Caroline used the portable Canon SELPHY Square QX10 printer for her label project, which produces rich, detailed prints in square format with sticky back. "I used the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 and printed four labels to a sheet of paper," she explains. "It was perfect – the colours are vibrant and rich, the ink dries instantly and it was easy to cut out."

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 is another great Wi-Fi printer for making mini stickers for your home. Fast and portable, it's ideal for printing a huge range of media, from lab-quality prints to homemade stickers, and is also compatible with the SELPHY Photo Layout app.

You could also create homemade labels with the Canon Zoemini S2, a pocket-sized 2-in-1 photo printer, or the Canon Zoemini instant printer. Both are compatible with Canon ZINK 1.3" Pre-Cut Circle Sticker Paper, so you can design, print and stick in an instant. Use Canon Mini Print app to add personal flare to your labels printed on Canon Zoemini.

Creating handmade labels for gifts and wrapping

A phone displaying the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app on a desk next to a Canon SELPHY Square QX10 portable printer and a handmade bracelet.

The free Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app gives you options to add filters, text and graphics, so you can customise your labels to suit your project, whether that be jars for labels or gift tags, and then print straight from your phone on Canon SELPHY Square QX10. © Caroline Prudhon

A printer sits on a desk next to a selection of printed labels and gift tags, finished with ribbon.

Homemade labels are a particularly good finish for handmade gifts. "Gift-giving is a way to show your family, friends and relatives that you care," says Laetitia. "Take the time to wrap it beautifully – it's often the finishing touches that first draw your eyes." © Laetitia Lazerges

Putting time and care into gift wrapping is a sure-fire way to light up a friend's face when handing them a present. Why not add a handmade label too? Creative Park has some great options if you're looking for ideas, including gift tags and wrapping accessories.

"Wrapping is one of my favourite parts of gifting," says Caroline. "To make the unwrapping a part of the gift, I love to put some decorative details on the package, like a pretty cord and name tag. You can make the tag with a label and customise it with a picture or a fun clue about the gift," she adds.


Written by Lorna Dockerill

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