Printing Custom Canning Labels
Learn how to make hand-printed custom canning labels using block printing techniques. In a few simple steps, you can hand print your custom design to create unique canned gifts perfect for all occasions!
Take your handmade gifts to the next level by printing custom canning labels!
At the end of summer, I start thinking about cozy winter days and holiday gifts. I love to harvest summer produce for winter giving. Planning ahead giving allows me time to hand print the labels that add that special personalization that makes a gift special. You can carve a block to print a custom canning label using easy printmaking techniques.
We live in an old neighborhood in the city, which means we have neighbors with old fruit trees. With that comes abundance! Lots of produce can also be a hardship if you don’t need it all – what do you do with it? You share it! I asked some neighbors of ours if they had extra Italian plums to share, and they did – gallons of them! So I made some delicious jam with the plums!
I am on a personal journey to live lightly and locally. I like to plan ahead and have holiday gifts for my friends and family that are budget-friendly and also something people will enjoy. It is important that our holiday traditions don’t add to an onslaught of consumerism and waste. Hand-printed lid labels make your jam an adorable, eco-friendly gift.
Block printing supplies you need to make hand-printed custom canning labels.
Paper, card stock, or chipboard (Use what you have; try reusing a cereal box)
Drawing Paper and Pencil
A Stencil (or an extra jar lid works well!)
Scissors
Print block – I use Speedball Easy Carve
Block carving tools – I recommend a Speedball linoleum cutter tool or a micro palm set from Flexcut Tools.
Speedball Block Printing Baren is a tried and true tool in my studio.
Block Printing Ink – I prefer something quick-drying for this. Specifically VersaFine in Onyx Black.
Ribbon, Raffia, or Twine to wrap around your jar for gifting. (optional)
DIY Steps: How to make block-printed custom canning labels at home.
1. Get your paper ready:
Use your stencil to trace the size you want your label on a piece of paper, cardstock, or chipboard. You will want to cut extra labels; not every print will turn out perfectly. You will have misprints—that is part of the process.
Pro tip: Make this design something you can use over and over again by making your design reusable year after year. If I make this again, I would have it say “plum jam” instead of “plum ’23” because it would be a block you could use forever!
2. Draw out your design:
Start by drawing your basic fruit shapes and then add in some details. Make sure your jam has the date on it; this can be incorporated into the design or written with a permanent marker underneath the paper on the canning lid. Remember you only want your design to go inside the ring – be sure to trace INSIDE the lid’s ring for your template.
3. Transfer your drawing:
Use a 2H pencil to trace your drawing on your paper. Turn your paper over onto your easy carve and rub with your hands or the back of a spoon. Carefully lift your paper and check to see if you have transferred enough of your image.
When you transfer your words, they will be backward – this is okay! They will print the correct way. You can draw directly onto the easy carve with your pencil to darken up any areas you want to see more clearly.
4. Carve your block:
Using your carving tools, remove any part of the easy carve material you do not want to print on your custom canning labels. Remember to always carve away from yourself for safety.
5. Test Print & Edit:
When you are block printing on paper, it is a good idea to do a few test prints before you use your final project paper. I recommend you ink up your block and do a few test prints on scrap paper.
After reviewing how the initial print came out (it’s so exciting!), remove any small areas of your block you do not want to print.
6. Printing:
And now the fun part… the printing! Let’s hand-print your custom canning label for these sweet jars of deliciousness! I like to use my dining table as a work surface. I lay down a piece of paper to print on and then put the completed prints on a cookie sheet.
Lay out your labels to dry and print all the labels you need for this batch with Versafine ink. The drying time should be less than 30 seconds. I typically print these projects by hand, and you might like to try pressing on your block with a Speedball Baren if you are having trouble applying even pressure to your prints.
7. Gift the goods!
Take the ring off the top of your jar, place the print on the lid, and reattach the ring. The ring will hold the paper on with tension. Optional: add a ribbon or some twine, and you are ready for holiday gift-giving!
Watch the tutorial:
Tips for block printing custom canning labels:
- Keep your design simple!
- This is a great project to use up a smaller piece of cut-off easy carve from a previous printmaking project.
- Use an extra canning lid as a stencil to trace out circle labels.
- Reuse chipboard from a cereal box for a sturdy kraft-colored label. This works best for a smaller number of labels.
- Order sticker labels! If you have a lot of labels to print, order circle stickers to fit the size of your lids.
- Use quick-drying ink; my favorite is VersaFine in Onyx Black.
Give Better Gifts
Let’s reclaim the true meaning of gift giving. To share our hand work, give a share of our harvest, give a piece of our art, to share our creativity with others. That is a gift worth giving and receiving.
– Jacquelyn Speare
Block Care
Learn how to care for, clean, and maintain your printmaking blocks.
Did you know that if you take good care of your printmaking blocks, they can last for years?! Let me teach you how to care for linoleum, wood, and Speedball easy carve blocks.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Speare, M.S.Ed. is a visual artist and professional educator. The Friendly Printmaker is the place to learn about printmaking, find product reviews, and find inspiration for DIY relief print projects. Learn more about Jacquelyn here.
