From 7–10 Day Lead Times to Labels Printed Instantly
Epson ColorWorks gave Little B’s Bubble Tea a faster, simpler and more flexible approach to label production — enabling the team to produce professional labels internally without relying on external print schedules.
Client Overview
Little B’s Bubble Tea is a South African retail brand offering bubble tea kits and related products designed to make the bubble tea experience convenient, accessible and enjoyable at home.
As the business expanded over the past five years, the number of label requirements, product updates and packaging changes increased with it.
Reliance on outsourced label printing began to create unnecessary delays and inefficiencies. Every artwork or product update depended on an external print order, limiting how quickly the business could respond to new ideas, promotions and packaging changes.
Outsourced Labels Were Slowing a Fast-Moving Retail Brand
Excess label inventory and wasted pre-printed stock
Outsourced printing created lead times of up to 7–10 days for new labels. Frequent changes to product information could leave existing printed labels outdated, resulting in unnecessary waste and added cost.
Long lead times whenever packaging changed
Any update to product information, ingredients, packaging or artwork required a new order from an external printer. This slowed production and introduced avoidable bottlenecks into the workflow.
Inconsistent quality across external suppliers
Working with different third-party printers could result in differences in colour and finish, making it more difficult to maintain a consistent presentation across the Little B’s product range.
Limited flexibility for new SKUs and promotions
Bulk label ordering made it more difficult to respond quickly to new product launches, seasonal promotions or ingredient changes, limiting the flexibility needed by a growing retail brand.
Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000e On-Demand Colour Label Printing
To remove the delays and limitations associated with outsourced printing, Little B’s implemented the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000e on-demand colour label printer.
The printer enabled the business to produce high-quality labels immediately in-house instead of waiting for external production runs. Its print-on-demand workflow provides a practical low cost per label, consistent quality and a simple operating process for day-to-day use.
The printer was integrated directly into Little B’s existing workflow, allowing staff to manage label production internally without disrupting normal operations.
No Lead Times, Lower Costs and Greater Flexibility
Bringing label production in-house gave Little B’s much greater control over when and how labels are produced. The previous dependence on external print schedules was removed, allowing the business to respond immediately to changing product and marketing requirements.
No lead times
Labels can now be printed immediately in-house, removing the previous 7–10 day wait associated with external printing.
Lower costs and reduced wastage
Printing only the quantities needed reduces unnecessary stock, obsolete labels and overall label production costs.
Easy-to-use system
The CW-C4000e provides consistent, professional-quality output from a straightforward workflow requiring minimal staff training.
Greater flexibility
Product labels can be adapted quickly for new products, seasonal campaigns, promotions and ingredient updates.
Eliminate Label Lead Times and Print When You Need It
Epson ColorWorks gives growing brands the flexibility to produce professional colour labels on demand — helping reduce outsourced print delays, minimise waste and respond faster to changing products and promotions.