Boss Bands

[Marc L]

 

[webmost]

The antibacconistas would tell us this band is truth in advertising.

 

[Marc L]

 

[VeLoRoK]

Looks familiar…

 

[Marc L]

 

[nic]

​

I really like this one. I'm not sure I'd like cutting out, however.

 

[Gdaddy]

I love this band! Nice work.

How do you put the gold on? I have printed gold bands like this but they never look as good when they come from a laser printer.

 

[blisscigarco]

I love this band! Nice work.

How do you put the gold on? I have printed gold bands like this but they never look as good when they come from a laser printer.

I've printed a lot of gold bands and I can suggest dialing out all blue and cyan and black from your yellows in Photoshop.

 

[Gdaddy]

I made these when my grandkids were babies. They would look much better with raised gold banding.

 

[Marc L]

I mess with the color when I print one but, they just won't get the pop with the printer I have. I'd need to go to a print shop for that.

 

[Gdaddy]

I mess with the color when I print one but, they just won't get the pop with the printer I have. I'd need to go to a print shop for that.

I believe the cigar bands that most companies use are embossed with the gold. I don't think it's done with a printer.

I can't help but wonder what percentage of cost goes into the art work design and the manufacture of the bands and the cigar boxes.

 

[nic]

I can't help but wonder what percentage of cost goes into the art work design and the manufacture of the bands and the cigar boxes.

I've often wondered the same thing. Between the bands and boxes, I'd guess that's a sizable portion of the total expense.

 

[Marc L]

I believe the cigar bands that most companies use are embossed with the gold. I don't think it's done with a printer.

These are all just images of embossing.

I can't help but wonder what percentage of cost goes into the art work design and the manufacture of the bands and the cigar boxes.

I'd like to see those numbers.
I do enjoy the art so. imagine if it was not allowed to exist.

 

[blisscigarco]

These are all just images of embossing.

I'd like to see those numbers.
I do enjoy the art so. imagine if it was not allowed to exist.

A small-time cigar co buddy of mine, one of these dudes who commissions some sticks and works out a blend and a label and a name and sells'em online, spent $5,000 for the label design and the die to emboss and diecut them. I think he did two runs of 1,000 sticks, one a natural, one a maduro. So that was $2.50 a stick for design and die manufacture. Don't know how much more he had to spend to actually print and diecut the labels. The sticks (toros) sold for ~$7 per.

 

[Marc L]

They talk about it a little last week.
The Cigar Authority Looks At Pricing Trends In The Cigar Industry

 

[nic]

A small-time cigar co buddy of mine, one of these dudes who commissions some sticks and works out a blend and a label and a name and sells'em online, spent $5,000 for the label design and the die to emboss and diecut them. I think he did two runs of 1,000 sticks, one a natural, one a maduro. So that was $2.50 a stick for design and die manufacture. Don't know how much more he had to spend to actually print and diecut the labels. The sticks (toros) sold for ~$7 per.

So max, the rest of the cigar cost was $1 bringing the manufacture cost to $3.50 - anymore and it isn't worth it.

 

[blisscigarco]

So max, the rest of the cigar cost was $1 bringing the manufacture cost to $3.50 - anymore and it isn't worth it.

The economics of this game are all fucked up. It's based on rich white Nortenos exploiting poor southern brown folk in a shameful fashion. The only legit motivation at our end, as rollers, is we enjoy the hobby: we can probably get better sticks from Cigars International for less if we're trying to save a dollar.

 

[webmost]

The economics of this game are all fucked up. It's based on rich white Nortenos exploiting poor southern brown folk in a shameful fashion. The only legit motivation at our end, as rollers, is we enjoy the hobby: we can probably get better sticks from Cigars International for less if we're trying to save a dollar.

All good reasons why I got involved with FX Smith's Sons, Bliss. It's not that I'm making my living off them. They're just another aspect of the hobby. I did my taxes this last weekend -- almost broke even last year. But the fact is, their cigars are made in America by Americans for the working man from tobacco grown nearby. Typical customer is an ordinary guy, often retired. Don't cost that much but they smoke good. Fifty naked gars to a pasteboard box and away you go. No big sums wasted on bands or on artwork or on Spanish cedar. No junkets to the IPCBR, no paid write-up in Cigar Aficionado, no "event" at a store, no cost to import ... just good smokes. I like that.

Hope to get there this weekend, by the way, try to score you some fresh shade wrapper.

 

[Gdaddy]

I agree with MarcL and also enjoy the beauty and artistic efforts of cigar labels but the costs of cigars is getting out of hand.

I know some cigar snobs that wouldn't be caught dead with an FX Smith cigar or a bundle cigar no matter how good it tastes. They won't touch a wine that costs under $30. So the perception of a good cigar may be a fancy label to some buyers. Many people buy wine from the attractiveness of the label and cigars are similar so the marketing of the product is done this way for a reason. They know how to reel in the consumer.

The concept that we, as consumers, have been led to believe is that if it looks expensive and it costs more money it MUST be better. Starbucks coffee is a classic example... they were about to go bankrupt and they lowered prices to the bare bone and then the new CEO changed the names of the coffees to sound more 'high end' and tripled the prices. The employees thought he was nuts but he knew the secret of how to change the perception in the consumers mind. Huge success. Goes to show how easy it is to dupe the public.

I'm off now to get an..."Oprah Cinnamon Chai Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème" or maybe just a simple "Horchata-inspired, Cinnamon Almondmilk Macchiato" I just can't decide...oh my!

 

[blisscigarco]

All good reasons why I got involved with FX Smith's Sons, Bliss. It's not that I'm making my living off them. They're just another aspect of the hobby. I did my taxes this last weekend -- almost broke even last year. But the fact is, their cigars are made in America by Americans for the working man from tobacco grown nearby. Typical customer is an ordinary guy, often retired. Don't cost that much but they smoke good. Fifty naked gars to a pasteboard box and away you go. No big sums wasted on bands or on artwork or on Spanish cedar. No junkets to the IPCBR, no paid write-up in Cigar Aficionado, no "event" at a store, no cost to import ... just good smokes. I like that.

Hope to get there this weekend, by the way, try to score you some fresh shade wrapper.

Yeah, I admire the FX Smith and Topper situation quite a bit. That's very exciting about the possible fresh wrapper acquisition! I hope it happens.