Loving gifts with Epson LabelWorks

Since 2016, Isabel Ufer has been delighting customers at her Dusseldorf start-up, La Petite Bellerose. The concept of the startup pairs imaginative French patisserie with modern design, a chic and cosy interior and current fashion trends.

Ufer's macarons are a celebration for the senses - not only are they a culinary delight, they're beautifully presented too. The young entrepreneur discovered the secrets of baking macarons in Paris, their spiritual home. With help from her mother, she now designs and bakes new creations every week in the most diverse, exciting and different flavours.

Ufer's customers usually visit her at fairs, craft markets or directly at her pop-up bakery, which is a mobile macaron stand, designed with as much attention to detail as the macarons themselves. "I travel a lot and would like to give my customers everywhere the same image of La Petite Bellerose," she says. "Everything must be right, including the packaging. I think that customers appreciate this attention to detail, and in the end it also helps to attract them."

The delicate pastries are sold in cardboard boxes decorated with colourful strings and personalised ribbons. Customers can decorate their selection of macarons with personalised gift tapes featuring a name or a personal message, for example. Describing them as the perfect gift, Ufer continues, "Personalised packaging is a hit at weddings, for big birthday parties, anniversaries and public holidays. With these tapes, we can charm our customers quickly and easily. It makes all the difference."

She uses a LabelWorks LW-900P printer, which can handle labels up to 36mm in width, and a wide range of tapes from fluorescent plastic ribbons and paper tapes to iron-on transfers or satin ribbons. The LW-900P automatically detects the width of the tape and cuts the labels after printing. 

"I personally use the satin ribbon in gold, light blue and rose," says Ufer. "It's very quick and easy to print ribbons, even for beginners. Tasks such as changing the ribbon are also easy. The printer comes with software that provides different fonts, sizes and symbols. This can be personalised but the templates were more than enough for me. Customers often choose a name, which is then printed on one of the ribbons, and sometimes they also include a personal message. I enter the name, print the personalised satin ribbon and decorate the box."

"Apart from the simple handling and great results, it is also crucial for me that the printer does not take up too much space. Especially with my mobile sales stand, the limited space requirement of the printer, for transportation as well as use, is clearly a major selling point," says Ufer.

French personalised gifts are in great demand for events such as weddings. Ufer explains that when preparing for specific events, "I print larger numbers in the office and prepare them for sale beforehand," explains Ufer. "It's important to me is that I have the choice to offer both pre-prepared ribbons and individually-printed ones created on-site. This flexibility appeals to me and meets my requirements, and my customers love that I am able to offer this. Though they are only small details, customers are enthusiastic about these simple decorations."

All photos: Epson/André Loessel