Who we are and what the task is:
We are a small social enterprise “Turbota”, which produces candles and diffusers with fragrances. We employ older women, so it is important that all processes are as simple, convenient, and visually understandable as possible.
Our current task is — optimize the printing of informational stickers that are attached to the products. The problem is with stickers that contain information about the production date, expiration date, ingredients, and barcode.
Previously, we ordered printing at a printing house, but it was expensive and inconvenient. The production date should be today's date. Now we want print labels ourselves on a regular printer, but in a way that everything is from Excel + Word templates, without special software.
| Previously | How we want to do it now |
|---|
| Type of labels | Two separate stickers: one from the printing house (without barcode), another with barcode | One full-fledged label with all information immediately |
| Information printing | 1. Previously ordered round stickers with fixed text at a printing house (1 UAH+ per piece) 2. Barcodes printed separately on an office printer | We print ourselves: all fields (name, aroma, ingredients, date, barcode, manufacturer) — from Word + Excel templates |
| Flexibility | Information could not be changed — only re-printed stickers | Easily change aroma, date, barcode, weight — employee just enters data into the table |
| Speed | Very slow: manual combination + manual sticking of barcodes | 1 minute — and everything is ready for printing for any SKU |
We can use self-adhesive labels:
round, Ø42 mm, 24 pcs per A4 sheet
rectangular, 42×37.1 mm, 40 pcs per sheet
✅ What needs to be done:
📌 1. Excel file with products
A table that employees can fill out.
Columns:
Product name (type of candle + aroma)
Ingredients
Barcode
Volume (for weight)
Weight (automatically calculated based on volume)
Manufacture date (manual before printing)
Expiration date (fixed: 18 months)
It should be simple, no macros, everything understandable for people 50+.
📌 2. Word template for merging with Excel
Need to create 2 template options:
The template should include:
Brand name (Turbota)
Product description (example provided)
Ingredients (with allergens)
Weight (depending on SKU)
Manufacture date + expiration date
Manufacturer, TIN, address
Barcode (using Code128 or LibreBarcode font)
Warnings and instructions (example text provided)
6 safety icons (images provided in .png)
CLP icon (exclamation mark) – if it fits
Brand logo (SVG provided)
📌 3. Video instruction + video call - explain to employees
🎁 What we provide:
🛠️ Technical requirements:
The file must work without complex macros or third-party applications
All fields should print clearly within labels on standard self-adhesive sheets
Ready templates should be saved in .docx and .xlsx formats
📦 What we want to receive as a result:
Excel file for data entry
2 Word templates with grid layouts
Sample file with 100 labels (one SKU)
Video instruction or screencast with voice (up to 5 minutes)
📅 Deadline:
📬 If needed, I can provide examples immediately after feedback. We work openly, respond quickly, and do not delay long in approval.