Product Labels

Oh, my eyes, my eyes...

[pageoneresults]

Okay, who's idea was it to allow manufacturers to print instructions in 5/6/7 point type?!?!?!

Come on now, would ya? I'm 40+ and my eyes are not what they used to be. I'm also getting a little bit of gray. So, I decided to by some Classic Gray Shampoo from my favorite brand. Yes, I know the typical wash and rinse routine but I like to read instructions just in case there is something different. Like, "leave in hair for 2-3 minutes before rinsing."

Not only that, but just about every label I come in contact with these days is just printed too damn small for someone with tired eyes. My eyesight was perfect 20/20 up until a couple of years ago. All this sitting behind the computer is taking its toll.

For those of you responsible for labeling products; please take into consideration that anything smaller than 7/8 point is going to be mostly unreadable to a large portion of your buyers.

Turkeys! I can hear the marketing department now, "let's see how much information we can feasibly squeeze on the back of this little bottle. Go ahead and do some negative tracking and horizontal scaling so we can add even more. We'll squeeze everything together so that the consumer has to have a magnifying glass to read it.

I thought there were government regulations in place for this kind of stuff? ;)

[mightymid]

I wonder how much bigger the bottles would have to be to accommodate 10pt type...

[Staffa]

pageoneresults, add about 20 yrs to your age and

this consumer HAS a magnifying glass to read it.

[Marshall]

I was once told "how much is printed on the outside of an envelope is inversely proportional to its contents." Granted, new consumer laws require that manufacturers’ print all relevant information on a product container disclosing all the positives and negatives, (and lest we forget all the legal disclaimers), but that being said, I decided that “how small the print is, is directional proportional to the effectiveness of the product.”So buyer beware.

[rocknbil]

pageoneresults, I too blamed the world when I could no longer spot a speck of dust of a gnat's butt. I "snuck" into the RX and bought a set of "reading glasses." I wore them a few months only in private until one day my wife busted me . . . "AHA!"

But I got over it. :-)

[pageoneresults]

I "snuck" into the RX and bought a set of "reading glasses."

Hehehe, I went and got a prescription pair of glasses. I didn't want to take any chances. I got my glasses and I don't mind wearing them. I got that 50s style black frame. You know, the Buddy Holly look. ;)

But, I sure hope my shampoo manufactuer doesn't expect me to be wearing those in the shower now, do they?

[vincevincevince]

I agree entirely! There should be a lower limit on all text which is intended to be read and which isn't issued with a magnifying glass.

Not only would it make it easier to read, it would make those long contracts which take away all reasonable rights and recourse such as you see on a credit card application or an insurance policy many many pages longer and more costly to jam through my letter box.

[grandpa]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. On a similar vein, the other day I was trying to listen to the legal disclaimer on a radio ad. Who can hear that fast? And did that guy really speak that fast, or was he edited? And is it possible to get a transcript in something larger than 6 point?

[rocknbil]

^ ^ ^ Sorry. ignoring last post . . . :-P

You know, the Buddy Holly look.

My daughter, who has had perfect vision her entire life, bought a set of those, removed the lenses, and wore them for the last two years of high school, **just** to honor Buddy Holly. Most kids her age don't even know who he is. :-)

The labels are designed for what they consider the buying market I suppose . . . and the fine print is played down so we DON'T see "... determined by the state of California to cause cancer in laboratory animals."

[ann]

Container labels are bad but the css controlled type size is even worse.

I found my way back buttoning out of 4 sites last night while I was looking for items I was ready to purchase...

Ann

[pageoneresults]

Container labels are bad but the css controlled type size is even worse.

That's a great comparison! I guess we could say that our sites are one big product label. Allow some room to breathe. Think website Feng Shui. Ahhhh...