Print, sign & promo
Books and taxes for label printing companies.
Short digital runs for a new brewery, long flexo runs for your biggest account, tooling charges on a brand-new SKU, and reorders that live on the same die for years. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $15,000. The $380 flexo plate charge for the new client's IPA label went in as tooling, not ink, so their first order doesn't look thinner than it was.
- Reorder, Riverbend BrewingRepeat SKU orders
- New SKU setup, Coastal KombuchaNew SKU tooling
- Poly film label stockLabel stock
- HP Indigo ink cartridgesDigital press ink
- Flexo plate, new dieTooling
Why your books are different
Label printer books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business runs short digital jobs and long flexo runs off the same price list, charges tooling once and reorders forever after, and loses material to trim waste nobody counts. When the books do not know that, pricing decisions get made on numbers that do not match reality.
-
1
Tooling fees get lumped with the first order
A $400 flexo plate charge for a new SKU gets billed with the first order and buried in with ink and stock, so that first order looks less profitable than it was, and every reorder that reuses the same plate looks artificially better.
What we doKeeps plate and die tooling in its own category, separate from ink and stock, so a new SKU's real setup cost is visible. -
2
Short and long runs get averaged into one number
A 500-label digital run for a small brewery and a 50,000-label flexo run for your biggest account cost completely differently to produce, but priced off one blended number, you cannot tell which type of job actually makes money.
What we doTracks margin by run type, digital against flexo, so pricing decisions are based on what each actually costs to make. -
3
Reorders and new SKU setup work get mixed together
Once a die and plate exist for a client's label, a reorder is close to pure margin, but if that income is not tracked apart from new SKU setup jobs, you cannot see how valuable your reorder business actually is.
What we doKeeps reorders in their own category, separate from new SKU setup, so the value of repeat business is visible on its own. -
4
Trim waste from die-cutting gets ignored
Scrap from trimming and out-of-register runs uses up roll stock that never becomes a billable label, and if that shrinkage is not tracked, materials cost estimates run low every time.
What we doFlags material use that runs consistently above what a job's labels should need, so waste shows up instead of disappearing. -
5
Compliance costs look like ordinary printing costs
A nutrition panel review or barcode verification fee for a food or beverage client is a distinct service cost, but it often gets lumped into regular ink and substrate spending, hiding what compliance work actually adds to a job.
What we doKeeps compliance and verification fees in their own line so you can see what regulated labels really cost beyond ink and stock.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a label printer.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Short-run digital ordersSmall batch labels for craft and startup brands.
- Long-run flexo ordersHigh-volume jobs for larger private label and co-packer clients.
- New SKU setup and tooling feesOne-time plate and die charges for a brand-new label.
- Repeat SKU reordersOrders that reuse an existing plate or die.
- Rush and same-week ordersWhat clients pay extra to skip the normal production queue.
Money out
- Label stock rollsPaper, film, and poly substrate bought by the roll.
- Digital press inkCartridges for the digital press, restocked as needed.
- Flexo plates and diesTooling made for each new SKU.
- Laminate and overlaminateProtective film for durability and gloss.
- Equipment leasesThe digital press, flexo press, and laminator.
- Freight in and outRoll stock arriving and finished labels shipping to clients.
- Compliance and verification feesNutrition panel review and barcode verification for regulated clients.
- Card processing feesOn orders paid by card instead of invoice.
What we watch for you
- Cost by run type
Digital and flexo run costs kept apart, so pricing matches what each actually takes to make.
- Reorder share
How much of the month is repeat business on existing dies, your steadiest and highest-margin work.
- Tooling cost recovery
Whether new SKU setup fees are actually covering what plates and dies cost you.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month as new SKUs and reorders come in.
Ask Gus
Things label printer owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
It's still income, but I keep it in its own tooling category, separate from ink and stock, so that first order doesn't look thinner than it actually was.
Because they cost completely differently to make. I'm tracking margin by run type now, so digital and flexo pricing show on their own terms instead of one blended number.
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. I have been keeping that list.
The tax side
The tax side of a label printer.
Most of what goes wrong here is tooling costs mixed in with ink and stock, and equipment filed the wrong way. Both get fixed by keeping the books straight all year.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Label stock and cost of goodsRoll stock, ink, and laminate held in the shop count as inventory, not an immediate write-off. They become a deduction as cost of goods sold once they are used on a job.
- Equipment write-offsA digital press, flexo press, or laminator usually counts as business equipment that can often be written off the year it is bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Tooling costs on new SKUsPlates and dies made for a new SKU are typically treated as a cost tied to that setup rather than routine ink and stock. How they get written off is a call for the accountant with your whole year in view.
- Contractor 1099sA freelance compliance reviewer or lab that checks labels who is not on payroll and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions label printing companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Label stock rolls
- Digital press ink
- Flexo plates and dies
- Laminate and overlaminate film
- Press and laminator maintenance
- Freight in and out
- Compliance and verification fees
- Card processing fees
- Design and prepress software
- Die-cutting tooling and blades
- Sample and proof printing
- Trade association dues
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A label printer year, kept every month.
New SKUs and seasonal releases land whenever a client is ready. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the run year
Last year's return gets started, the compliance reviewer's 1099 is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed, tooling sorted
Your return is filed and signed, with a year of plate and die tooling already kept apart from what counted as ink and stock.
- July
Midyear check-in
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer seasonal releases from beverage clients changed the number.
- October
Before holiday SKUs
Private label and co-packer clients often push new holiday flavors and gift sets through before year-end. Gus looks at any press or tooling worth buying before it hits.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for label printing companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions label printer owners ask first.
Does the tooling fee for a new SKU count differently than a regular order?
Yes. Plate and die charges are kept in their own tooling category, separate from ink and stock, so the first order for a new SKU shows its real cost instead of looking thinner than it was.
Why does a small digital run look less profitable than a big flexo run?
Because they cost differently to produce. Gus tracks margin by run type, so digital and flexo jobs are priced and measured on their own terms instead of one blended number.
Do reorders get tracked separately from new SKU setup work?
Yes. Once a plate or die exists, a reorder is close to pure margin. Keeping that separate from new SKU setup shows how valuable your repeat business really is.
We work with a lab that checks nutrition panels. Does that need a 1099?
If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, yes, by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year so it is ready.
Should I write off my new digital press all at once?
Often you can. A digital press usually qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though sometimes spreading it out across a few years is the better call. Gus flags the purchase the day it happens, and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Our books are behind from a busy run of new SKU launches. Can Gus still help?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts tooling charges, reorders, and everything else in order, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in print, sign & promo
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- ISO certification consultants
- Lean & operations consultants
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever