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Adhesive Labels | Non-Adhesive
Labels
Adhesive Labels
There are two basic types of adhesive label stock. Dry gum label stock and
pressure sensitive label stock. Each basic type can be made up of many different
types of facestock.
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Dry Gum Label Stock
Dry gum label stock is generally made from a 20
lb. to 24 lb. bond, or a 50 lb. to 60 lb. offset. A remoistenable
glue is applied to the back. When moisture is applied to the back
of the dry gum label stock, it activates the glue and allows you to
stick the label to an object. This type of label is the least popular
due to having to moisten the back of the label before applying it.
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Pressure Sensitive Label Stock
Pressure sensitive label stock is made up of 3 laminated parts -
the liner, the adhesive, and the facestock. See: Construction
of Pressure Sensitive Labels. The facestock is what eventually
becomes the finished label. They are called pressure sensitive because
the adhesive will stick when pressure is applied. There are many different
types of facestock and adhesives available.
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Adhesive Label Stock
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Type
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Standard
Weight
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Standard
Colors
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Usage Description
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Dry Gum Wove Offset
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50 lb.
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White
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Offset finish makes it suitable for offset printing
and flexographic printing. Must be used in an environment where moistening
the dry gum adhesive is not a problem. Used for applications such
as shipping labels.
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| Cast-Coated/ High Gloss |
60 lb. |
White |
Has a high gloss finish, excellent
for retail products and decorative labels. Not recommended for use with
a typewriter and some pens and pencils.
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| EDP/Gloss |
60 lb. |
White |
Has a glossy appearance but
is designed to provide printability on a typewriter or other non-laser
printer.
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Matte Litho
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60 lb.
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White
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Has a dull smudge-proof finish which provides for high
print quality and makes it good for typing or handwriting on. Requires
more drying time than an uncoated stock. Used on indoor labels, point
of purchase labels, package and carton labels.
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EDP/Uncoated Offset
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60 lb.
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White, Canary, Blue, Orange,
Pink
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A smudge-resistant stock with a suitable surface for
offset and flexographic printing. It absorbs ink quickly. Great for
computer labels. Economically priced.
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Laser
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50 & 60 lb.
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White
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Uncoated paper with high brightness and smooth surface
that provides a sharp image. Designed to use with desktop and laser
printers.
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Florescent
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60 lb.
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Red, Orange, Green, Pink, Chartreuse
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Highly visible, used to draw attention. Used as warning
labels, color coding, inventory and important notices.
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Laminated
Foils
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55 lb.
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Bright Silver, Bright Gold
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Used primarily for advertising purposes, high quality
packaging labels, cosmetics, and electronics. Surface not suitable
for handwriting or typewriter use.
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Direct
Thermal
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55 lb.
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White
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Thermal sensitivity coated for use in direct thermal
printing. Available with various top coatings to provide different
levels of environmental resistance.
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Thermal Transfer
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50 lb.
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White
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Specifically designed to work with thermal transfer
printers. Used on applications that require small bar codes, high
quality bar codes or high density bar codes.
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Latex Impregnated Litho
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60 lb.
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White
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Water-resistant, with high strength and durability.
Conforms well to curved and small cylindrical surfaces. Suitable for
offset, flexographic and letterpress printing. It is computer printable.
Used for medical, automotive, industrial and outdoor applications.
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Acetate
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1.5 mil. &
2 mil. |
Clear |
Good clarity and printability.
Recommended for indoor use only.
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Vinyl
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4 mil.
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White, Clear
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Highly durable and resistant to chemicals and moisture.
It is high in conformability Excellent for outdoor use, such as bumper
stickers, chemicals stored outdoors and outdoor signs.
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| Static Cling Vinyl |
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White, Clear |
Has a static charge that allows
it to stick to smooth surfaces without the use of adhesives. Will stick
to glass, baked enamel and plastic. Can be easily removed and repositioned.
Not recommended for outdoor use.
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Polyester
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1 mil. &
2 mil.
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Clear
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Clear film label that is durable and weather resistant.
It can withstand high levels of abuse and abrasion. Resists most solvents
and oils. It has high heat resistance and high tensile strength. Works
well on outdoor applications for attaching to glass windshields. Also,
works well for product identification.
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| Polyethylene (PE) |
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White |
High in durability and has a high chemical resistance. It is tear
and abrasion resistant. Its high conformability allows it to wrap
around small diameters. Has fairly good printability.
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| Polyolefin |
3 mil. &
4 mil. |
White |
Has good printability. Is very strong and has a high chemical resistance.
Good for indoor and outdoor use. Excellent for drum label applications.
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| Polypropylene (PP) |
1 mil., 2 mil., & 2.6 mil. |
White, Clear |
Highly durable and resistant to most acids and alkalies. Is fairly
conformable and has excellent tensile strength. Has good print quality.
Good for glass labeling and other rigid containers. One of the most
common film substrates used.
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| Polystyrene (PS) |
2 mil. &
2.6 mil. |
White, Clear |
Low in durability with medium
rigidity which provides ease in converting and dispensing. Not recommended
for outdoor use. Economically priced.
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| Kimdura |
2.9 mil.,
3.2 mil. &
3.9 mil. |
White |
Excellent printability. Top
coated for excellent environmental resistance. Suitable for thermal
printing.
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| Tyvek© Brillion™ |
5.4 mil. &
6.7 mil. |
White |
Very durable, chemical and tear
resistant. Excellent print quality. UL approved product. Provides more
accurate bar code readings. Used for warning, UL, apparel, drum and
appliance labels.
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Note: Not all facestocks are available with
all types of adhesives. There are many different pressure sensitive
stocks available to you in addition to the ones listed above. Consult
with your supplier for availability of stock to meet your special
needs.
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Linerless Labels
Linerless labels are pressure sensitive labels that do not have a
liner. The material that linerless labels are made of are basically
the same as what is available for pressure sensitive labels that have
a liner. See above for some of the common stocks used. For information
on linerless labels, see Labels - Types
- Linerless.
Heat Activated Adhesive Labels
Heat activated labels are used for in-mold
labeling. The labels are produced using basically the same types
of paper and film that are used on the pressure sensitive and non-adhesive
labels. The difference is that they have a heat activated adhesive
applied to the back which requires heat be used to activate the adhesive
properties. The type of material used must be able to tolerate the
temperatures used when molding the container.
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Non-Adhesive Labels
Many types of labels do not have an adhesive coating applied to
the back of the facestock. The non-adhesive labels have glue applied to them
when they are attached to the product, or the type of labeling process used
does not require the use of an adhesive. Some of the paper and film used on
non-adhesive labels, and the label type they are used for, are listed below.
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Non-Adhesive Label Stock
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Paper/Film
Type
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Label Type
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Usage Description |
| Paper |
Glue Applied |
Non-adhesive paper labels are printed on basically the same type of stock
as pressure sensitive labels, without the adhesive and liner layers. For
details on the different types of paper, see Adhesive
Label Stocks.
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| Metallized Paper and Film |
Glue Applied |
Vacuum metallized paper and film give a label
a metallic or foil type look. The metallized layer is used for decorative
purposes or as a barrier property. Used for decorative purposes, it portrays
an impression of quality and is very eye catching. It is used as a barrier
property to increase resistance to the effects of light and moisture. Vacuum
metallized paper and film are available in various wet strengths and in
variety of colors, but silver and gold are the colors most often used.
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| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels |
PVC is a high density film with an excellent
shrinkage rate at a low shrink temperature. Its excellent shrinkage rate
makes it a good choice for contoured containers. It has high impact strength
and has excellent clarity and good print quality. PVC is grease and solvent
resistant and has good weather resistance. It is tasteless, odorless and
non-toxic but less environmentally friendly than some of the other films
that are available, but it is one of the most used for shrink labels.
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| Polypropylene Terephthalate
Glycol (PETG) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels |
PETG has a shrinkage rate comparable to PVC
and is also a high density, high strength film with excellent clarity. It
is a good dimensionally stable product and is abrasion resistant. It is
more environmentally friendly than PVC but it is more expensive.
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| Oriented Polypropylene (OPP) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels |
A high strength label which works well in roll-fed
labeling equipment. It is the least expensive type film used for shrink
sleeve labels and is the most environmentally friendly. OPP runs well over
a wide range of temperatures and has good clarity, good printability and
is moisture resistant. Its shrink capabilities are substantially lower than
PVC and PETG. Due to its low shrinkage rate, it is not recommended for full
body sleeves. Because of its running efficiency, environmental friendliness
and low cost, it is becoming more and more popular in the package labeling
industry.
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| Kimdura® |
Glue Applied |
A synthetic paper that is uniform and opaque
with an excellent print surface. It is water, chemical and abrasion resistant.
Kimdura® is a very durable stock that withstands abuse that other stocks
would not.
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| Polyethylene (PE) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels, Stretch
Labels |
This film is tear, abrasion and weather resistant
and is high in durability. It shrinks at low a temperature range. PE has
a good print surface and has excellent conformability which makes it suitable
for labeling on rigid packages and wrapping around small diameters.
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| Polypropylene (PP) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels, Stretch
Labels |
PP is highly durable, has excellent tensile
strength and high heat resistant. It is resistant to moisture and most acids
and alkalies. It has good printability and is lightweight. PP is fairly
conformable and resists stress cracking, making it good for labeling on
glass and rigid containers. It is non-toxic and non-staining. It is one
of the most common film substrates used.
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| Polystyrene (PS) |
Glue Applied, Shrink Labels |
PS is low in durability with medium rigidity, which provides ease in
converting and dispensing. It has a smooth surface that allows it to be
easily printed. It is not recommended for use outdoors. PS is available
in several thickness and is economically priced.
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| High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) |
Stretch Labels |
HDPE is tougher and more rigid than other polyethylene
films. It also has a much higher tensile strength than other polyethylene
films. It is a very stable material and has maximum chemical resistance.
It has excellent abrasion resistance which prevents it from being scratched,
gouged or scuffed easily. HDPE meets FDA guidelines that allow it to come
in direct contact with food applications.
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Liners
The liner material used on a pressure sensitive label can be paper or
film. Paper liners are generally kraft paper, which is available bleached
or unbleached and coated or uncoated. Film liners are available in polyester,
polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene and polyolefin. Both the paper
and film liners are available in different thickness. A thicker liner
is used for sheet and fanfolded labels to help them lay flat. Some high
speed applicators require a stronger liner to run properly.
Most label material is manufactured with a standard liner for that product.
If a special liner is required, it would have to be custom ordered. This
may result in extended delivery and additional charges. Contact your supplier
for special requirements.
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| Note: There are many combinations of facestock,
adhesives, liners and coatings available for all different types of labels.
If you are unsure of what will meet your requirements, contact your supplier.
They should be able to help you select the materials that will best satisfy
your needs. Be sure to do some testing of the label stock to ensure that
it will work for your application. |
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