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Adhesive Labels | Non-Adhesive
Labels | Construction
Considerations
Adhesive Labels
Construction of Pressure Sensitive Labels
Pressure sensitive labels are made up of several layers. The layers consist
of the facestock, primer, adhesive, release coating, liner and top coating.
Each layer has different material options, depending upon the intended use of
the label. All pressure sensitive labels do not consist of all of the layers
mentioned. They must consist of a facestock, adhesive, release coating and liner,
except for the linerless label which is manufactured
without a liner.
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Facestock
There are many choices for the label's facestock. The most commonly
used materials are offset, matte litho, high gloss, foil, vinyl and
film. For a list of some of the available label stocks and their descriptions,
see Label
- Paper - Adhesive Labels.
The facestock, along with the adhesive, is the part of the label
that is applied to the surface of the product or package you are labeling.
Your need to evaluate your needs to determine what type of stock will
work best for you. For information to consider when evaluating your
needs, see Labels - Construction - Construction
Considerations.
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Primer
The primer has two key purposes,
to help assist the adhesive in sticking to the back of the facestock
and to prevent some adhesives from bleeding through or staining the
facestock. It is only needed when using certain types of adhesives.
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Note: Each layer can
be made up of different types of material. The makeup of each
layer will depend on the intended use of the label.
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Adhesives
The adhesive is a tacky substance on the back of the
label, that with slight pressure applied, makes the label stick to
the substrate (the surface to which the label is applied). Adhesives
types available are removable, permanent, and repositionable.
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Release Coating
The release coating is usually a silicone material which
is applied to the liner. This coating allows the liner to separate
from the facestock. The type of release coating will vary according
to how difficult it must be for the facestock to release from the
liner.
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Liner
The liner is a paper or film material that acts as a
carrier for the label. The liner stays with the label until the label
is ready to be applied to a substrate. The liner may be constructed
of paper or film and will vary in thickness according to the intended
use of the label.
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Top Coating
The top coating is used to make the surface of the label more parintable,
enhance the appearance of the label or to add a protective layer.
Top coatings used are varnish, UV clear coat, or lamination. The protective
coating provides protection against exposure to moisture, chemicals,
freezing temperatures, scratches and abrasion. It does not protect
color from fading due to sun exposure or protect paper and foil from
outdoor weather conditions. For more information on coatings, see
Labels - Inks
- Coatings.
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Construction of Linerless Labels
Linerless labels are made up of three layers. They consist of a release top
coat, facestock and adhesive. With the use of certain types of adhesives, a
primer may be required. Each layer has different material options available.
The type of materials used depends on the intended end use. Linerless labels
are available in roll form only. For more information on linerless labels, see
Labels - Types - Linerless.
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Top Coating
The top coating is made up of silicone which applied to the front of
the facestock and is primarily used as a release coating. In addition
to acting as a release coating, some types of top coating provide protection
to the label by protect resistance to heat and UV light. The top coating
is available as writable or non-writable and with a matte or gloss finish.
Facestock
The facestock is the part of the label that is applied to the surface
of the product or package you are working with. As with a linered label,
it can be made from various types of material. It can be printed on the
front and the back side because the top coating and the adhesive are applied
after the labels are printed. For more details on the different types
of paper and film that are available, see Label
- Paper - Adhesive Labels.
Adhesive
The adhesive layer is applied to the back side of the facestock. It is
a tacky substance which makes the label stick to a surface when pressure
is applied to the label. Adhesives are available in permanent, removable
and repostionable types. When the labels are on the roll, the adhesive
layer does not stick to the face of the label due to of the release top
coating.
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Linerless labels require special application equipment. The label applicator
must have a cutting blade to cut the labels off the roll since the label cannot
be die cut due to the absence of the liner. Another option is to add a micro
perf between labels, along with a mark on the back of the label to indicate
to the applicator where they are to be separated, allowing the labels to be
easily torn off with a clean edge.
Construction of Heat Activated Labels
Heat activated labels are made up of three layers. They consist of a top coat,
facestock and heat activated adhesive. Each layer has different material options
available. The type of materials used depends on the intended end use. Heat
activated adhesive is used for in-mold labels, which are available in sheet
and roll form.
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Top coating
The top coating is used to make the surface of the label more printable,
enhance the appearance of the label or to add a protective layer. Top
coatings used are varnish, UV clear coat, and lamination. The coating
protects against exposure to moisture, chemicals, freezing temperatures,
scratches and abrasion. It will not protect colors from fading from sun
exposure or to protect paper or foil from outdoor weather conditions.
For more details on the different types of coatings that are available,
see Labels - Inks
- Coatings.
Facestock
The facestock is the material that is applied to the container. It can
be made up of many different types paper or film. The type of material
used will depend on the desired appearance and the conditions that the
label will be exposed to. Flat labels for containers can be made from
most any type of stock but must be suitable to conform to the shape of
the container. For more details on the different types of paper and film
that are available, see Label
- Paper - Adhesive Labels.
Adhesive
The adhesive layer is applied to the back side of the facestock. The
adhesive is activated by heat during the in-mold label application process.
A release coating is not necessary on roll labels, as on linerless labels,
because the adhesive layer is not active until exposed to heat during
application.
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An in-mold label appears as if it is part of the container it is applied to.
It is applied during the molding process, causing the label to become part of
the wall of the container and resulting in a no edge look to the label.
Non-Adhesive Labels
Non-adhesive labels consist of any label that does not have a layer of glue
as part of its construction prior to the application process. They have adhesive
applied to them at the time of application or do not require the use of an adhesive.
Non-adhesive labels generally consist of only facestock and top coating. Some
of the types of labels in this category are shrink labels and stretch labels.
Glue appled container labels can also fall into the non-adhesive category since
they are manufactured without an adhesive layer, glue is applied during the
application process. For more details on the different types of non-adhesive
labels, see Labels - Types.
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Top Coating
The top coating is used to make the surface of the label more printable,
enhance the appearance of the label or to add a protective layer. Top
coatings used are varnish, UV clear coat, and lamination. The coating
protects against exposure to moisture, chemicals, freezing temperatures,
scratches and abrasion. It will not protect colors from fading due to
sun exposure or to protect paper or foil from outdoor weather conditions.
For more details on the different types of coatings that are available,
see Labels - Inks
- Coatings.
Facestock
The facestock is the material that is applied to the product or package.
It can be made up of many different types of material. The type of material
used will depend on the type of label and its intended use. Flat labels
for containers can be made from most any type of stock, where shrink and
stretch labels must be made of the proper material to allow the label
to fit to the container as it goes through the proper application process.
For more details on the different types of paper and film that are available,
see Label
- Paper - Non-Adhesive Labels.
Examples of Non-Adhesive Labels
Shrink Labels - Shrink labels are available as individual cut
labels or on rolls. Roll labels are cut apart by a cutting blade during
the application process or a perforation can be added to allow the labels
to be detached from the roll. The label is placed on the container and
then heat is applied by running the container and label through a heat
tunnel. The heat causes the label material to shrink and fit to the contour
of the container.
Stretch Labels - The stretch sleeve is stretched and placed over
the container. Once the sleeve is released, the elasticity of the sleeve's
material causes the label to snap back to its original size and fit tightly
to the container.
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Glue Applied Labels - The glue applied label is manufactured without
an adhesive layer. The label is glued to the container during the application
process.
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Construction Considerations
There are many types of facestocks, primers, adhesives, release coatings, liners
and top coatings available to meet special requirements for your label use.
Be sure to consider all factors when designing a label to fit your application.
Let your supplier know the following requirements.
- The properties of the substrate the label will be attached to,
such as texture, material makeup and shape.
- The condition of the substrate when the label is applied to it,
such as the temperature, and the dirt and moisture contamination.
- The environmental conditions that the label will be exposed to
through its life cycle, such as moisture, chemicals, and extreme
cold or heat.
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- The type of facestock material.
- The application method and dispensing method.
- Length of time the label is required to last.
- Will the label need to have the ability to be removed and if so,
how long a period of time before it will be removed.
- How it will be imprinted, such as dot matrix, laser, ink jet or
thermal.
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Note: End use testing is recommended on any
new label or any label that has specification changes.
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Communicating with your vendor as much as possible about the intended use of
the label will result in a product best suited to your needs.
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