How to Choose the Right Self-Adhesive Labels

Self adhesive labels supplied by RL Solutions are manufactured from our factory in Essex

with great care and attention to detail. Understanding the lifecycle of our clients self adhesive

labelling requirements is paramount to manufacturing a product that will meet and surpass

the clients needs.

Self adhesive labels unfortunately are not manufactured as a one size fits all product. Many

aspects of the makeup of the label have to be considered.

Adhesive Have you ever looked at a label and wondered about the adhesive? Probably not, but just

have a think about the adhesive on a label a moment. That wonderful stickiness has to be

right for the purpose it is being used for, otherwise the self adhesive label could be useless.

Here are a couple of adhesive types along with their pro’s and con’s:-

Peelable

As the name suggests this adhesive is designed to allow the self adhesive label to be peeled

off the item it is adhered to. Perfect for temporary labelling where the label must be removed

at a later point. Bad if you want the label to stay on the product. There are many variants of

peelable adhesive and understanding the full life cycle of the label and the items it is to

adhere to greatly influence the adhesive type.

Permanent

A permanent adhesive is designed to stick permanently to the item or product within a short

curing period. This type of adhesive is perfect for shipping and address labelling where the

label must not fall of during its expected life cycle. Bad if it’s an advertising window label.

Freezer Grade

Frosty conditions, wet, cold and moist environments can all wreak havoc on label adhesion.

Freezer grade adhesive is perfect for application to frozen products with heavy condensation

of moisture and frost.

Paper Grade The grade of paper is an important decision in the self adhesive label manufacturing

process. This can be influenced by many factors including the printing method, the lifetime

of the label, the label application method, the finish of the label and of course cost. These all

have an influence on what substrate the self adhesive label will be made of. Some of the

paper types and their considerations are as follows:-

Paper Labels

Paper labels are perfect for low cost labelling. Paper labels can be supplied with all types of

finish to the surface of the label including gloss and matt. These can be supplied with a

special coating for thermal printing using a direct thermal label printer. If the labels are to be

pre printed with clients logo’s or photos this can influence the paper type and print method.

Plain paper labels are the standard choice for dispatch / shipping labels as they are durable

enough for the task while being very cost effective.

Synthetic Labels

Synthetic label substrates can be used for many applications. Most synthetic material

application is for label durability. If you require a label to survive harsh environments or be

legible after exposure to certain cleaning regimes or chemicals then a synthetic label will be

used. It’s ability to repel moisture and not easily degrade make the material perfect for this

type of self adhesive labelling. A good example of when to use a synthetic label would be a

chemical drum. This label must be able to survive submersion into sea water. In the event

that a chemical drum somehow fell from a boat and later discovered, the label must be

legible and not erode in order for the danger of the contained chemical to be known. A

paper label simply would not survive such a harsh environment for prolonged periods.

Printing & Application Method The processes after the self adhesive labels are manufactured are also vitally important in

the manufacturing and specification process. How the labels are going to be used during

their life cycle is extremely relevant to the manufacturing process. Knowing if the labels are

going to be overprinted and if so by what hardware will determine how the labels are finished

- eg core size, outer roll diameter, inside or outside wound to suit the hardware they are to

be used with. If the labels are to be automatically applied it must be ensured that they are

manufactured to suit. If auto application is involved then the backing paper must not be

perforated at any point as this can cause tearing during the auto apply process.

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