Materials Information
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Matt / Smooth Coated Our standard material ex-stock is a high quality smooth matt white paper with an excellent permanent grade adhesive manufactured using the latest technology in water-based acrylic adhesives. It is compatible with most overprinting processes including thermal transfer and laser printing.
Peelable This can be supplied but when this is used for computer overprinting it is at customers risk only, as the labels will occasionally come off the backing paper whilst printing. If this happens, the labels (as they are peelable) will be easy to remove from inside the printer, but if they jam the print head damage can result. Peelable paper for laser labels is now available to special order.
Fluorescent Standard fluorescent colours available ex-stock are Pink, Green, Orange and Red. The paper is matt and has good overprinting properties in dot-matrix or thermal transfer printers. Our existing yellow printing ink has good fluorescent properties and this is used where a yellow fluorescent colour is required.
High Gloss Inkjet - Photo realistic The latest in inkjet paper technology is available on all our A4 sheet die shapes and sizes. Instant drying combined with full rub resistance and a high gloss finish prove this material to be an excellent choice for use in all inkjet printers.
Direct Thermal This paper is very economical for use in Thermal Transfer Printers as it removes the need for a ribbon thus reducing costs. Excellent barcodes and print can be obtained from all printers as a dense black image is transferr ed and printed into the material. Scuff resistance is also very good as this material has a protective coating. Further advantages include reduced downtime whilst replacing ribbons and freedom to run printers without the risk of a ribbon finishing during an extended print.
Gloss We now offer two grades of Gloss material, Standard and Cast Coated High Gloss for point-of-sale items. These products give good visual results with a vivid depth of colour unobtainable on matt material. It is suitable for laser printing but not recommended for dot matrix or ink jet computer printers as the printer inks tend to smear and dry very slowly.
Acetate Thickness 50µm. Cellulose acetate film, permanent adhesive only. This film has a low tear strength, making it ideal if an inexpensive tamper-evident seal is required. Any attempt to lift the label will usually result in the label chipping and flaking into pieces before the adhesive lifts. Can be printed in most colours, and overprinted by thermal transfer with resin ribbons (see below). Unsuitable for outdoor use.
PVC A 90µm matt vinyl with permanent adhesive (BS5609 rated), ideal for use when a flexible, tough label is needed, e.g. for outdoor or wet environments. Can be overprinted by thermal transfer A 90µm clear gloss vinyl, available with permanent or removable adhesive. Can only be supplied unprinted, and is generally used for carton sealing tabs where tamper evidence is not essential.
Cover up / Opaque adhesive This paper has a pigment in the adhesive and is useful to cover up existing labels or to conceal unwanted printing. The appearance of this material is always slightly less white than a non cover-up paper of the same grade.
Polyester Thickness 50µm. Two films are available for roll labels - satin white and satin silver, both with ultra permanent adhesive only (BS5609 rated). These films are suitable for use in extreme conditions which would destroy other materials, e.g. high temperatures up to 150°C, and are dimensionally stable and highly resistant to tearing / stretching. Typical applications include printed circuit board labels (material will withstand molten solder for a limited period), and pharmaceutical purposes where a container may need to be autoclaved for sterilization. They are also very resistant to attack from most solvents. Can be printed in all colours and overprinted by thermal transfer (see below). Black block not needed. It should be noted that due to their durable nature, polyester and polypropylene films usually need special diecutting tools which cannot be used for standard paper labels and vice versa. We have an expanding library of specialist dies (call if you require a specific size), and cost for a new die is very little more than the standard item. We can also supply a matt white polyester for laser printing on A4 sheets, with similar properties to the other polyesters. The range of film diecutters for A4 sheets is still small, and dies for paper can definitely not be used for this material.
Gloss White PP Thickness 60µm. White gloss polypropylene film, permanent adhesive only. Properties exactly as clear gloss PP above. Reverse printed block is not needed for overprinting.
Clear Gloss PP Thickness 60µm. A clear gloss polypropylene film with good resistance to tearing and stretching. Available with permanent or removable adhesive. Can be printed in all the standard range of Pantone colours. Note that when a clear label is to be applied to a dark or transparent surface (such as a window or dark package), the ink will appear very pale unless an opaque white mask is printed underneath the design. This white mask is chargeable as an extra colour. If the label is applied to a white or light coloured surface, the white mask is not required. This material can be overprinted by thermal transfer (see comments below). A black block is normally printed on the backing paper (chargeable as another colour) for printer registration when overprinting is to be performed. The block is also needed for alignment if the labels are to be applied by machine. The removable adhesive PP film is especially suitable for producing window stickers, e.g. for shop displays or car windows. In this case all the print is mirror-imaged and the colours printed in reverse order, so that the label appears correct when viewed from its adhesive side, i.e. from the other side of a pane of glass. The white mask is always essential for this type of label.
Metallised Foils Available in bright silver or bright gold finish. Permanent adhesive only. Ideal for eyecatching mirror-finish labels.
Further info Many other synthetic materials are now available, including tamper-evident films with VOID footprints, special adhesives, metallic or metallised foils, polycarbonates etc. These are not held ex-stock as many are very expensive, so a minimum order requirement may apply. Please call for details about any particular requirement. The synthetic materials (acetate excepted) all offer greater resistance to weathering than a paper label, with polyester providing the ultimate performance. For ultimate protection, see information on laminating below. It is worth noting that different ink colours have differing rates of fading in sunlight - reds and yellows will fade noticeably after a few months of exposure to direct sunlight; blues, greens and black will last longer. The BS5609 rating for an adhesive means it should withstand immersion in seawater for several months without losing adhesion. In this kind of application, lamination is normally also recommended to protect the printed surface to a similar degree. With the exception of gloss clear PVC, all the films we supply can be overprinted by a thermal transfer printer as long as high performance resin-based ribbons are used (we can recommend TEC AS1 grade). This grade of ribbon ensures excellent resistance to solvent and environmental attack, as well as a printed finish which will not smear or scratch when handled. If clear film labels are to be overprinted, a black line or block registration mark is normally required on the backing paper - this is chargeable as conventional single colour print. The white and silver labels do not require a registration mark, provided the printer has a sensor to read the translucent gap between labels. None of our films can be overprinted by any other method, especially laser printing (with the exception of laser printable matt white PET), which can have catastrophic results if labels melt inside the printer! Laser and inkjet printable materials are currently under evaluation and will be offered when we feel the right combination of price and performance has been achieved. It is worth noting that different ink colours have differing rates of fading in sunlight - reds and yellows will fade noticeably after a few months of exposure to direct sunlight; blues, greens and black will last longer. Most roll labels we supply can be overlaminated with a 25µm clear gloss PP film, thinner than the standard PP film. This can be used to add gloss and durability to a paper label, or to seal the printed surface of a paper or film label against attack from moisture or solvents. Succesful diecutting and conversion of laminated labels is subject to trial and error - most of the standard and film dies will cut them, but we usually trial a particular combination prior to printing if that combination is previously untested. If a combination does not convert successfully (i.e. if the waste lattice cannot be removed cleanly), it is still usually possible to remove the labels from the retained waste by hand. The PP laminate cannot be overprinted. We can also supply a 23µm gloss clear polyester laminate, which is thermal transfer printable with AS1 type ribbons. This can only be applied to filmic labels, using the special film dies. |