How to choose the right label material for your product?
COO / Operations Manager at Quadriga USA,
Print Production Specialist
Imagine that you already have your amazing design for your label (we will talk about this in a later section). Now you need to choose the right material, finish, and options so that you can have the most ideal and attractive label for your product.
There are different factors that will determine what material will be ideal for your product. Some of these factors include whether the product be used indoors or outdoors, what surface the label will stick to, if it will be placed in the refrigerator, a damp environment, or a dry one, and so forth.
There are other characteristics that you are able to choose. This will enable you to achieve the best appearance for your label. For example, you can decide whether the finish should be matte or glossy, metallic or not, and you can even add unique options such as Gloss Spot UV or Silver/Gold foil for a more impressive look. This is all up to you.
Now, we will provide you with some tips that will enable you to make the right decision on what material to use.
There are synthetic and non-synthetic materials. The non-synthetic materials are paper with matte, semi-gloss, and gloss variations, felt papers, and fluorescent papers.
Since non-synthetic materials are not water, oil, and weather resistant, they are mainly used on indoor products that do not need to be put in the freezer.
Paper materials can be used on household products, candles, and some food or juice labels. Paper materials are also used in cases when the label needs to be torn.
Felt paper, which is also sometimes referred to as Art paper, is mainly used on wine labels. It is also used on products that need a clear yet stunning and unique label.
Fluorescent papers have bright colors such as orange, neon red, neon yellow, neon pink, etc. Therefore, they are used when it is necessary to catch people’s attention, such as with warning labels, caution labels, and more.
Synthetic materials are used more often due to the fact that they are water, oil, and weather resistant. They do not tear and they are more durable than paper materials. Synthetic materials are used on indoor and outdoor products.
We offer two materials for White Synthetic Labels: White Polypropylene and White Pearl BOPP. The second one has a pearl shine.
Silver, Gold, Holographic, and Clear (Transparent) materials are also synthetic. White opaque ink is used on these materials during printing and it allows us to get different effects. Printing ink is transparent with most printing technology. This is why we will have a standard effect on sections where we will use opaque white, but we will have a metallic effect on sections where we did not use opaque white. The same is true for Gold and Holographic materials. We need to print opaque white underneath the parts of clear (transparent) materials that you do not want to be see-through. We will discuss this in more detail in upcoming blogs.
Choosing the right adhesive is another important factor when choosing the label material. There are different types of adhesives that are meant for different uses. The three main types of adhesives are aggressive, regular, and removable adhesives. Aggressive adhesives are also known as freezer degree adhesives, which are typically rubber-based.
Aggressive adhesives are used for rough surfaces and products that need to be put in the freezer. Removable adhesives may be used for labels that are to be put on televisions, for example. You remove these when you bring the product home so you can use it. We will talk about adhesives in more detail in our upcoming blogs.