Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Label Solution

Key Considerations for Choosing the Right Label Solution

In order to identify the optimal print technology, material and ribbon (if thermal transfer printing), to ensure that the label remains readable during the products life, you should consider the following:

Surface

The type and the shape of surface being labeled needs to be considered to ensure that the label remains adhered to the surface. Have you ever noticed that a specific label does not adhere as well to a plastic bin as it does to a cardboard box? This is because these items have a different surface energy. The shape of the surface is also important to consider. For example, small curved surfaces are also difficult to label, since they require a flexible material with a mandrel adhesive to make sure the label does not pull away from the surface.

Extreme Temperatures

Materials and adhesives are also sensitive to very low and very high temperatures. There are two types of temperatures you need to consider, application temperature and service temperature:

Standard materials generally perform well when an application temperature is a minimum of 25°F (-4°C) and in service temperatures ranging from -65°F (-54°C) to 200°F (93°C). Labeling in conditions outside of this range requires the use of a thermal transfer solution and normally requires a specialty adhesive to insure that the label remains secured.

There are adhesives available for specific temperature ranges. The high and low temperature adhesives can maintain strong adhesion at high and low temperatures but they need to be applied to the surface at moderate temperatures. On the other hand, the all temperature adhesive is special in that the label can be applied to a surface at temperatures below freezing.

There are two kinds of high tack adhesives: high tack acrylic and high tack rubber.

High tack acrylic works well on hard-to-label surfaces and provides good resistance to chemicals and UV exposure.

High tack rubber works well on hard-to-label surfaces and provides better initial tack. In addition to permanent adhesives, there are a few types of removable adhesives: removable, multi removable, ultra-removable and security.

The key application of the removable adhesive is to provide good adhesion on the product when initially labeled while allowing a person to remove the label without damaging the label and product surface. Also being able to cleanly remove the label when the label is no longer needed.

The multi-removable adhesive is unique in that it allows the label to be applied, removed and reapplied to the surface. This enables repositioning of the label on the surface if needed.

The ultra-removable adhesive allows for clean removal from nearly all surfaces without damaging the label or the surface (including metal and glass surfaces).

Tamper proof adhesives enables you to visually see when a label is removed as an adhesive pattern remains on the surface. This type of adhesive can support warranty integrity claims when the label is removed.

Abrasion Resistance

Contact and rubbing will affect image and barcode readability over time. If in your application, the label will come into contact with items that could scratch it and make it unreadable, a ribbon with a higher resin content will provide improved durability.

Chemical Resistance

When a label will be exposed to moderate to extreme chemicals, a thermal transfer labeling solution is required. In the case of harsh and extreme chemicals, a high-durability resin ribbon is also recommended.