Label Considerations

Labels should be designed according to the item they are applied to and the environmental conditions they will be exposed to and depending upon the labeling application, strong considerations are given to a company’s marketing, image and branding. Selected Label features (security slits, adhesive properties, label color, to name a few) also provide practical benefits to your business and labeling application.

Label Materials

Labels are available in an array of adhesive and material combinations offering varying levels of durability, needed image quality, tear resistance, and overall appearance. Paper is the most common and cost-effective material. For applications where durability is required (such as outdoor use or exposure to water, chemicals, sun), synthetic materials often can provide significant operational benefits.

Adhesives

If the labeling needs require label removal from an item, SATO offers repositionable, removable, wash-away, and high-tack removable solutions which allow a label to be removed with varying degrees of difficulty during different points in the process and life of the label. Here are a few terms to be familiar with:

Adhesive	Description	Level of Difficulty to Remove	Label removes intact	Adhesive Residue
Permanent	Permanent upon application	Difficult	No	Yes
Removable	Can easily be removed at any time	Easy	Yes	No
Repositionable	Repositionable for the first 8 hours after application	Easy	Yes	No
Wash-Away™	Can be removed with hot water	Difficult	No	No
High-Tack Removable	Can be removed at any time	Difficult	No	No

Dry edge labels with no adhesive under the border is printer friendly (reduces potential adhesive ooze) and by having no border adhesives, this facilitates a cleaner application of the label (less adhesive residue on fingers or gloves).

“Pattern adhesives” feature the placing of adhesive strategically on only portions of a label underside and are often used to prevent damage to merchandise.

Perforations

For scenarios where you or your consumer wants to remove a portion of the label, internal perforations (vertical or horizontal) can be included. For example, the pricing may be removed by the consumer for gift –giving. A removable adhesive with internal perforation is the most cost effective way to remove a portion of the label.

Perforations between labels allow easy division of labels after printing.

Printing during label production

Color is a great way to support processes by offering visual identification. Color can be printed full tint, blocks, or images. If you require consecutive numbering (or other variable data printing) and the values are predetermined, this information can be printed during label production, eliminating the need for in-house printing.

Forms

When possible, designing the form to include multiple labels across offers more efficient printing and therefore operational costs savings. Forms can also include multiple parts, for example combing a shipping label, return label, and packing list into one form to reduce matching errors and increase productivity.

Visit our tag considerations or how to select the right ribbon page to keep learning.

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