Resources

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Pressure Sensitive: Pressure-sensitive labels are analogous to a high-tech sticker. They can be paper, film, and foil as their primary label materials and can be used with a wide range of inks. Since they don’t require any heat, solvent, or water to activate, it only takes light or moderate pressure to apply (or stick) them to a product surface. They typically come on rolls to be peeled off and pressed onto a product using a hand or machine-applied technique. 

Cut & Stack: Cut & Stack labels are printed on large sheets or roll-fed printing presses. After printing, stacks of label sheets are either die cut into their desired shapes or more typically, cut into their individual rectangular shapes and stacked (hence the name). The application process most commonly involves overlapping the label and gluing the label to itself (lap). 

Tag: Tags are labels without adhesive. They are attached by other means, such as tying or hanging. Sometimes an adhesive just won’t work for a specific application.

Here at Label Products, Inc., we know that not everybody is a label expert, and that is what you have us for. Below is a short tutorial on label industry basics, to help facilitate your conversations with our staff, and ensure that we are all pulling in the same direction.

Dimensions are critical in our industry, so let start with how to measure a label. (reference chart below)

1. Width

2. Length

3. Repeat: Top of the label to top of the next label

4. Carrier: Full width of the label, including gap around

Rewind Direction is another important piece of information that can be confusing. Below you will find a chart to help you identify which position you need the labels finished in.

Having quality images to work from is critical when it comes to producing quality labels. Below are our basic artwork guidelines should you need to submit artwork.

Printing Capabilities

Label Products, Inc. prints using flexographic printers. Since we must build traps and distortions into the art for this process, we prefer art in digital format.

File Specification

We prefer files in:

– Encapsulated postscript files (.eps) so we can edit them. 

– Fonts included in the file (or outlined for final output)

– Traps (overprinting of one color over another) at least .5 point wherever close registration of two colors meet. Otherwise, we can’t be responsible for art not registering perfectly. 

– Color scans must be a higher scan resolution of at least 150 dpi. (72 dpi files are not usable.)

– Bitmap files must be in CYMK format and not RGB.

Note: Word Processing files (Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, etc...) are not suitable for quality art and cannot be used as artwork.

Negatives and Hard Copy

We can only accept computer files for use with a 4-color process. 

Negatives and hard copies lose too much detail in the distortion process.