A pressure-sensitive label begins as a laminate: printable facestock, adhesive and release liner. It is normally printed in a narrow web, decorated and cut to shape before the unused surrounding matrix is removed and the labels are rewound.
Printing and decoration
Flexography is a productive route for established designs and uses plates to transfer fast-drying ink. Digital toner and inkjet presses remove the plate step and make shorter runs, frequent changes and variable information practical. Hybrid lines combine digital imaging with flexographic white, varnish, foil or other inline units.
Registration must hold across colours, coatings and the die-cut. Opaque white may be required on clear film. Varnish or laminate can protect an image from moisture, chemicals and abrasion.
A converted system
The die should cut the facestock without damaging the liner, while matrix stripping depends on label shape, gap, speed and material strength. Finished rolls must match the applicator’s unwind direction, core and outside diameter. Good label production therefore starts with the application: container surface, temperature, squeeze, exposure, dispensing speed and end-of-life route all influence the construction chosen for print.
