MATERIALS
ADHESIVES: There are hundreds of adhesives available for most any application: permanent, removable, cold temperature, freezer temperature, etc. Also, many specialized adhesives can be special ordered such as tire adhesives-aggressive and used on tires. There are adhesives for outside cold temperatures, automotive industry, and humidity applications. There are various thicknesses of adhesives that work under different applications. Your customer service representative can help identify which adhesive will work for your particular requirement.
Label Systems strongly recommends you request samples to test so you can be assured your selection will work for you. We also can do a test run (at a nominal charge) if you require a test of your exact label to insure your success on a larger order. Please discuss this option with your sales person.
COVER-UP: material designed with an opaque backing to prevent "show through" when used as a cover-up label.
FLUORESCENT: brightly colored; matte surface comes in red, pink, orange, green and chartreuse. Materials are paper with permanent adhesive and are excellent choices for an eye-catching label. Commonly used for price stickers. You may choose to print fluorescent inks on a white material.
FOIL: An aluminum foil laminated to a white craft base sheet, with an acrylic top coating for printability. Good printing with solvent or water-based flexographic inks. Not recommended for imprinting.
FREEZER TEMP: designed to withstand the demands of cold temperatures such as refrigerator and freezers.
GLOSS: a highly calendered, coated, one-sided paper designed for premium process printing performance. The facesheet offers very high gloss, uniform surface smoothness and ink holdout, making it an ideal choice for high fidelity halftone printing jobs.
INKS: Flexographic printing can involve a variety of inks. Water-based inks are our most commonly used, however we also accommodate solvent based inks. Fluorescent inks offer bright "neon" type colors while our UV (ultraviolet) inks offer longevity and outdoor/fade resistance.
LAMINATIONS: Polyester over-laminating film provides a protective film finish to your label. A variety of finishes range from matte to brilliant gloss. Laminates also offer a solvent and abrasion resistant finish to labels.
LASER: a paper specifically designed to allow additional printing through a laser printer.
MATTE: A premium coated face stock with excellent ink receptivity, opacity and scanning characteristics.
MYLAR: A polyester film used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency and electrical insulation properties. Mylar can be aluminized, allowing reflection of up to 99% of light and heat. Like aluminum foil, Mylar has a shiny reflective side and a dull side.
NON-ADHESIVE: Papers having no adhesive whatsoever.
PAPER: Comes in a variety from semi-gloss, gloss, matte litho and thermal transfer to silver and gold foils and five fluorescent colors, all with a variety of adhesives to meet your needs.
POLYESTER CLEAR: Strong clear film with good resistance to moisture, solvents, oils, high temperatures. Print treated for ink receptivity. Dimensionally stable.
POLYESTER WHITE: a white polyester with a proprietary top coating compatible with solvent base, water base, flexographic and offset/ letterpress inks.
POLYOLEFIN: A corona treated opaque white flexible polyolefin film, exceptional dimensional stability for use in a wide range of applications, including prime label.
POLYPROPYLENE: A high opacity, biaxially oriented, white polypropylene film with top coating for improved printability Coated backside for improved adhesive anchorage. Designed for use in commanding pressure sensitive applications where superior ink adhesion and opacity are important. High gloss, and good stiffness for automatic label dispensing. Excellent compatibility with UV, aqueous and solvent inks. Prior testing and consultation with ink supplier is recommended.
POLYSTYRENE CLEAR: Moisture resistant clear plastic film. Excellent resistance to fats, oils and greases. Not resistant to solvents or strong acids. Print treated for ink adhesion. Not recommended for outdoor uses.
POLYSTYRENE GLOSS WHITE: Moisture resistant clear plastic film. Excellent resistance to fats, oils and greases. Not resistant to solvents or strong acids. Print treated for ink adhesion. Not recommended for outdoor uses.
PRESSURE SENSITIVE: A paper or man-made material that has adhesive on the back. Pull the liner off and apply pressure to adhere to a surface.
SECURITY MATERIAL: Destructible Paper, a thin material with weak fibers, falls apart when removed. 2 Mil Soft Vinyl, much like destructible paper, shreds apart when removed. Void Material comes in white or silver. When the label is removed, the word VOID appears, showing the label and the product have been tampered with.
SMUDGE PROOF: Paper specifically design to prevent the smudging of ink. Necessary for products needing to run through additional equipment using friction (eg. variable information printers, inkjet & laser printers and possibly some label applicators).
STATIC CLING: A removable, clear, poly material designed to adhere to glass and other smooth surfaces without the use of adhesive, leaving no sticky residue.
THERMAL: To be used with thermal printers which use heat to activate the heat sensitive paper and create an image. Very popular for variable printing applications.
TYVEK: Using a spun-bonded polyolefin, this very durable material is exceptionally tear resistant and light weight. Tyvek is available with or without adhesive.
VINYL: Man-made polyester materials with long durability and flexibility. A variety exist. For more specific vinyl material see pages 2 and 3. Refer to the Poly materials.
WATERPROOF: Materials designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor, underwater or humid conditions.