When ordering label stock
An important consideration when ordering label stock is the type of printer that will be used. Some examples of printer types are laser, inkjet, offset lithography, silk screening, direct or thermal transfer and flexographic. Each of these methods has their own set of demands that should be taken into consideration when selecting a label stock to print on.
Let’s discuss these printing methods and look at their differences to understand what characteristics we need to look for when buying label paper and film.
Laser Printers
In recent years, laser printers have brought to the desktop the same technology previously available only to larger offices and commercial shops. Laser printers use a dry powder toner to create an image. The dry toner is applied to the sheet which is then squeezed between heated rollers. Basically, you are ironing the dry powder onto the sheet. Good toner adhesion is one of the characteristics to look for when selecting label stock for laser printers. A scratch test is used to see how well toner sticks to the surface. The Laser Printer Label category on PressLabel.com specifies label paper and film that is specifically designed for good toner adhesion
Laser printers sometimes require the sheet to turn very sharply on a path of and rollers and conveyers. The ability of the sheet to bend without jamming is another characteristic of label sheets designed for laser printers. A lighter liner makes this possible. The label paper and film in the Laser Printer Label category on PressLabel.com are specifically designed lighter liners to run well through laser printers without jamming.
Laser printers have heated fuser rollers that can soften the adhesive on pressure sensitive label sheets. Maintenance issues can result if adhesive residue from the edge of the sheet builds up. The Laser Printer Labels on PressLabel.com are made with adhesives that remain stable at higher temperatures.
Laser toner is generally water resistant and does not smear when wet. Synthetic label materials like adhesive vinyl and polyester can be run on a laser printer to create waterproof labels. The Laser Film (Outdoor) category features waterproof label film that can be run on laser printers. Please note that synthetics may not work on some laser printers. For example, vinyl, because it is so flexible, requires a heavier liner to carry it through a laser printer.
The best way to see how well a label stock will run on your laser printer is to do a test run on your particular machine. When testing, care should be taken to avoid jams. Run just one sheet with a few words of small text. This will tell you whether the sheet will feed through the machine and if the toner will stick. If you are satisfied with the result, try a small photo and some text at the highest resolution. This will tell you how high the quality can be. From there you might try heavier coverage. Very heavy coverage can be difficult for any printing method, so take into consideration the limitations of the process and avoid damaging your machine.
In conclusion, a laser label should have good toner adhesion, a flexible liner and an adhesive that is stable at higher temperatures. All the label materials featured in the Laser Printer Label category on PressLabel.com have been carefully fabricated to exhibit these characteristics.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printing has brought full color printing to the desktops of millions of offices. The print quality of some inkjet printers can rival a professionally developed photo. There is no doubt inkjet printing, when combined with photo quality inkjet paper can be simply stunning.
Inkjet printers work by spraying ultra fine particles of liquid ink onto the sheet. The ink must be able to dry properly to produce a quality result. The label materials in the Inkjet Printer Label category on PressLabel.com are designed to dry properly with inkjet inks. The Premium Laser – Inkjet – Copier Labels work on both laser and inkjet printers.
In order to get the highest quality from an inkjet printer, photo quality paper must be used. PressLabel.com offers photo quality inkjet paper that is pressure sensitive. In addition to being photo quality, the Inkjet White Gloss (IJWG ) surface is treated so the ink will not smear when exposed to wet hands and will not lose the image, even when submerged.
Inkjet printers labels need thinner liners so the sheet is flexible enough to complete a cycle with sharp turns. The label materials listed in the Inkjet Printer Label category of PressLabel.com are designed with thinner liners specifically for this task.
Inkjet printing ink dye does not last very long in bright sunlight and is not recommended for outdoor labeling. Depending upon the ink, a few weeks might work, but soon the colors will fade and just the black ink will remain a while longer. Pigment based inks are said to last longer. For outdoor applications we recommend Laser Film (Outdoor).
The Inkjet Printer Labels category features the 12 most popular sizes of die-cut label sheets plus photo quality water-fast gloss adhesive paper. We are confident you will be pleased with these materials.
Offset Printing
Offset printing is economical on long runs and is capable of producing extremely high quality multi-color, process color, color matching and metallic ink printing. Set up and plate costs can be outweighed by high speed and low cost per impression.
Offset printing presses primarily use suction to pick up the sheet and feed it into the press. Therefore, a sheet that lays flat is desirable for offset printing because it will tend to run trouble free as opposed to a sheet with a curl. PressLabel.com offers the Spinnaker Coating brand of offset printing labels that use a heavy weight 78# lay flat liner designed for offset printing. Lay-flat liners are available in Strip-Tac Plus®, which has splits every 1-1/4 inch for easy crack and peel even when cut down to smaller sizes, and 0-Split No Print, that is ideal for jobs that will be die-cut or where splits are not desired.
Spinnaker Coating is committed to quality and produces only premium pressure sensitive materials. Spinnaker Coating has been awarded contracts with the U.S. Post Office to provide label stock for self adhesive postage stamps. Their commitment to quality, consistency, dependable delivery and excellent pricing makes Spinnaker Coating pressure sensitive labels an excellent choice.
The Spinnaker Coating line includes sheet sizes of 17-1/4 x 22-1/4. Since offset printing presses grip the leading edge of the sheet to pull it through the machine, this slightly larger sheet yields 8-/12 x 11, 4-Up plus provides trim space for the gripper area. This can be very important if the image runs to the edge and bleeds on some standard sizes.
The Spinnaker Coating line includes gloss, semi-gloss, matte, offset, cover-up, tag, Diversiprint®, fluorescent colors, Cougar Opaque, Finch Fine, silver and gold foil, vinyl and polyester face stocks |
