Self-adhesive labels
Self-adhesive labels are currently the most often used in the process of marking goods and identifying products. The advantage of self-adhesive labels is primarily the ease of application and compatibility with almost every type of surface to which they are attached. Self-adhesive labels are widely used in various fields of the economy. However, they are first and foremost choice in trade, logistics and production.
What is an adhesive label?
Self-adhesive label is a sticker with a layered construction. It is made of usable (top) material – i.e. a substrate with a print, an adhesive layer and a primer with a silicone layer, which is the carrier of the label. It is mainly produced in the form of sheets (e.g. A4 labels) or rolls (so-called roll labels located on a continuous backing sheet that is wrapped around the core).
Self-adhesive label and its forms
Self-adhesive label can be in single or multi-layer form. When it comes to the latter, we can distinguish three main types: booklet labels – in the form of a laminated booklet from the top, sandwich labels – double-layer silicone stickers and peel off labels – openable double- or three-layer foil self-adhesive stickers, with thicker paper.
The top layer of the label can be made of various raw materials. The most commonly used paper has various appearance (white, colored, smooth, rough, matte, glossy). Materials such as aluminum foil, plastics, laminate are also used. When selecting the surface layer, raw material, tear resistance and printability are very important parameters. The facestock must therefore not only work with a silicone substrate and adhesive to allow easy application of the label, but also provide good paint adhesion and refinement.
To apply the labels, the facestock with adhesive are separated from theliner, and then stuckto the surface with a light pressure. Activation of the adhesive label does not require heat, water or solvent. Depending on the purpose, to increase resistance to external factors such as moisture, temperature fluctuations or chemicals, the structure of the adhesive label can be enriched with additional coatings.
Application of self-adhesive labels
Self-adhesive labels are used in various industries for countless applications. They are mainly used in food industry, for which they are produced mainly by means of flexographic printing (an economical medium-quality printing method based on fast-drying liquid paints), or cosmetic industry, in which much more attention is paid to the quality of printing, so, offset method is used (the paints used are highly sticky and fixed as a result of soaking and polymerization). Self-adhesive labels are also very often used in chemical, pharmaceutical, logistics and industry.
Various applications require specific parameters – specific size, appropriate production material and properly selected adhesive. In order for the label to correctly fulfill its task, it becomes necessary to properly select each feature, which is why the number of available self-adhesive label combinations on the market is huge.
