We’ve had a range of questions lately about vinyl labels, aka bumper stickers, outdoor labels, A-Frame labels, window labels, product labels…. it goes on.
Referred to by many names like labels, stickers, tags, sticky labels, roll labels, decals, pressure sensitive and more… it should be understood that stickers ain’t stickers. Produced to suit the environment they are to be used in, labels come in many variations.
We specialise in full colour printing. So whether you only want black print, a solid colour print or full colour printing, we can do it.
If you are looking to buy printed labels to be used outdoors be sure to let us know where you are using it, on what is it being stuck and how long you need it to last – nothing lasts forever. The longer a label is made to last the more expensive it is.
Labels can experience some diverse conditions and these need to be considered when deciding on the label specifications. Things to consider: Does it need to be fully waterproof or just able to stand rain? Is it facing the sun all day everyday or always in shade? Is it near road traffic, exhaust fumes or other atmospheric pollutants? Will it experience any rough handling like on a bin or industrial setting.
Labels can be broken down into 4 basic parts.
- Adhesive – the sticky stuff on the back of the label that bonds the label media to the parent surface. This could be permanent or removable and formulated to suit the surface, like, Hi-Tack for greasy plastics, or water proof for Wine bottles or just a standard goo for general use.
- Media – what the label is made of. Depending on the use case like location, life span required and environmental factors…. a label can be made of paper, polyester, monomeric vinyl, high quality polymeric vinyl or even Mylar for extremely hot conditions.
- Printed image, ink or toner – what the image is printed with. Generally speaking most of our outdoor labels will be printed using a wide format printer. This means UV solvent or latex inks. Again the technology chosen will suit the material being printed on and the life span you need from the label. Occasionally we will print labels using our Colour Laser Printer. This is an option for people looking for a few months up to a year out of their label.
- Laminate or Varnish – an over coat to protect the label media and the printed image. 9 times out of 10 we will laminate our outdoor vinyl labels. It doesn’t cost much and will extend the life of your label a long time. Laminates protect the media and the printed image from UV, water and atmospheric pollutants. Laminates are see through synthetic material that comes in matt or gloss and standard or long life. Varnish is applied in a liquid form and generally applied to labels that do not need to last all that long.
Outdoor labels can be expensive. As you increase the demands on the label you also add to the cost so its wise to take some time to ask yourself how long you need it to last, where it it is being used, in what environmental conditions and if it will see any rough handling.
With this knowledge we can give you a quote that will meet your needs and not cost you unnecessarily.
