Material guide
Most material comparisons start with the material name. That is the wrong place to start, because a stock is only right or wrong against a surface and an environment. The same BOPP that is the obvious answer for a bottle in a chiller is the wrong answer for a dry carton in a warm warehouse.
Answer these before you look at a material name and most of the catalogue falls away on its own.
Glass, rigid PET, aluminium, corrugated board, a textured plastic and a woven fabric each hold an adhesive differently. A smooth rigid surface lets you choose on looks; a textured or curved one constrains the construction, and sometimes the answer is a construction we have to develop rather than a stock we can pull off the shelf.
Paper drinks condensation. Films do not. Oil and alcohol attack some adhesives and leave others alone. This is the question that most often rules paper out entirely, and it is cheaper to answer before you choose a print process than after.
A permanent bond and a cleanly removable one are different products. Ask what "removed" means for your application — peeled off by the end user, or taken off by your own line at the end of a cycle — because that decides whether a removable pressure-sensitive adhesive is acceptable or whether you are designing a liner.
Digital printing carries the cost in the press; flexographic carries it in the plate and cylinder. The break-even moves with colour count and run length, and it moves the recommendation as well — a short run of a metallic stock may be cheaper digitally than the tooling implies.
What each one is for, and the case against it. The line under "not when" matters more than the one above it — it is what saves a trial run.
The economical default. Excellent colour and print detail for dry, indoor packs.
Dry, indoor, short shelf life.Not when: Anything that sweats, freezes or carries oil. Paper is the wrong answer the moment condensation is involved — it is not a matter of how good the varnish is.
Waterproof and tear-resistant. The standard for bottles, cans and chilled drinks.
Bottles, cans, chilled drinks, anything wet.Not when: Sharp or heavily textured surfaces where a film can lift at the edge. Also the wrong choice where a genuinely scratch-resistant surface is needed and PET is the better base.
Thin, strong and chemically resistant. Holds detail in clear and metallic grades.
Thin, strong and chemically resistant. Clear or metallic grades.Not when: Very heavy die-cut shapes on thin film can web or tear at the cut. Tell us the shape and we will say so before we quote.
Durable, oil-resistant and waterproof. Takes a die-cut shape cleanly.
Oil, water, durable outdoor use, and custom die-cut shapes.Not when: Food-contact applications without the right declaration, and buyers who need a recyclability claim. Tell us the application and we will confirm what we can document.
Uncoated, textured and recyclable. A natural look for craft and organic brands.
A natural, uncoated, recyclable look for craft and organic brands.Not when: Wet applications, and fine print — the texture eats detail and small type goes soft at normal reading distance.
A brushed metallic surface that gives a technical, premium read.
A brushed metallic surface for a technical or premium read.Not when: When the surface itself has to read as natural. It is a finish, not a colour.
Duo-tone and diffraction film for visible anti-counterfeit effect.
Visible anti-counterfeit effect, duo-tone and diffraction film.Not when: When you need the security to be invisible. It cannot be.
Carries variable codes applied at packing time, no second print pass.
Variable data printed on the same pass — logistics and shipping labels.Not when: Long-term archival records. Thermal stock is not built for it.
Both are films and both handle moisture; they differ in stiffness and in what they resist. BOPP is the volume choice for bottles, cans and chilled drinks. PET is thinner, stiffer and markedly more chemical-resistant, and it holds detail in clear and metallic grades — which is why it appears where the surface is hostile or the look has to stay crisp. If condensation is the problem, either works; if chemical exposure or fine detail is, PET does.
Film, if there is moisture, oil, alcohol, cold or a long shelf life. Paper, if the pack is dry, indoors, and you want the lowest cost and a printable uncoated feel. This is the shortest way to narrow a quote down to two stocks.
It depends entirely on the surface and the removal. A clean peel from smooth rigid plastic is straightforward. Peeling from woven fabric, cardboard or a coated surface can leave residue or take fibres with it. We would rather test it on your surface than promise it from a datasheet — and that test is what a sample run is for.
We hold an FSC Chain of Custody certificate covering adhesive labels and can supply FSC 100%, FSC Mix or FSC Recycled material, with the claim printed on your order documentation. Which grade applies to your label depends on the construction we agree with you — tell us the product and we will confirm what is available.
Adhesive grades, micron thicknesses, peel strengths, temperature ranges and shelf-life figures. Those numbers are real, and they are also the ones a label manufacturer is most tempted to round in their own favour. A datasheet that claims a figure nobody tested against your surface is worse than no datasheet, because it stops you asking the question.
What we do instead: propose a construction for your surface, environment and shelf life, and send printed samples so you can test them on your own product. The sample is the specification. Ask for one and it ships with your quotation.
Size, surface, environment, shelf life and roughly how many you need. That is enough for a real answer rather than a price list.
Pricing depends on material, size, quantity and process, so a price always comes from a person — ask our sales team and you will have one within a working day.
