Custom Printed Labels.

Digital suits short runs and many versions, and flexo wins on long runs of a single design. Digital has no plates, so each extra version adds nothing to setup. Flexo pays for plates per colour per version, then runs very cheaply on a fast web.

The print method sets cost, minimum, colour and lead time together, so it is the first decision on any label order.

For a single design, the crossover usually sits somewhere above 10,000 labels. Version count moves it a long way, and a job split into twelve variants crosses much later because each variant needs its own plates.

Ask us for both prices in writing on any run near that line. A supplier's preferred press should not decide your label budget.

Letterpress presses the image into a soft, thick stock, leaving an impression you can feel with a thumb. Wine and craft brands use it for tiers where the label is meant to be touched.

It suits simple artwork with one or two solid colours. Fine gradients and photographs are better handled on digital.

We choose facestock and adhesive by testing on the real container, once the print method is fixed. Paper facestocks come coated, uncoated or textured, and films run from PP and PE to polyester for tougher use.

The adhesive range covers permanent, removable, high-tack and freezer grades. The wrong adhesive is the commonest reason a label fails, ahead of the wrong print method.

Gloss, matte or soft-touch laminate goes over the print for protection and feel. Hot foil gives the crispest metallic edge, while cold foil can carry colour printed over it for gradients.

Spot UV adds selective gloss, and embossing raises part of the design within the die. Variable data such as serial numbers adds nothing to a digital setup but is costly on flexo.

We cut labels to any die size and supply them on sheets, on rolls or in specialty formats. Rolls are the choice for machine application, and the liner, paper or film, is picked to suit the applicator.

For hand application, sheets are quicker to peel and easier to keep tidy on a packing bench.

Our label minimum is 500, and digital printing handles several versions within an order because there are no plates to change. A new design only changes the file the press prints.

On flexo every added version brings its own plate set, so version splits only make sense there at much higher volumes.

Labels are ready 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof. When a launch date is close, rush printing takes 5 to 7 business days.

For a new facestock or adhesive, order a sample in 5 to 7 business days and stick it to the real surface first. The sample fee counts toward your production order, and we ship anywhere in the USA.