Frequently Asked Questions
about Integrated Labels
Over the past few years, there have been many
changes in the world of printing, with huge technological
advances in the products that are on offer.
If one was to be asked to single out a particular area that has
evolved or advanced the most, possibly the area that would have
to highlighted is the Integrated Label market. What was originally
perceived as being a bit of a pipe dream in trying to combine
a single sheet of paper with either a label or a card or indeed
other integrated options is now very much a reality, in fact it
is now very much an application that is used in all of our lives,
each and every day.
Once the form is delivered it can take
on any number of guises and this is where the title of this
article comes from, but from a production point of view, creating
a label from the form saves label and press operations, it’s able to offer a near press-perfect
registration and at the end of it provides laser printer compatibility.
Simple questions are often asked regarding paper quality and weights;
this is as simple as it is varied, there are many many different
permutations which means the right option can be found in all
instances for your own application. The size and position of the
label is another topic which is regularly discussed; again this
is easy because as long as you can allow a 5mm selvedge to the
edge of the sheet of paper on 2 edges of the paper (this is for
the backing sheet), you can place your label just about anywhere
on the sheet and make it any size – In fact how about this
for a crazy notion? You can have any number of labels
all different shapes and sizes, positioned all on the same sheet.
Once you have decided on the size and position of the label you
need to be clear as to what you intend using the label for, to
determine what kind of adhesive you require. For instance, if
you are using these labels to stick onto a box that needs to be
sent through the post or via an alternative carrier, you would
probably decide on a standard permanent adhesive, something that
if treated correctly should not come off in transit. Alternatively,
if you are using your integrated label in an office environment
per say, you may need to peel the label off of its first home
and re-use the item it was stuck on to again; in this case you
would go for a more suitable peelable adhesive. All that remains
is the printing (or maybe leaving the sheet and label plain),
this again offers almost limitless options, what an integral label
does offer you however is perfect colour registration between
the letter and the label as both are printed in the same pass
through the press.
The integrated label has many different
guises to offer you; even manufacturers themselves are discovering
almost daily of new ways in which they are used, you may in
fact not be aware but I would imagine that without knowing it
yourself, you have been directly “targeted” with a piece of mail that
has an integrated label. Think back to the last time you received
a new pin number from your bank or a membership offer to a club – you
may be surprised?
