| Acrylic |
Polymer base for pressure sensitive adhesive |
| All-temp |
Adhesive that adheres permanently to surfaces at room temperature and also at colder temperatures
|
| Anti-Block Coating (ABC) |
Coating that may be applied to the back of a label to improve anchorage of adhesive to the label |
| Auto applicator |
Machine used to remove labels from liner and dispense them onto a product or carton |
| Bleached Kraft - BK |
Material that was whitened in the paper making process |
| Bleed |
Ink that extends beyond the cut edge of a label |
| BOPP |
Polypropylene used for face material or liner |
| Butt cutt |
Corners on labels – usually no space or waste between labels |
| Calendared |
Passed over a series of very smooth rollers to improve the surface of material |
| Caliper |
Thickness |
| Coat weight |
Typically refers to the thickness of adhesive on a label |
| Coated |
Smooth surface of paper that has an additive to fill in the natural pores – may be shiny or matte |
| Carrier |
Material that holds labels until use (aka liner) |
| Core |
(Usually) fiber tube that holds roll labels – label cores typically have 1/8” thick “walls”
|
| Cross-grain |
Opposite of machine direction, refers to across the grain of material vs in the direction of the grain (aka cross-web) |
| Cross-web |
Opposite of machine direction, refers to across the grain of material vs in the direction of the grain (aka cross-grain) |
| Cusps |
Rounded corners on labels that have been butted together |
| Cut |
Portion of a perforation that have been cut on press |
| Die Cut |
1. Rounded corners on labels
2. Any cut through the label material |
| Digital |
Method of printing that uses computer generated graphics |
| Direct Thermal |
Computer generated printing process characterized by electronically heated printhead that activates the surface of a specially designed label material to create an image |
| Dot Matrix |
Computer generated printing process characterized by electronically activated pins striking an ink soaked ribbon against a label surface to create an image – typically requires labels mounted on a pinfeed carrier |
| Emulsion |
Label industry, refers to a mixture that suspends adhesive components for ease of coating to the label material |
| Face |
Label material portion of a label |
| Film |
1. Any synthetic polymer (plastic or vinyl) material used as a face material
2. Thermal transfer ribbon |
| Flagging |
Edge of a label that lifts off the surface after application |
| Flexo |
Flexographic printing process |
| Fluorescent |
Bright color (aka radiant or neon) – does not indicate ability to glow in the dark |
| Freezer |
Adhesive that adheres permanently at very cold temperatures |
| Gloss |
Very smooth, very shiny surface of a label (aka high gloss) |
| Grain |
Orientation of fibers in paper, typically in the direction of the web
|
| Halo |
Faint outline around edges of a printed image |
| High Density |
Paper extremely compressed to become harder |
| High Gloss |
Very smooth, very shiny surface of a label (aka high gloss) |
| Hot Melt |
100% solid adhesive is heated to ease coating to label material |
| ID |
Inside diameter – refers to the inside dimension of a core or roll of labels |
| Ink Jet |
Computer generated printing process characterized by liquid ink dispensed onto a label surface to create an image |
| Initial Tack |
Degree of adhesion developed immediately after application |
| Label |
Refers to the face material and adhesive (combination) |
| Label Presenter |
Machine designed to remove the liner from the leading edge of a label making it faster and easier to lift the label by hand |
| Label Repeat |
Measurement that includes the label and space between (measure from the top of one label to top of next label) |
| Laser |
Computer generated printing process characterized by finely ground particles attracted and adhered to a label surface to create an image |
| Layflat LF |
Paper liner with critically controlled moisture content to improve flatness characteristic |
| Letterpress |
Method of printing – thick ink is applied to metal or hard polymer type (letters) which strike a label surface to create an image |
| Line Color |
Single color (no screens) |
| Liner |
Material that holds a label until use (aka carrier) |
| Litho |
Out-dated term originating in the sheet-fed printing industry that describes paper – does not have a clear meaning in the label industry |
| Machine Finished MF |
Refers to a liner that has been calendared to improve density and stability |
| Mandrel Hold |
Ability of a label (combination of face material and adhesive) to stay adhered when applied around a small diameter |
| Matte |
Non-shiny appearance of surface of label – may or may not be coated |
| Matrix |
Face material around a label – usually removed (aka waste) |
| MD |
In the machine direction, ie. paper machine or press |
| Memory |
Property of a material that attempts to return to its original configuration – this is what causes flagging when a label is applied around a small diameter |
| Metallic |
Appearance of label material that resembles metal |
| Multiple Lots |
More than one “copy” within a label order |
| OD |
Outside diameter – refers to the diameter of a roll of labels |
| Offset |
Method of printing – uses metal plates that transfers paste-like ink onto a rubber-like roller (blanket) which then offsets the ink onto a label surface |
| Olefin |
Family name for a group of synthetic polymer materials used for face materials |
| Opaque |
Non-transparent – often a gray coating on the adhesive side of a label to prevent show-through after a label is applied |
| Over-Impression |
Act of squeezing a plate during the flexo printing process which often creates a halo around a printed image |
| Overlamination |
Typically the application of a clear film over the printed surface of a label |
| Pattern |
Area that does not contain adhesive and/or silicone |
| Perforation |
Cut and hold pattern that allows labels to be neatly torn or burst apart |
| Permanent |
Adhesive that will adhere to a surface for an extended period of time – not intended to allow removal of label – does not imply “forever” |
| PET |
Polyester ie used for face material or liner |
| Pinfeed |
Holes on left and right edges of liner that are used to transport labels through dot matrix or continuous laser printers |
Plate Changes
|
Number of times a new plate is required within a single order – if an order includes multiple lots, either one or more plates will change between copies and/or one or more colors will change between copies |
| Polycoated - PK |
Paper with a thin layer of film permanently laminated to it |
| Pt - Point |
Used to describe thickness – typically of tag materials or of printed lines |
| Radiant |
Bright color (aka fluorescent or neon) - does not indicated ability to glow in the dark |
| Ream |
500 sheets of a set size of paper – resulting weight is typically used to describe face material |
| Release |
Force required to remove a label from the liner |
| Removable |
Adhesive that will adhere to a surface but will allow the label to be removed intact later |
| Repeat |
1. Any subsequent printing of a label after the initial press run
2. Measurement that includes the label and space (measure from top of one label to top of the next label) |
| Repositionable |
Adhesive that adheres to a surface but can be removed and reapplied |
| Residue |
Evidence remaining after a label has been removed – may be pieces of face material or just traces of adhesive |
| Rubber-Based |
Adhesive made from natural or synthetic rubber |
| Screen |
1. Method of printing – uses mesh plates through which thick ink is squeegeed onto label surface
2. Printed dots that create a lighter shade of color |
| SC |
Super-calendared |
| Semi-Gloss |
Smooth, somewhat shiny (but may be mottled) surface of a label |
| Sheer |
Force required to slide label in a parallel direction from an application surface |
| Silicone |
Slick coating applied to liners that allows labels to be removed |
| Solid Color |
Color (no screens) |
| Substrate |
Surface to which a label is applied |
| Super-calendared kraft - SCK |
Generally refers to the liner – a paper material that has been passed over a series of very smooth rolls to make it more dense |
| Tear |
Measurement of force required to tear a label (aka tensile) |
| Thermal Transfer |
Computer generated printing process characterized by electronically heated printhead that melts wax or resin onto a label to create an image |
| Throat |
Typically the width of the opening in a thermal printer for the label to pass through (aka media width) |
| Tie |
Uncut portion of a perforation (aka hold) |
| Tensile |
Force required to break a given width and length of paper when pulled in a parallel direction |
| TPI |
Teeth per inch – refers to the number of cuts on a perforation |
| Uncoated |
Porous surface of paper |
| Ultra-Removable |
Adhesive that adheres to a surface but can be easily and cleanly removed at any later date |
| UV |
Ultra-violet – often refers to varnishes or ink that are cured (dried) using ultra-violet light |
| Vinyl |
Specific material used for labels – often misused as a generic term to describe a non-paper label |
| Wash Ups |
Number of times a color changes within a single order, after the first copy |
| Waste |
Label material removed from the liner (aka matrix) |
| Wind Direction |
Orientation of printing on a roll label – referenced by corresponding number on label industry standard wind direction chart |
| Winged Up |
Edges of labels that lift off the surface after application – often when applied around small diameters |
| 4 Color Process |
Printing with yellow, magenta, cyan and black, using screens to create all other colors |
| #40 |
General designation for approximately .002+ thick liner material commonly used for roll labels |
| #50 |
General designation for approximately .003+ thick liner material commonly used for pinfeed and sheeted labels |