Label is primarily information appended to a product or its
packaging giving the brand name, information on the product, its usage, safety
instructions, manufacturer’s details, statutory information, prices and now bar
codes that provide a system for track & trace, price information, inventory
control and logistic support. How the label or the required information has
been attached to the product has varied over the ages. The earliest form of
labeling was done by etching, embossing or stamping brands and information
directly on glass or metal containers. Labels have been in use for hundreds of
years but labels as we know today have evolved largely after the 17th
century. Printing originated in China in the 11th century and was further
developed in Korea in the 12th century but a wooden block printing press
for mass printing was invented by a German Johannes Gutenberg in
the mid-15th century. It was only in the
earlier part of 18th century that printed paper labels surfaced as a
possibility but since adhesives to affix these labels were not available, their
usage started later. By then lithography had developed, so directly metal
printed containers started being used for packing and canning. Many products
are still packed with modern canning processes using metal cans printed with
the lithographic printing process. It was only in the 19th century
that printed paper based labels started being used for labeling and packaging
using natural gum based adhesive to stick the paper labels to glass, metal or
paper based containers and packaging. These labels in an evolving label
scenario are now referred to as Wet Glue Labels.
With increasing levels of literacy,
growing population and growth of packaged products, mass production in
factories has become an imperative. New glass, paper, metal and plastic based
packages are being developed to catch the eye of demanding consumers. The
aesthetics are enhanced by affixing colourful and attractive labels. Faster
labeling and packaging methods evolved as also the need to have highly
decorated labels to service the need of consumers. Driven by this demand labels
have evolved into different tangents. Diverse and technical labeling
technologies have emerged. Listed below are some of the prominent technologies
that labels have presently evolved into;
- Pre printed labels on metal container
- Wet Glue Labels
- Self Adhesive Labels
- Self adhesive Liner less Labels
- Heat Transfer Labels
- Direct on product screen printed labels
- Contact printing and stenciling
- Laser engraved labels
- Metal anodized labels
- Shrink Sleeves
- In Mould Label
- Digital: Direct on product Labels
- 3D Printed labels
Pre printed labels on
metal containers: Metal
containers or cans are made from tin plate (steel
covered in a thin tin layer)
or of Aluminum and steel coated with a lacquer. The labeling is done in any of
the three different ways listed below; - Metal tinplate sheets are printed by offset process and then converted into containers.
- Preformed round metal containers are printed using a curved surface printing machine. Each color of ink is placed on a different (plastic letterpress) plate, and then transferred to a single rubber blanket which re-transfers the inked image to a can allowing all colors to be printed at a time followed by ink curing and varnishing.
- Preprinted labels of paper, film or foil are laminated to preformed cans. These labels can be printed by, flexo, offset, gravure, or digital printing processes. These can be highly decorated on high end hybrid narrow web presses having advanced finishing capabilities. These labels can be applied as full wrap around labels or part labels with the balance surface left coated to show a metallic lustrous effect.
Wet Glue Labels: These labels are also referred to as glue applied labels. These formed the mainstay
of product labeling until well
into the middle of last century. Labels initially printed on letter press
machines and later on offset presses, were gummed manually and applied to the
bottles or containers. In 1880 De La Rue
came up with a machine for gumming labels but this had a problem as paper
labels would curl as soon as they would come out with gum applied on it making
it difficult to handle. From my personal
experience I can cite example of how our company adapted to manual gumming of
labels. Our parent company was established in 1939 to produce fountain pen inks
and office adhesive that were packed in glass bottles. To achieve optimum level
of production we devised an interesting method of applying glue and labeling.
Those days the final packing was done in wooden cases, corrugated boxes came
much later. We took a wooden crate and turned it upside down, spread a full
roll of surgical cotton on it and then covered it with a thick cotton cloth
that was tightly fixed by nailing it all around. This was then dipped into
water overnight with its face downwards. In the morning we would squeeze out
the water and our gumming pad was ready. A thin solution in water of natural gum
(Gum Acacia) that grows on trees was applied on the pad and then labels spread
on it. We would have the unlabelled bottles on one side of this pad and with a
little gum on the finger, which made it a little tacky, lift the evenly gummed label
off the pad and place it on the bottle without any curl and put on the other
side for further packaging. Subsequently
with development of high solid faster drying Dextrin based adhesive automatic
machines to apply gum and dispense labels to the bottles were developed. This
made large scale production on automated production lines possible.
Direct on product
screen printed labels: Screen printing saw growth in the Indian label scenario in the middle of
last century. A lot of consumer product that shifted from glass to plastic
packaging also opted for screen printed containers. However this did not last
for many years as self adhesive labels with the high end decoration they
offered soon became the preferred option. However screen printing on container
is still in use but has limited application.
Self Adhesive Labels: In 1935 “Ray Stanton Avery”
developed the self adhesive label also referred
to as Sticker or Pressure
Sensitive Label. This label revolutionized the way how the world branded and
labeled their products. The label basically consists of a face stock which
could be paper film or foil, coated with a tacky non drying adhesive and
protected with a backing also referred to as release liner. The label after
printing and die cutting just needs to be lifted off the release liner and
placed on the product achieving instant bond on applying pressure, unlike the
wet glue labels that need drying after application otherwise they would shift
and look bad. The self adhesive label industry has over the years evolved to
offer a diverse range of labels catering to various industries and applications
that include fmcg products, lubricants, cosmetics, food, Pharmaceuticals, variable information, logistics, brand
protection, etc. In the initial years these labels were printed and die-cut on slow
flat bed letterpress presses and with time they are now printed on high speed
flexo rotary or combination label presses with capability to decorate and
finish the labels in line in a single pass delivering finished labels at the
end of the line. These labels are used on high speed label dispensing machines
adding to production volumes for end user.
Self adhesive Liner
less Labels: Self
adhesive labels as described above have an issue as regards the
environment.
The release liner and waste matrix after die cutting is not generally recyclable,
though efforts are being made in this direction. This waste goes either to the
landfills or is incinerated impacting the environment adversely in both cases. Moreover
if the liner can be done away with while converting this type of label, it will
amount to cost saving and become eco friendly. Considerable amount of work has
been done in this direction and various options are now available. The simplest
one being to make a tape like product printed, and siliconised on one side and
adhesive coated on the reverse and self wound. However these labels that can be
cut with sharp corners, cannot be die cut and dispensed in regular labeling
equipment. Many European and US based food companies are already using such liner
less labels. There is development being done to overcome the challenges of die-cutting
complex shapes and dispensing cost effectively.
Heat Transfer Labels: PET film that is precoated with
special release lacquer is reverse printed by flexo, offset or gravure to form
labels in roll form. The image is transferred onto the container or product
using heat and pressure. The labels are a composition of inks and lacquers
selected so as to perform to customer’s specific needs. On transfer these
labels are just the image and no substrate is transferred. Many years ago Mumbai
headquartered Paper Products Limited (now Huhtamaki PPL) commissioned this
technology known as “Therimage” with help of Avery Dennison. Later with self
adhesive label emerging as very decorative in presentation, this technology
lost its popularity. In recent times it has resurfaced. It is extensively being
used by the pen industry.It is now being extended to garments and other product segments.
Contact printing and stenciling: In present times even the corrugated shipper cartons bear self
adhesive labels
needed for identification, inventory control and logistic requirements. In
earlier days as I mentioned, wooden cases were used as shipper cartons. People
would write on them using marker pens but when need for aesthetics became
important stencils were made of tin plate. They were placed on the wooden cases
and ink brushed over them to imprint the required information. Later when
corrugated boxes started to be used for final packaging, roller contact
printers with changeable rubber types and foam ink rolls were available to
print the information that could be changed by changing the type faces as per
need. Once corrugated cartons replaced the bulk of outer packaging, these
cartons started to be printed and self adhesive labels applied, if needed.
Stenciling is still used where wooden crates are required for final packaging.
Laser engraved labels: Steel or other metal auto components,
like bearings need to be branded, they cannot be labeled with paper or film
labels. Only the secondary packaging can be branded, this can amount to
duplication and counterfeits. For this reason laser engraved branding is
preferred. A laser beam which
is a very small, focused point of laser power effectively superheats a tiny
point of a surface and removes part of the surface, creating a permanent
engraving. This beam of light is controlled and moved to create a brand name or
permanent design.
Metal anodized labels: These labels are used in
applications where permanent product identification
is critical such as
equipment nameplates, signage, safety/warning plates, machine control panels,
etc. Abrasion and corrosion resistance anodized aluminum labels are produced by
chemical etching on photo sensitive anodized Aluminum. These are mostly riveted
on to the equipment or panels as they are required to last most of the life
time of the equipment.
Shrink Sleeves: Shrink sleeves offer 360 degrees
space for decoration and product information. They are made of either of these
materials; Polyester, PE, PVC or PP. Pre printed film is welded to form a tube,
cut to desired size of the bottle or container and applied over it. It is then
exposed to a heat gun or passed through a heated shrink tunnel for the tube to
shrink and attain the form of the bottle or container providing all around
decoration. Shrink sleeve labels originated in 1965 and invented by Fuji Carpentry
shop that were later named as Fuji Seal. The actual large scale usage of these
sleeve labels commenced in the mid 1980s. According to Suresh Gupta Chairman of
Huhtamaki PPL, shrink sleeves were brought to the Indian market in 1991 when
Paper Products Limited (now Huhtamaki PPL), set up the plant with help from
Fuji Film to make these in India. This segment continues to register a steady
growth rate. Global growth is 6-7% but in India it is slightly more, given the
size of the market. In India these are largely printed on gravure printing
presses. However in recent times, in an effort to cater to short run customers
who maybe large customers doing special editions or small and medium
enterprises, printing is also being done on flexo presses and in some cases on
digital label presses.
In Mould Labels: Paper or film printed labels (mostly
filmic) are placed inside the moulds during
the molding process. After placing
the label, molten plastic is injected into the mould. On cooling the label is
fused with the resin, takes the shape of the so molded container and becomes an
integral part of it. The labels referred to as IML can be printed and decorated
by any of the processes i.e. Offset, Flexo Gravure or digital. The end result
is a highly decorated container. These IML applied containers are used for Ice
cream, butter, paints, food packaging, etc. According to research firm
MarketsandMarkets, the global in-mold label (IML) market is projected to grow
from $2.58 Billion in 2015 to
$3.23 Billion by 2020, at an estimated CAGR of 4.54%. It is the fastest
growing segment amongst the various label segments.
Digital, direct on
product Labels: Digital
printing has made its presence in all variants of label
printing and
converting. From wet glue to self adhesive and in mould labels, digital
printing is making inroads everywhere. Some years ago when I was interviewing
Helmut Schreiner, the former Chairman of Schreiner Group, I asked him, “What do
you see as the biggest threat to self adhesive label industry?” He became
pensive and after deep thinking said, “It will be digital printing direct on
the product”! It makes a lot of sense as we see the market slowly evolving in
that direction. This will open up a whole lot of opportunities for the brand
owners. No paper, no silicone, no adhesive, no dies, no tooling and yet the
option to indulge in personalization and creativity! According to AlexanderWatson Associates, “It may, indeed, be a disruptive technology”. Direct to
digital has been around for some time printing on textiles and ceramics. It is
commonplace to see digitally printed fabrics and ceramic tiles. It has started
to make inroads into the consumer product market and we need to wait and watch where
it leads to.
3D Printed labels: This is another technology which may
see computer controlled 3D characters and images on products and labels. It
will make the imagination go wild on what all can be created. It is a process
in which layers of material are formed under computer control process to create
an object that can be of almost any shape formed by deposits of binder material
onto a powder bed with inkjet printer heads layer by layer.
The evolution of labels has created a whole bouquet of technologies which still keep coming up in new avatars. No one technology can become the predominant one for label production. With labels diversifying into different tangents, label printers need to select the way forward so as to stay innovative and ahead of time. It is surely time to emerge out of the crowd and create a separate visible entity.
Written Exclusively for Label and Narrow Web magazine USA by Harveer Sahni, Chairman Weldon Celloplast Limited,
New Delhi November 2017. The article may not be reproduced without the magazine's or the author's permission.
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