Most cans and some bottles come pre-branded or labeled. The date the beer was bottled and also a “best before” date (three months after the bottling date) are printed on the label.
1) Cut and Stack (C & S) Labels are an economical way to decorate many containers for the food and beverage industry. They can provide an economical container decoration with enhanced shelf impact. C&S labels are usually printed digitally on sheets and then cut unto individual labels by precision laser cutters.
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For Cut and Stack labels that come without adhesives, labels are applied to bottles by a glue applicator. This ensures the labels will stick to the bottles securely. The cut labels are “stacked” into the applicator magazine and fed individually onto a series of rollers that apply the hot glue to the back of the label. Each bottle is then directed to the contact point where labels are fed, one by one, onto the passing bottles.
In addition, C&S labels offer a wide variety of options for a label that accurately showcases your brand. Whether you choose to go with a square or die-cut spot label, or a full wrap label for 360° of branding, Cut and Stack labels are another reliable alternative for an operator.
2) Pressure Sensitive Labelers, mainly used with slower lines, feed self-stick labels into the machine from a spool onto the bottle. Successfully getting pressure sensitive labels to adhere to cold wet bottles properly is a constant headache so often operators opt for labeling bottles before filling.
3) Glue Labelers, available in rotary or straight through designs, are usually factory equipped to apply a body label with additional options for neck and/or back labels available. There is often a parts change required to run different bottles and/or labels. Industry experts recommend users chose machines capable of handling their maximum capacity projections and labeling needs because retrofitting to add additional capabilities (i.e.: neck labels on a body-only machine) is seldom financially practical.
A critical consideration when ordering labels is to select an appropriate adherent (glue) for cold, moist bottles so labels permanently stick to the bottles long after the production date.
4) Heat Shrink Labels are labels that are applied to a container and shrunk-fit to the contours of the container by way of an electric or steam heat process.
Shrink Sleeves offer specifically designed product labels with a variety of colors, special effects, pictures, special shades for your individual product concept and marketing strategy. Depending upon the speed and method of heat, equipment costs can sometimes be restrictive for some operators. Typically, shrink sleeve equipment exceeds the cost of pressure sensitive labelers but with high consumption, shrink sleeve labels are often less expensive than PS labels.
Benefits of Shrink Sleeves:
– Allows for complete decoration (full-body 360° labeling)
– Suitable for metal, glass and plastic packaging containers.
– Special effects such as thermo/photo/relief and metallic effects enhance appeal.
– Optimally suited for tamper evident seals (freshness seals/security seals), promotional effects and full-body labeling
Heat Shrink Sleeves are perfect if you are looking for:
– Shelf impact.
– High quality decoration.
– Decoration of an unusual shape.
– Suitability for all substrates – metal, glass and plastic.