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?