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Email: slbprinting@gmail.com

2818 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034

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Guide to Choosing the Right Sticker and Label Material

By: Shelby

When the call comes in asking us to print stickers we begin by asking a few questions.  If it’s determined that the quantity and turnaround needed is short run and fastest production, we  use our digital short run presses to get the job done. 

The materials we use on these short run presses is what I’d like to talk about today. So let’s start with a list of what’s in stock at our shop. Choosing what label material to use is a very important decision that will lead to a successful label job. That’s why I’ve written this guide to choosing the right sticker material.

Sticker / Label Material We Keep in Stock and Their Most Common Uses:

Vinyl Label choices:

White Vinyl Label – Used for any type of wet application or for longer shelf life of the label.  The label has good image reproduction ability and can easily be contour cut to a custom shape.  This label can be applied directly onto plastic, paper, cardboard or glass surfaces with great results.  We’ve even used this for window lettering applications.

Popular Uses for White Vinyl Label: jar labels, home organization, bumper stickers, window sticker, outdoor usage, marketing materials & sports equipment

Clear Vinyl Label – This product is also used for wet applications or for longer shelf life.  The principal reason to use a clear vinyl instead of the white vinyl is when the product under the label needs to be seen.  This could be a candle, a beverage, oils or glass bottles that contain a product that you want seen.

Popular Uses for Clear Vinyl Label: Jam Containers, Wine Bottles, Candle Jars and Candle Holders, Window/Door Stickers, Health and Beauty Containers, Supplement and nutritional bottles, electronics components, Industrial Labeling and Recreational Equipment

Paper Label Choices:

Cover Up Opaque Semi-Gloss Paper Label – If you have the need to cover up a mistake or outdated information, this material will do the job.  Keep in mind that this is a paper label material so if it will be getting wet a laminate will help it last longer but overall, moisture can seep into the edges.

Popular Uses for Opaque Cover UP Semi-Gloss Labels: Product Identification, CD and DVD’s, Bar codes, Shipping and Mailing Labels, Warning Labels, “Sale” labels, Shelf/Bin Identification, Promotional Signage, Craft Embellishments, Packaging Closure & Gift Tags

White Semi-Gloss Paper Label – Great for indoor use and it’s less expensive than the choices above.  The semi-gloss finish provides a crisp and clean reproduction of your artwork. The highly versatile label is used for products and packaging as well as craft sticker designs.

Popular Uses for White Semi-Gloss Paper Labels: Product Identification, CD and DVD’s, Bar codes, Shipping and Mailing Labels, Warning Labels, “Sale” labels, Shelf/Bin Identification and Craft Labels

Brown Kraft Paper Label – This is a unique looking paper label for those times you want the appearance of a kraft paper bag look.  When combined with our White Ink Printing ability, you can have some very exquisite looking labels.  We’ve printed brown kraft labels for cigar boxes, gift bags and a few select cannabis products.

Popular Uses for Brown Kraft Paper Labels: Scrap-booking, Arts and Crafts, Envelope Seals, Custom Marked Handmade Products and Packaging Labels or Packaging Seals.

Uncoated white Paper Label – This is your basic workhorse label.  Used for just about anything that’s not getting wet.

Popular Uses for Uncoated White Paper Labels: Packaging Labels, Product Labels, Asset Labels, Warning Labels, Name Labels, Jar Labels, Shipping and Mailing Labels, Business Labels, Correction Labels, Shelf/Bin Labels and Product Identification Labels.

Specialty Paper Label Stocks:

Matte Gold or Silver Paper Label – Excellent choice for small shaped package seals.  It’s coated surface allows for great artwork reproduction.  It works well in our contour cutter to create custom shapes based on your supplied die line.

Popular Uses for Matte Silver or Matte Gold Paper Labels: Small Shaped Package Seals, Certificate Labels, Packaging Labels and Packaging Seals.

Fluorescent Paper Labels – For something that really stands out and gets noticed, you might want to try a Hot Pink or Lime Green sticker.  We can get this material within 1 additional work day and you can choose from a wide range of crazy looking colors.  Try to imaging a shelf of boxes with Mango Orange labels applied to the side.  It’s so eye catching that it really is something you are sure to stop and look at.

Popular Uses for Fluorescent Paper Labels: Shipping Labels, Warning Signs, Inventory, Packaging & Storage.

What Size Label Do You Need?

Here’s a quick and easy way to determine the size you need for your smaller projects.  Take a sheet of plain white paper and use a scissor to make your basic shape.  For bottles, simply wrap the piece of paper around the bottle and trim it or mark it for length and height.  Then you can easily use a ruler to figure the overall size.  When designing custom shapes, you can still use this method to find the area we need to use in order to provide the estimate and produce the sticker.

After the label size has been determined, you can move forward with the design.  Leave some room around the outside or your design in order to provide a safe margin (safety area) so words or images don’t get cut off.  The more complex the shape, the more important it is to not violate the safety area with important text or graphics.

Questions or To Order:

Give us a call to place your order or to ask questions on best practices for label and sticker printing. Any of our customer service people will assist you with questions and to help you with this guide to choosing the right sticker material for you.

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