Which adhesive label material do you actually need?
Paper, PVC or synthetic, plus the right adhesive, decided by three things: where the label goes, what touches it, and how long it has to survive.
Face stock: the three families
Face stock is the printable layer. Almost every spec question reduces to which of these three you pick.
| Stock | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Coated paper | Indoor retail, logistics, dry goods — the cheapest option | Not waterproof; edges lift in damp or refrigerated conditions |
| PVC | Chilled and frozen goods, cosmetics, curved surfaces | Stiffer; not the first choice where recycling rules are strict |
| Synthetic (PET / PP) | Outdoor, oil and chemical exposure, long-life asset labels | Costs more than paper; needs the right ink for full adhesion |
Adhesive: the part buyers forget
The same face stock on two different adhesives behaves like two different products. Ask what the label will be stuck to and what it will endure:
- Permanent acrylic — the default. Bonds strongly to glass, metal and rigid plastic; holds for years indoors.
- Removable — for promotions and price tags that must peel off cleanly without residue.
- Freezer-grade — stays tacky below −20 °C, for cold-chain cartons and frozen packaging.
- High-tack — for low-surface-energy plastics (PP, PE) and powder-coated surfaces where standard adhesive creeps.
Three questions that settle the spec
We ask every customer the same three things, and they decide 90% of the specification:
- Where does the label live — indoors, outdoors, fridge, freezer, or on a curved bottle?
- What touches it — water, condensation, oil, sanitiser, or nothing at all?
- How long must it survive — one shipment, one season, or the life of the machine?
Finishing: laminate, die cut, winding
A laminate is not decoration. A gloss or matte film over the print is what makes a paper label survive a wet environment, and what stops UV from fading an outdoor label. On rolls, the core diameter (25 mm, 40 mm, 76 mm) and the winding direction have to match your applicator, otherwise the line jams even though the print is perfect.
Die cutting is priced by complexity, not by size: a simple rectangle is cheapest, a tight multi-up layout with small gaps costs more because of the tooling and the waste.
FAQ
Can I get a waterproof paper label?
Paper plus a film laminate resists water and condensation well for everyday use. If the label will be submerged, in a freezer, or outdoors for years, start with synthetic stock instead.
Do you supply labels on rolls for our applicator?
Yes — tell us the core diameter, the winding direction and the maximum roll diameter, and we wind to that spec.
What is the minimum order?
100 pieces per design. Samples of a standard spec are 48 hours; custom die shapes add tooling time.
Next step
Send the spec. Get a price in one working day.
Give us the product, the quantity, the chip or stock and the destination country. We reply with unit price, tooling cost if any, and a production date.
Or email directly — a person reads it, not a queue. ethan@henghaomai.com