| can be seen on nearly every type of product in | | | | mass-produced sheets? |
| existence. From produce to printing to pharmaceuticals | | | | Finally there's the question of more specialist labels, |
| or PC's, almost every type of mass produced product | | | | which serve functions beyond simply delivering a brand |
| comes with a label attached to it in some form or | | | | or product identity. Some of the more exotic include: |
| another. It's a small cog in a much bigger picture but for | | | | Radioactive labels: These contain weak radioactive |
| label manufacturers, it's a niche industrial sector that's in | | | | isotopes of chemical elements like Carbon-14. As the |
| constant demand. | | | | isotope approaches its half-life, the appearance of the |
| Manufacturing labels may seem like an extremely | | | | label changes - allowing any view to judge with some |
| straightforward activity but the chances are you're | | | | accuracy how long the product has been out by the |
| failing to see the sheer economic scale of the | | | | decomposition of the compound. Despite the |
| operation. Practically every product you can think of | | | | fearsome name, these aren't harmful (unless you |
| has its own specific label; not just the type of product | | | | swallowed one). |
| but the company who produces that particular item will | | | | Antimicrobial Labels: Introduced by hospitals to combat |
| have their own specified design and even outside of | | | | infections from bacteria such as MSRA and E-Coli, this |
| products, blank labels and packaging products need to | | | | type of label is coated with sterilising agents and are |
| come in a variety of forms to be of any use. | | | | generally seen in infection sensitive areas (intensive |
| For a start, how will the label be attached? Most types | | | | care, chemotherapy, etc) and can help combat the |
| of labels might be attached by adhesives but even this | | | | spread of these harmful microbes. |
| comes in several different types. Do you want heat | | | | Smart/Security Labels: As well as the |
| activated adhesives - useful in "in-mold labelling" for | | | | anti-counterfeiting measures such as holography or |
| factory produced items - or do you want pressure | | | | embedded barcodes, security labels can also be |
| sensitive adhesives? How strong do you want the | | | | 'smart' labels - contain RFID chips within the label. |
| adhesive? Do you want a "wet glue", water | | | | These tiny Radio Frequency Identification chips are an |
| moist-enable gummed adhesive like you see on most | | | | extremely tiny transponder that are often attached to |
| packaging labels or envelopes? Maybe you want the | | | | packages, pallets or other types of freight. They can |
| labels riveted on, sewed in to the product or shrink | | | | be tracked and identified via radio waves, out of the |
| wrapped. | | | | line of the sight of the reader and are effective |
| Then there's the question of the type of label - what | | | | time-saving devices and an extremely useful form of |
| kind of "stock" does the client want for their labelling. | | | | security - if you step outside of a certain zone with an |
| Plastics? Foil? Thermal transfer? plastics? paper? | | | | active RFID tag for example, the alarm system might |
| wax? Even then, how do you want the label to be | | | | engage and the security team would know your exact |
| delivered for use - individually, on a roll or on a | | | | position. |