Polyester & Polyethelyene Naphthulate Label Products - Polyonics, Inc.

Popular Labels for Fixed Asset Identification

Polyester (PET) is a tough, high performance film that provides excellent outdoor durability, chemical and heat resistance. It displays excellent dimensional stability and high tensile strength. Operating temperature is 325°F (163°C) and shot-term temperature can be up to 400°F (204°C).

Polyethelyene Naphthulate (PEN) is a film with moderate stiffness that stretches in all directions but will tear quite easily. Designed for 6 months outdoor use, it is useful for labeling products that expand and contract. Maximum operating temperature is 400°F (204°C).

We carefully and continually evaluate properties of these films to maintain the highest quality standards in the industry today.

Source: Polyonics, Inc.

http://www.polyonics.com/PerformanceLabels/polyester-labels.html

Polyester Labels Overview - polyesterlabels.org

Polyester is a kind of polymer (molecule) that people use to make excellent, durable polyester labels. It can be natural or synthetic, biodegradable or not, and the most commonly used polyester is polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET.

Some products are exposed to harsh conditions, severely cold or extremely hot temperatures, rough handling during distribution, cryogenic conditions or enclaving in laboratories, etc. These products need labels that will withstand all these conditions, and such labels usually cannot be made out of paper. Here steps in polyester with its fantastic characteristics: polyester labels are resistant to scuffing, tearing, abrasion, high heat, low temps, sunlight, chemical solvents, water, they have mechanical stability, controlled shrinkage, unmatched gloss or clarity (for a “no label look“) and can last a long time.

Many labels have a limited life-span, usually up to several months, after which they fade away, peel off, get torn, etc. Durable polyester labels can last many years, if the application demands it.

Of course, not ALL polyester labels have all these fantastic characteristics. Each polyester label is combined with other elements, such as an adhesive, printing style, lamination, etc, in order to make a suitable label for a specific application.

Polyester labels are most often used for:

• Asset labeling
• Identification of different equipment and electronics
• Drum and container labeling
• Barcode labels
• Warning labels
• Lab labels
• Etc.

Basically, polyester labels are an excellent choice for applications exposed to rough handling, outdoor conditions, water, repeated usage, etc.

Source: polyesterlabels.org

http://polyesterlabels.org/polyester-labels-university/polyester-labels-overview/

PET, PP & PE Labels - Sense Print Ribbon&Label

PET Labels Description

Polyethylene labels,short as PET labels, are strong, durable and possess excellent resistance characteristics that can meet a wide range of application requirements.Sense print offers quality polyethylene in your choice of colors, shapes, sizes for your quick and easy application to your product.

PET labels products list: 
Transparent PET label
Matte silver PET label
Silver PET label
White PET label
PET synthetic label

PP labels Description

PP labels is a kind of green product.It was often used for surface protection tapes such as over-lamination tapes bvefore due to its poor printability.Following the technology advancement and the market demand for environmental protection,PP synthetic paper has been developed.After chemical surface treatment,it has good printability and is widely applied on cosmetics,shampoo bottles,supermarket,frozen foods,eclectrical applicances and so on.

PP labels products list

Matte White cavitated PP synthetic label
YOPO PP synthetic paper
Top-coated white PP synthetic paperUltra clear OPP label

PE label

PE label is also a kind of green product.It has excellent pliability and can be applied on curved surfaces with good adhension.Squeezable PE label,specially designed for cosmetic facial cleanser tube application,to flexibly and perfectly fit the contour.

PE label product list

White PE label
Matte transparent PE label

Recommended ribbon: Wax-Resin,Resin ribbon

Source: Sense Print Ribbon&Label 

http://www.barcode-label.net/aboutus.htm

7 TYPES OF LABEL MATERIALS - Neumann Marking Solutions

Labeling only makes identification easier but it also helps in directing, giving out information and warning. The following is a list of seven label materials frequently used in industry.

1. Metalized, Clear or White Polyester

Metalized Polyester has a chrome or mirror-like finish which makes it look like stainless steel. Clear and white polyester are available in both matte and glossy surfaces. It is used both indoors and outdoors, as pipe labels or control panel labels, because of its dimensional constancy and its aptitude to bear harsh weather conditions. It’s normally used for tool marking and air-conditioning units. It generally comes with a permanent adhesive.

2. Industrial Vinyl

Industrial vinyl is the go-to material for outdoor labels. With a rating of 9-11 years for UV fade resistance, it is weather and chemical resistant. This material has stretching characteristics that allow its application over rivets and sharp curved surfaces. Vinyl labels can be used for pipeline labels, fleet decals, rental equipment, tools, cable tray labels, etc.

3. Destructible Vinyl, Security, Tamper Proof

Destructible vinyl cannot be peeled off in one piece, making them ideal for proprietary products. Security or tamper proof or tamper evident labels will leave words such as VOID or SECURITY or DANGER if removed. The materials of each may vary, depending on the surfaces being applied to. Common uses are seals for food containers, pharmaceuticals, electronics, warranty, safety, and law enforcement labels.

4. Clear or White Polypropylene

Polypropylene is a substitute for vinyl and excellent for solvent resistance. It is also a cost effective in comparison with polyester labels. It’s usually available in clear or white with a gloss or matte finish. It has great flexibility and clarity. The type of adhesive depends on the application type.

5. Static Cling Vinyl

Static cling vinyl is used to make window decals that do not require an adhesive. It uses static electricity to stick to a surface. It’s normally used for glass, metal and other smooth and even surfaces. A common use is for (windshield) oil change labels. It can be printed with laser or thermal transfer (ribbon) printers.

6. Fluorescent and Foil Paper

Fluorescents can be brightly colored vinyl labels or those flood coated on synthetic material. Normally it is available in colors that stand out such as red, green, pink and orange. They are often used for safety labels because they alert people.  Foil paper label material is available in both bright or dull, silver or gold. Both flourescent and foil types come with a permanent adhesive.

7. Litho, Semi-Gloss and High Gloss Paper

Litho paper is uncoated and matte. It’s used in sheet fed laser printers, and computer pin fed shipping labels. Paper is often used through direct thermal label printers in offices for envelope labels. It comes with both permanent and removable adhesive. Semi-gloss paper and high gloss paper comes with rubber base adhesive and acrylic cold temperature adhesive. The later is used for food related labeling. Removable adhesive is also available for certain conditions.

Source: Neumann Marking Solutions 

http://neumannmarking.com/types-label-materials/

Label Materials & Descriptions - By Whitlam Label Company

Metalized Polyester

- This stock is available in either chrome, mirror-like finish or a brushed finish that resembles stainless steel. This is an excellent material for outdoor use due to its dimensional stability and its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions. Useful for fleet markings, heating & air-conditioning units or anything else that spends a lot of time outdoors. It comes standard with a permanent adhesive.

Clear Polyester

- This material is available in a gloss or matte finish. This is an excellent material for outdoor use due to its dimensional stability and its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions and exposure to chemicals. It comes with a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive in standard and heavy coat weight for your more difficult surfaces. This is also available with a high temperature resistant removable adhesive for paint masking application.

White Polyester

- This material is available in a gloss or and matte finish. This is an excellent material for outdoor use due to its dimensional stability and its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions and exposure to chemicals. This material can be used on thermal transfer & laser printers. It comes with a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive in standard and heavy coat weight for your more difficult surfaces. This is also available with a removable adhesive for temporary identifications.

Clear Polypropylene

- This material is available in a gloss or matte finish. This is an excellent material for decorative packaging applications due to its flexibility and high degree of clarity. It comes with both permanent and removable adhesives, depending on the application.

White Polypropylene

- This material is available in a gloss or matte finish and can be printed on via thermal transfer printers. This is an excellent material for decorative packaging applications due to its flexibility and is a more cost effective alternative to polyester. It comes with both permanent and removable adhesives, depending on the application.

Clear Vinyl

- A frosty-clear material that is useful when you want to create window decals. By printing your decal as a mirror image, it can be placed on the inside of a window so that it’s legible from the outside.

White Vinyl

- This is the standard material used in bumper stickers and is useful when you need a low-cost label that can be used outdoors. It comes standard with permanent and removable adhesives.

Clear Static Cling Vinyl

- This is a clear stock that does not use an adhesive but sticks via static electricity. Often used for “Oil Change/Next Service Due” decals, this stock makes a great movable sign at point of purchase displays. It is best when applied to glass, metal and other smooth surfaces.

Paper, Fluorescent

- This is a brightly colored uncoated stock that is available in red, green, pink and orange. It’s useful when you need a paper label that stands out. It comes standard with a permanent adhesive.

Paper, Foil

- Available in either silver or gold, bright or dull foil, it is often used as a decorative label popular with florists, artists and those seeking to give their labeling applications a “classy” look. It comes standard with a permanent adhesive.

Paper, Litho

- This is an uncoated, white, matte paper stock that is suitable when you want a material that won’t smear if you were to write or type on it. Typical applications include sheet feed laser printers, and computer pin fed shipping labels. It comes with permanent or removable adhesive.

Paper, Semi-Gloss

- This is a coated semi gloss in appearance, white stock that comes with two different permanent adhesives. One permanent adhesive is a rubber base system for general purpose labeling applications that need a quick stick feature, and the other is an acrylic cold temperature adhesive that is FDA approved for indirect food contact applications. This can be used on the packaging of seafood, poultry and other meat products. Also useful when bar coding is needed. A removable adhesive for temporary identification is available.

Paper, High-Gloss

- This is a very glossy coated white paper stock that comes with two different permanent adhesives. One permanent adhesive is a rubber base system for general purpose labeling applications that need a quick stick feature, and the other is an acrylic cold temperature adhesive that is FDA approved for indirect food contact applications. This can be used on prime label applications. It’s also available with a removable adhesive for temporary identifications.

Paper, Tag

- This is a white 8 or 10 pt. tag stock, coated on both sides and does not have an adhesive. This can be used for our scratch-off cards and also ID/Membership cards. Both sides of this stock can be imprinted.

Source: Whitlam Label Company.

For more info, visit http://www.whitlam.com/learning-center/label-materials-descriptions/

DIRECT THERMAL AND THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTING

Difference between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing?

There are two thermal printing methods: direct thermal and thermal transfer. Each method uses a thermal printhead that applies heat to the surface being marked. Thermal transfer printing uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images on a wide variety of materials. No ribbon is used in direct thermal printing, which creates the image directly on the printed material. Direct thermal media is more sensitive to light, heat and abrasion, which reduces the life of the printed material.

Why are direct thermal and thermal transfer the best technologies for printing bar codes?

Thermal label printers are ideal for bar code printing because they produce accurate, high-quality images with excellent edge definition. Thermal printers are engineered to print within tight tolerances and to produce the exact bar widths that successful bar code printing and scanning require. Each technology can produce one- and two-dimensional bar code symbologies, graphics and text at the same print resolutions and speeds.

How do choose between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing?

The following sections will help you understand the differences between the technologies and how to select the appropriate print method for your application.

Direct thermal printing uses chemically treated, heat-sensitive media that blackens when it passes under the thermal printhead. Direct thermal printers have no ink, toner, or ribbon.

Their simple design makes thermal printers durable and easy to use. Because there is no ribbon, direct thermal printers cost less to operate than inkjet, laser, impact, and thermal transfer printers. Most mobile printers use direct thermal technology.

Thermal media images may fade over time. If the label is overexposed to heat, light, or other catalysts, the material will darken and make the text or bar code unreadable. For these reasons, direct thermal printing is not used for lifetime identification applications. The readability of direct thermal labels, wristbands, and receipt papers varies greatly, depending on the usage conditions, but the technology provides ample lifespan for many common bar code printing applications including shipping labels, patient and visitor identification, receipts, and ticket printing.

For example, direct thermal labels can easily remain scannable after spending six months in storage in a distribution center, and direct thermal patient wristbands have a special coating that makes them water- and chemical-resistant. Common thermal printing applications include: shipping labels, including compliance labels; receipts; pick tickets; coupons; event tickets; citations and parking tickets; name tags; visitor passes; and more.

In thermal transfer printing, a thermal printhead applies heat to a ribbon, which melts ink onto the material to form the image. The ink is absorbed so that the image becomes part of the media. This technique provides image quality and durability that is unmatched by other on-demand printing technologies.

Thermal transfer printers can accept a wider variety of media than direct thermal models, including paper, polyester, and polypropylene materials. Thermal transfer printers can create extremely durable wristbands, asset tags, and certification labels, in addition to common labels, tags, and tickets. The specific label material and ribbon must be carefully matched to ensure print performance and durability.

By selecting the right media-ribbon combination, as well as specialty adhesives, users can create archival-quality labels to withstand temperature extremes, ultraviolet exposure, chemicals, sterilization, and more. Typical thermal transfer applications include: product identification; circuit board tracking; permanent identification; sample and file tracking; asset tagging; inventory identification; certification labels such as UL/CSA; laboratory specimens; cold storage and freezers; and outdoor applications.

Source: Zebra FAQ

Linear Barcode (1D) Types

Symbology	Continuous or discrete	Bar widths	Uses
U.P.C.	Continuous	Many	Worldwide retail, GS1-approved – International Standard ISO/IEC 15420
Codabar	Discrete	Two	Old format used in libraries and blood banks and on airbills (out of date)
Code 25 – Non-interleaved 2 of 5	Continuous	Two	Industrial
Code 25 – Interleaved 2 of 5	Continuous	Two	Wholesale, libraries International standard ISO/IEC 16390
Code 39	Discrete	Two	Various – international standard ISO/IEC 16388
Code 93	Continuous	Many	Various
Code 128	Continuous	Many	Various – International Standard ISO/IEC 15417
Code 128A	Continuous	Many	Various – only a CODE 128 character set, not an own symbology
Code 128B	Continuous	Many	Various – only a CODE 128 character set, not an own symbology
Code 128C	Continuous	Many	Various – only a CODE 128 character set, not an own symbology
Code 11	Discrete	Two	Telephones (out of date)
CPC Binary	Discrete	Two
DUN 14	Continuous	Many	Various
EAN 2	Continuous	Many	Addon code (magazines), GS1-approved – not an own symbology – to be used only with an EAN/UPC according to ISO/IEC 15420
EAN 5	Continuous	Many	Addon code (books), GS1-approved – not an own symbology – to be used only with an EAN/UPC according to ISO/IEC 15420
EAN-8, EAN-13	Continuous	Many	Worldwide retail, GS1-approved – International Standard ISO/IEC 15420
Facing Identification Mark	Continuous	One	USPS business reply mail
GS1-128 (formerly named UCC/EAN-128), incorrectly referenced as EAN 128 and UCC 128	Continuous	Many	various, GS1-approved -is just an application of the Code 128 (ISO/IEC 15417) using the ANS MH10.8.2 AI Datastructures. Its not an own symbology.
GS1 DataBar, formerly Reduced Space Symbology (RSS)	Continuous	Many	Various, GS1-approved
HIBC (HIBCC Health Industry Bar Code)	Discrete	Two	Healthcare[28] – is a datastructure to be used with Code 128, Code 39 or Data Matrix
ITF-14	Continuous	Many	Non-retail packaging levels, GS1-approved – is just an Interleaved 2/5 Code (ISO/IEC 16390) with a few additional specifications, according to the GS1 General Specifications
Latent image barcode	Neither	Tall/short	Color print film
Pharmacode	Neither	Two	Pharmaceutical packaging (no international standard available)
Plessey	Continuous	Two	Catalogs, store shelves, inventory (no international standard available)
PLANET	Continuous	Tall/short	United States Postal Service (no international standard available)
POSTNET	Continuous	Tall/short	United States Postal Service (no international standard available)
Intelligent Mail barcode	Continuous	Tall/short	United States Postal Service, replaces both POSTNET and PLANET symbols (formerly namedOneCode)
MSI	Continuous	Two	Used for warehouse shelves and inventory
PostBar	Discrete	Many	Canadian Post office
RM4SCC / KIX	Continuous	Tall/short	Royal Mail / Royal TPG Post
JAN	Continuous	Many	Used in Japan, similar and compatible with EAN-13 (ISO/IEC 15420)
Telepen	Continuous	Two	Libraries (UK)

Source: Wikipedia