Your Quick Guide to Label Materials

There are a lot of material options for custom labels – but which one is right for you? From aesthetic to performance to budget, selecting the right label material for your project is essential for achieving successful labels. Consider this guide your crash course to label materials so you can confidently select one that’s optimal for your labeling needs.

White Semi-Gloss Paper

Our most popular material, white semi-gloss paper is a lightweight, coated facestock that offers a balance of economy and performance. It has enhanced opacity, brightness, smoothness and gloss that gives labels a professional, finished look.

Indoor White Film

Also known as white polypropylene, indoor white film is a semi-conformable material designed for excellent print quality, high durability and pristine aesthetics. It’s recommended for semi-rigid and rigid containers. In terms of longevity, indoor white film is a step up from white semi-gloss paper.

Clear Film

Clear, semi-conformable polypropylene (i.e. clear film) is designed to provide a “no label look” on clear or colored plastic and glass containers. Clear film is water and tear resistant making it suitable for a variety of markets.

Brushed Silver/Chrome Polyester

Silver polyester is a high quality, hard, rigid film that maintains its dimension (i.e.  shape) in varying temperatures. Although not recommended for extreme curved surfaces, this material can be tinted to any color for added visual interest.

Metalized Paper (Gold/Silver)

This lightweight, coated paper has an acrylic topcoating which gives it excellent printability, and can be tinted to a variety of colors. Suitable for all indoor use, metalized paper is engineered for maximum flexibility and strength.

Squeezable White Film

Opaque white polyolefin – better known as squeezable white film – is a flexible material with exceptional dimensional stability. That means it’s able to maintain its shape while being handled. Squeezable white film is our go-to material when printing labels for squeezable bottles or containers.

Outdoor White Vinyl Film

Suitable for industrial marking and outdoor use, white vinyl film is a high performance material that offers excellent tear strength, dimensional stability, opacity and water/chemical resistance. Outdoor vinyl film is a superb choice if you need extremely durable labels.

Selecting the right label material is an important consideration, not only for how the label will look but how it will perform over a certain period of time. Our dedicated customer service team is a great resource to use since they can discuss with you one-on-one different material options, and give suggestions based on your label needs. Need help with label artwork? Check out our art guides, or connect with a label designer on our referral list.