Currently, global self-adhesive label printing can be divided into three main camps based on the printing methods used.
Flexographic Printing as the Main Method:
North America is a typical representative of self-adhesive label printing, primarily using flexographic printing technology. The main equipment consists of small to medium-sized unit printing presses, mainly using water-based inks, employing roll-to-roll printing, and rotary die-cutting. It features high production efficiency, advanced technology, and compliance with environmental requirements.
Equal Combination of Letterpress and Flexographic Printing:
This processing method is more common in Europe. The application of flexographic printing is basically the same as in the United States, while letterpress printing accounts for about 50%. Letterpress printing uses UV inks exclusively, and the equipment is mostly stacked or satellite type. The material processing method is also roll-to-roll printing.
Letterpress Printing as the Main Method:
This method is mainly used in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region is predominantly populated by developing countries, and label printing is still relatively underdeveloped. Even among those using letterpress printing, only a minority utilize UV ink equipment. Most label printing still employs resin-based inks, combining roll-to-roll and sheet-fed printing methods. Due to the high proportion of manual labeling, sheet-fed offset self-adhesive labels are widely used. Flatbed die-cutting is the primary die-cutting method.
Offset Printing: Offset printing is the main method for printing paper-based self-adhesive labels in my country. Offset printing is characterized by its fine details, rich tonal range, and suitability for high-volume printing. Furthermore, the printing equipment can be multi-functional, making it suitable for the characteristics of the Chinese label market. However, sheet-fed offset printing is not suitable for printing on non-absorbent films, as film labels are mostly rolled-to-roll and require volatile drying inks. Offset printing can print on thicker plastic materials, such as in-mold labels and hang tags, but this requires the installation of UV curing equipment on the machine, incurring a significant expense.
Screen printing is the most adaptable printing method for various substrates. Currently, many screen printing plants utilize inexpensive screen printing equipment to undertake self-adhesive label and film label printing business. Screen-printed labels are characterized by rich ink color and strong three-dimensional effect, and can use UV inks to print film products. Apart from a handful of rotary screen printing machines capable of roll-to-roll label printing, most screen printing equipment is semi-automatic flatbed screen printing machines, which can only print single sheets with low registration accuracy, making them unsuitable for film label production equipment integrated with production lines. Post-printing processing should also consider corresponding changes in label post-printing processes during business transformation. For example, when printing self-adhesive labels, post-printing processing can be divided into sheet-fed processing and roll-fed processing based on the label's application.