Formats and finishes: shape, lamination and delivery mode

FORMAT

Round labels

Round is the most forgiving format: no corners to lift, easy to apply on caps and flat surfaces. We use it for seals, jar caps, lid labels and batch marks.

FORMAT

Rectangular labels

The rectangle is the working format: it gives the most usable room for ingredients, nutrition, warnings and barcode. When you have a lot of legal information, it fits here.

FORMAT

Oval labels

The oval reads softer than a rectangle and, like the circle, has no corners to lift. It is the typical format for creams, preserves and bellied jars.

FORMAT

Rounded corner

It is the cheapest upgrade you can make to a rectangular label. A rounded corner has no point to catch, so the label holds up far better to handling, transit and shelf rub.

FORMAT

Roll vs sheet

If you hand-apply a few dozen labels, sheets are convenient. If you produce steadily or run an applicator, roll is the only format that keeps up. The difference shows in application time, not print quality.

FORMAT

Matte vs gloss lamination

Lamination is not just aesthetics: it is the layer that keeps the label intact against rub, water and handling. Matte calms colour and gives a velvet texture; gloss deepens it and lifts contrast. The choice depends on the shelf, not on taste.

FORMAT

Hot foil

Hot foil is metallic film transferred onto the label with heat. The difference from a gold print shows instantly: metal reflects light at an angle, print does not. For logos and brand marks on premium products, that is the difference between looking expensive and being expensive.

FORMAT

Custom die-cut

Shape is the first thing you notice from three metres away, before colour and type. A custom cut lifts your product out of a shelf of rectangles without changing anything else about the pack.

FORMAT

Winding direction

Winding direction says how the label comes off the roll. Get it wrong and the applicator places it reversed or cannot feed it at all, and the roll is unusable. It is a single piece of information, but it decides whether the run goes on the line or sits in storage.

FORMAT

QR code labels

A QR on the label does two things: it links the physical product to batch data and gives you a direct channel to the customer after the product leaves the shelf. Technically three things matter: size, contrast and the quiet zone around it.