Customer:
Canadian Blood Services

Challenge One: The client required a label that could be written on at the time of application and be protected from future alteration.

Solution One: To achieve this, Label Innovation designed a self-laminating label. First, the liner of the top, clear layer was backslit (i.e. cut from underneath). Next, some of the liner was removed, exposing only a small portion of the adhesive. This portion was then laminated to the substrate -- in this case the bottom printed label. The balance of the top laminate still had a liner attached and therefore would not stick to the substrate. The customer was able to flip up the laminate to write on the label, remove the liner and apply the balance of laminate to the face of the label -- creating a protected and durable label.

Challenge Two: As adhesives have a shelf life and the information added to the labels was critical, the client also needed complete confidence that the label would always remain in place.

Solution Two: To achieve this, the expiry date of the adhesive was printed on the back of the liner. With this information always in front of users the client can be confident critical information is conveyed.

Once again, fully understanding the client’s requirements helped us work together to reach the desired goals!

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Customer:
Carleton University

Challenge: The label needed to wrap around a cable as identification, the ends sticking together, but not adhere to the cable, i.e. be able to slide along it. The label was to be printed by thermal transfer technology, using a random database, so it had to be prepared in rolls.

Solution: The label itself could not have been simpler, but its structure on the adhesive side required a certain intricacy in manufacture.

When removed from the roll, the label needed the adhesive on the middle third of its length to be masked. The ends could then stick together, leaving a non-stick loop in the centre, (rather like a bandaid in form.)

Label Innovation (LINC) developed a die that would cut to two different levels. This allowed the overall label shape to be done by a kiss-cut, while an anvil cut was made through the face, adhesive and liner in the middle, between the labels on the roll. Linear backslitters were then used to cut the liner in the middle third of each label, so it would remain on the label, covering the adhesive in that area. Understanding what the customer wants the label to do allows LINC to ensure that the label will work in its application.

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The Complex Made Simple

You may wonder what really goes into a label. Well, while some may be as simple as three layers (i.e. paper, adhesive and liner), others can be more complex and contain several layers. For example, the Label Innovation team recently designed a unique two-in-one Contact Card (see enclosed sample). While this card may appear simply to be a business card, it actually contains a business card and a label constructed with the following eight layers.

(1) Polypropylene is the top printed layer of the business card.

The (2) Adhesive adheres the Polypropylene to the dry release coupon.

The coupon is made up of two layers: the (3) Dry Release layer and the clear (4) Coupon Base. These are separated on the press so the dry release becomes the bottom of the business card. Special properties of the dry release allow it to stick to the coupon base but not other surfaces. This is one of the key features of the two-in-one concept as the top three layers are now one and can be removed to be used as a regular business card that will not stick to anything. This design is great for mail-in rebates or coupons on product packaging.

Once the coupon is separated, the clear coupon base becomes the top of the label. But this layer is not the one that is printed; there is actually another layer of clear (5) Adhesive on top of the face stock. It is the (6) Face Stock on which the label is printed, and as with any label, (7) Adhesive is added before it is
applied to the (8)Liner.

To add another dimension to the design and to show the card’s complexity, the liner was back-printed with the construction diagram shown below. So the next time you see a label, remember it may not be as simple as it appears.

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Customer:
Medical Device Manufacturer

Challenge One: The client required a latex diaphragm delivered on rolls for ease of automatic dispensing. The diaphragm, however, did not require adhesive. How the diaphragm would stay on the liner without adhesive was the first challenge.

Solution One: We searched for an ultra removable adhesive that contained a high differential release (i.e. one side of the adhesive or liner could be removed far easier than the other side.) This differential release is most often controlled by the silicone content applied to the release liner. In this case, an ultra removable adhesive allowed the part to be removed from the carrier without any adhesive residue. The tight release between the adhesive and the liner allowed the adhesive to stay on the liner after the part was removed.

Challenge Two: Tolerances remained tight. The part has a 0.003 tolerance in the x, y and z dimension. Maintaining this while working with the elastic properties of natural rubber and ensuring compliance within the lot was the second challenge.

Solution Two: Label Innovation made certain that the rubber was under the least amount of tension possible - its own weight. After converting, a sample population was measured. That data was then used to statistically calculate the mean, standard deviation and upper and lower control limits. Because the mean plus or minus three times the standard deviation was within the upper and lower specification limits, we had a 99.8% assurance that all parts will fall within this range.

Understanding your requirements allows us to work together to come to a common goal.

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Customer:
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

Label:
kit folder information label (finished size 5" x 1")

Challenge: The customer required a label applied to a preprinted kit folder, but needed the label, or at least its message portion, to be removable, so it could be transferred and stuck to another surface (the kit folder recipient’s computer.) The customer had a word processed file of what the label should look like, but there was no usable file for printing. The label colours needed to match those on the kit folder.

Solution: Label Innovation (LINC) was brought into the process at the beginning to provide ideas on how the requirements could be achieved. It was decided to use a "piggy back" paper stock – a liner laminated to another liner that is then laminated to a gloss face stock, which receives the printing. This multi-level construction allows the top layer to be removed easily while the bottom layer remains where it was, on the kit folder.

A special tool was purchased to cut the label at different levels.
The artwork was created using the initial computer file as a guide to what the customer wanted. Achieving a colour match was a routine operation using LINC’s resources. Once the labels were produced, LINC applied them to the preprinted kit folders.

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