A 

label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material

affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the
product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.
Labels have many uses, including promotion and providing information on a product's origin,
manufacturer (e.g., brand name), use, shelf-life and disposal, some or all of which may be governed
by legislation such as that for food in the UK[1] or United States.[2] Methods of production and
attachment to packaging are many and various and may also be subject to internationally
recognised standards. In many countries, hazardous products such as poisons or flammable liquids
must have a warning label.

Contents

 1Uses
o 1.1Products
o 1.2Packaging
o 1.3Assets
o 1.4Textiles
o 1.5Mailing
o 1.6Specialized labels
 2Stock types
 3Attachment
o 3.1Pressure-sensitive adhesive types
o 3.2Application
 4Usability
 5Environmental considerations
 6Other aspects
o 6.1Color
o 6.2Collectability
 7See also
 8References
 9Further reading
 10External links

Uses[edit]
Fire extinguisher with permanent and temporary labels

Labels may be used for any combination of identification, information, warning, instructions for use,
environmental advice or advertising. They may be stickers, permanent or temporary labels or printed
packaging.

Products[edit]
Permanent product identification by a label is commonplace; labels need to remain secure
throughout the life of the product. For example, a VIN plate on an automobile must be resistant to
heat, oils and tampering; similarly, a food label must endure until the food has been used.
Removable product labels need to bond until they are removed. For example, a label on a new
refrigerator has installation, usage and environmental information: the label needs to be able to be
removed cleanly and easily from the unit once installed.
Labels for food and beverages typically include critical information pertinent to the contents or
ingredients used in a product, and may also call out to certain allergy risks such as the presence of
gluten or soy. The FDA also provides standards to regulate the information provided on the labels
and packaging of wine and spirits. These labels include information like brand name, class and type
designation, and alcohol content.[3]

Packaging[edit]
Packaging may have labeling attached to or integral with the package. These may carry pricing,
barcodes, UPC identification, usage guidance, addresses, advertising, recipes, and so on. They also
may be used to help resist or indicate tampering or pilferage.

Assets[edit]
In industrial or military environments, asset labeling is used to clearly identify assets for maintenance
and operational purposes. Such labels are frequently made of engraved Traffolyte or a similar
material.[4] They are usually tamper-evident, permanent or frangible and usually contain a barcode for
electronic identification using readers. For example, the US Military uses a UID system for its assets.

Textiles[edit]
See also: Laundry symbol
Garments normally carry separate care/treatment labels which, in some regions, are subject to
legislation.[5][6] These labels typically indicate how the item should be washed (e.g., machine washed
vs. dry cleaning), whether bleach can be used. Textile labels may be woven into the garment or
attached, and may be heat resistant (so survivable in hot-air dryers and when pressed), colorfast (so
does not bleed onto the garment), washable, leather or PVC/Plastic. Printed labels are an alternative
to woven labels. Some upholstered furniture and mattresses have labels that are required by law,
describing the contents of the stuffing.
Textiles containing pesticides as an ingredient may also require government approval and
compulsory labeling. In the USA, for example, labels have to state the pesticide registration number,
statement of ingredients, storage and disposal information, and the following statement: "It is a
violation of Federal Law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling”. A label
including a company name or identification number and a material content list may also be required.
[7]

Mailing[edit]
Mailing labels identify the addressee, the sender and any other information which may be useful in
transit. Many software packages such as word processor and contact manager programs produce
standardized mailing labels from a data set that comply with postal standards. These labels may
also include routing barcodes and special handling requirements to expedite delivery.

Specialized labels [edit]
 Notebook labels are mainly used for identifying the owner and purpose of the notebook.
Some information on a label may include name, contents, and date started.
 Piggyback labels are made from combining two layers of adhesive substrate. The
bottom layer forms the backing for the top. The label can be applied to any object as
normal, the top layer can be a removable label that can be applied elsewhere, which
may change the message or marking on the remaining label underneath. Often used on
Express mail envelopes. Other applications include price change labels where when
being scanned at the till, the till assistant can peel back the price-reduction label and
scan the original barcode enabling stock flow management. These labels are also seen
on magazine subscription renewals, allowing customers to re-subscribe to the magazine
with an easy peel and stick label sent back.[8] Also, as the retained label is adhesive free
it prevents customers from re-applying the cheaper priced labels to premium products.
 Smart labels have RFID chips embedded under the label stock.
 Blockout labels are not see-through at all, concealing what lies underneath with a
strong gray adhesive.
 Radioactive labels. The use of radioactive isotopes of chemical elements, such
as carbon-14, to allow the in vivo tracking of chemical compounds.
 Laser or printer labels are generally die cut on 8.5" x 11" (US letter) or A4 sized sheets,
and come in many different shapes, sizes,[9] formats and materials. Laser label material
is a nonporous stock made to withstand the intense heat of laser printers and copiers. A
drawback of laser labels is that the entire sheet needs to be printed before any labels are
used; once labels have been removed the sheet cannot be put through the printer again
without damaging the printing mechanism. Inkjet label material is a porous stock made to
accept ink and dye from an inkjet printer. One of the more modern inkjet label material
stocks is waterproof printable inkjet material commonly used for soap or shower gel
containers.
 Security labels are used for anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, tamper-evident seals
and anti-pilferage seals. These combine a number of overt and covert features to make
 reproduction difficult. The use of security
printing, holography, embossing, barcodes, RFID chips, custom printing and weak (or
weakened) backings is common. They are used for authentication, theft reduction, and
protection against counterfeit and are commonly used on ID cards, credit cards,
packaging, and products from CDs to electronics to clothing.
 Antimicrobial labels. With the growth in hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and
E-Coli the use of antimicrobial labels in infection sensitive areas of hospitals are helping
in combating these types of microbes.
 Fold-out labels, also known as booklet, multi-page, multi-layer, or extended labels,
or lablets (combined label + leaflet). Where the pack is not large enough for a single
label to carry all the required information, fold-out labels are often preferred to separate
leaflets, which can easily be lost. These labels are frequently seen on agricultural
chemicals and consumer pharmaceuticals.
 Barcode labels A large proportion of labels produced today carry barcodes, either for
product identification, for traceability in items such as freight packages, and on items
requiring brand authentication and protection. There are many different formats of
barcodes found on labels, but one of the most commonly distributed formats is
the International Article Number (EAN). This is the code used to identify retail products
worldwide, and is found on almost all consumer level packaging labels.
 Shrink Sleeve labels provide full 360 degree coverage on a container or bottle.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified (PETG) are
two commonly used shrink sleeve materials. Shrink sleeves can be applied to uniquely
shaped bottles or standard containers and can be printed with metallic features,
textured/raised features, UV inks, and Matte or Glossy texture finishes.

Stock types[edit]
Label "stock" is the carrier which is commonly coated on one side with adhesive and printed on the
other, and can be:

 Paper - a variety of papers and paperboards can be used as labels

 Nonwoven fabric - for extra durability
 Latex – a lithographic stock with some added latex allows the label to be much more
flexible and form around certain curved objects more easily than standard paper;

Labels on a laptop.

 Plastics such as acetate, vinyl, and PET film allow a variety of features, such as

greater strength, stiffness, transparency and resistance to tearing. They typically require
special equipment and printing methods (ultra-violet curing is common) as they do not
normally print well with conventional ink. A bumper sticker is usually a vinyl label with a
very strong, durable adhesive and lightfast inks. Embossing tape is "printed" by pressing
 raised elements similar to printing type onto it, which produces raised glyphs that look
white due to discoloration of the plastic. A type known as 'destructible vinyl' is commonly
used for asset labels. It combines a very thin frangible face stock with a very strong high
tack adhesive, thus making the label impossible to remove without damaging it.
Engraved multi-layer Traffolyte labels are frequently used in industrial situations due to
their durability;
 Foil – Aluminum foil and vapor-coated plastic films are often chosen for the bright
reflective characteristics;
 Thermal – direct thermal label stock will change color (usually black) when heated. A
heating element in the shape of letters or images can be used to create an image on the
label. Custom labels can be easily be made on location in this way. A disadvantage is
durability, because another heat source can ruin or obscure the image, or it may fade
completely over time;
 Thermal transfer for applications that cannot use thermal (thermal direct) label material
because of heat source proximity or short label life, a more widely used material is the
thermal transfer label printer. This material has the advantage of a much longer readable
life and does not fade with time or heat. Most major manufacturers of thermal printers
can be used for either thermal transfer (TT) or thermal (DT) labels. A thermal transfer
ribbon will be required to print the labels. The cost of the ribbons + TT labels is similar to
that of the DT labels on their own;
 Thermal transfer ribbon types:
o Wax is the most popular as it has some smudge resistance, and is suitable
for matte and semi-gloss paper labels;
o Wax and resin are smudge resistant, suitable for semi-gloss paper and some
synthetic labels;
o Resin is scratch and chemical resistant, suitable for coated synthetic labels;
 None – labels can be printed directly on adhesive without using a substrate. Labels
made in this manner are extremely fragile, however, and have been rendered virtually
obsolete by other printing methods such as silk screen;
The stock type will affect the types of ink that will print well on them. Corona treating or flame
treating some plastics makes them more receptive to inks, coatings, and other substrates by
reducing surface tension and improving overall adhesion of the plastics.
An alternative method of labelling is weaving the text directly into fabric.
See also: Printing

Attachment[edit]
Shrink label over PET bottle of milk

Labels can be attached by:

 Heat activated adhesives: for example, "in-mold labeling" can be part of blow
molding containers and employs heat activated adhesives. Hot melt adhesives are also
used.
 Pressure-sensitive adhesives (also called PSA or self-stick) are applied with light
pressure without activation or heat. PSA labels often have release liners which protect
the adhesive and assist label handling.
 Rivets used to attach information plates to industrial equipment.
 Shrink wrap for printed shrinkable labels placed over packages and then heated to
shrink them.
 Sewing for fabrics such as clothing, tents, mattresses and industrial sacks.
 Wet glue such as starch, dextrin, PVA or water moistenable gummed adhesive.
 Yarn, twine or plastic tie, usually referred to as a swing tag.
 Static cling, where "stickers" have a static charge enabling them to attach without
adhesive to smooth surfaces such as glass.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive types