Every labelstock construction we publish, in one table

How a labelstock construction is built

Three layers, two of which you will never see on the finished pack. Understanding what each one does is the difference between buying the right material and buying the cheapest one twice.

Facestock — what you print on

The facestock is the visible layer and the one the brand actually touches. Paper gives the lowest cost and the most forgiving print surface; BOPP gives water resistance and stiffness at low caliper; PET gives heat resistance and dimensional stability; PE gives conformability on squeezable containers; PVC gives dead-fold on deeply recessed surfaces. Everything else in the construction exists to serve this layer.

Adhesive — what decides whether the label survives

In practice the adhesive, not the facestock, is what fails first. A permanent hot-melt holds on a dry carton at ambient temperature and lets go on a frozen tray. A water-based acrylic prints and converts beautifully and struggles under wash-down. A removable system that releases cleanly from glass will lift at the edge of a recycled board. This is why we ask about the substrate and the service temperature before we quote a code.

Liner — what carries it through your press

The liner is thrown away, but it decides how the material runs. A glassine is supercalendered and releases at high speed; it is the cheapest correct answer for roll-fed work. A PET liner does not absorb moisture, so it holds release level in a humid plant and stays dimensionally stable on tight tolerances. A coated paper liner carries sheet work through an offset press without curling.

Questions buyers ask before ordering

Answered from the construction data, not from a brochure.