Pharma labels are small, printed with variable data, applied at speed onto cartons and vials, and read by a scanner that has one chance to get it right. The material has to make that easy — and the compliance questions have to be answered before the first pallet, not after.
Model guide · last verified 2026-10-21 · published in English · technical questions: contact the lab
Pharma purchasing usually starts with a material code from an approved supplier list, which is the right instinct. If you are specifying from scratch, these four decide the construction long before price does.
Format and die cutting. Small labels on small rolls mean the die-cut depth window is narrow and the liner has to be consistent from roll to roll. A 54 gsm glassine is cheap but leaves little margin at high speed.
Variable data. Lot, expiry and serialisation codes are added after printing, by thermal transfer, laser or inkjet. Each needs a different surface: thermal transfer wants a smooth, non-absorbent topcoat, laser coding wants a surface that ablates cleanly, and 2D DataMatrix codes need enough contrast to verify at grade B or better.
Tamper evidence. A VOID construction leaves a visible message when the label is lifted. It is a separate product with its own release behaviour, not a permanent label with a different name.
Documentation. This is where most cross-border pharma projects stall. See the section below — we would rather lose the order at the quotation stage than at the audit.
The codes below are the ones our converters use for cartons, vials, ampoule trays and device labels. Facestock and adhesive are as stated on the TDS.
| Code | Facestock | Adhesive | Liner | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL0101W21 | 70 gsm woodfree paper | Hot-melt | 54 gsm white glassine | Small carton labels, high-volume, cost sensitive |
| FL0106W21 | 90 gsm high-glossy cast coated paper | Strong adhesion hot melt | T-type 54 gsm white glassine | Smooth face for thermal-transfer coding where the code must not feather |
| UV0101W21 | 140 gsm semi-glossy cast coated paper | 23 ± 3 mic | 60 gsm white glassine | Digital short runs and trial batches |
| MJ0401W21 | 75 mic glossy white PET film | Water-based permanent acrylic | 80 gsm glassine | Device labels that need a film face and stable dimensions |
| LJ0101W21 | 140 gsm semi-glossy cast coated paper | Water-based | 95 gsm white liner | Laser/LED printing of variable data in-house |
| NE0103W21 | 25mic matte silver VOID security film | Oil glue | 80gsm white glassine liner | Tamper-evident VOID construction; leaves a visible mark when lifted |
For vial and ampoule labels, tell us the diameter and the line speed: the curvature and the applicator decide more about the construction than the print method does.
Choose by the coding method first, because it is the hardest requirement to change later, then by format and tamper requirement.
| If this is your situation | Start with | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal-transfer lot/expiry on a paper carton label | FL0106W21 — 90 gsm high-glossy cast coated | A level, smooth face is what keeps small codes from feathering |
| In-house laser printing of variable data | LJ0101W21 — 140 gsm semi-glossy paper | Heat-stable paper built for toner fusing, not ink absorption |
| Film device label, stable dimensions | MJ0401W21 — 75 mic white PET | PET does not stretch or cockle; codes stay in register |
| Tamper-evident seal or security label | NE0103W21 — VOID construction | A different release mechanism; it cannot be substituted with a permanent grade |
| Short development batch, digital press | UV0101W21 — 140 gsm semi-glossy paper | Available in small quantities without a flexo run |
Pharmaceutical and food-contact projects are decided by paperwork as much as by material. A migration statement, a food-contact declaration or a pharmaceutical compliance pack is issued against a specific construction and a specific regulatory framework, and it is the material supplier who issues it.
We publish full technical data sheets — facestock, adhesive chemistry class, liner, coat weight and the five batch tests. Compliance documentation is issued against a construction and a framework, not per company, so raise it in the first email and we will state in writing which of the following we can put our name to for your case:
EU — a Declaration of Compliance for the plastic layer under Regulation (EU) 10/2011, inside the framework of 1935/2004. The DoC travels down the supply chain, so ours carries our raw-material suppliers' declarations plus our own statement of the construction actually shipped. USA — a statement of compliance for the adhesive with 21 CFR 175.105 and for the paper component with 21 CFR 176.170 (aqueous and fatty foods) or 176.180 (dry foods); a 175.105 clearance is not an EU passport, and the reverse is equally true. Germany — reference to BfR Recommendation XXXVI (paper and board for food contact) where the base paper carries it, which is the reference most European converters ask for. China — GB 9685 additive compliance for the adhesive and coating layers.
One date to have on the radar: since 12 August 2026 the PFAS limits in PPWR (EU) 2025/40 Article 5(5) apply to food-contact packaging placed on the EU market — 25 ppb for any single PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum, 50 ppm total fluorine — and they cover adhesives and coatings, not only the paper. There is no stock-exhaustion period. We ask our paper, polyethylene and adhesive suppliers for a PFAS statement, and we will tell you which of the three routes (supplier statement, total-fluorine screen, or third-party test report) we can supply for the construction you need.
If we cannot meet the requirement we will tell you — discovering it at audit is the expensive version of the same conversation.
What we can support immediately: the TDS set, retained samples for the life of each batch, and a documented answer if a batch performs differently from the sample you approved.
On small-format work, most complaints are about the code, not the label.
Symptom: codes scan on paper, fail on film, or drift within a run. Cause: dot gain or low contrast between the code and the face. On a glossy film with a dark print, contrast is usually the issue, not resolution. Fix: test the actual code on the actual face — we send samples for exactly this, and it takes a day.
Symptom: sticky edges, labels that will not release, residue on the applicator. Cause: small labels mean high winding tension per unit area, and a soft adhesive migrates at the edge. Fix: check slitting and tension, then consider a firmer adhesive rather than a softer one.
Symptom: the label lifts with no visible message. Cause: the label was applied too cold or with too little pressure, so the tamper layer never bonded to the carton. Fix: check application conditions; a VOID construction needs real contact to work — it is a two-surface system.
Symptom: labels lift on the roll before use. Cause: the construction is too stiff for the roll diameter; a thick film on a heavy liner will not lay flat at 40 mm. Fix: thinner facestock or a lighter liner — this is a geometry problem, and no adhesive change solves it.
Answered by the coating and conversion team, not by marketing.
Where a label has to come off again cleanly, which is a separate question from tamper evidence.
Small labels live or die on liner consistency — 54 versus 60 gsm is a real decision here.
If variable data is printed aqueous inkjet, the coating decides code grade.
When the label has to survive a wash-down, a solvent or a plasticiser, the adhesive system is the variable — 16 film constructions compared.
Cold chain, beverage, logistics, security and electronics in one index.
Send the construction, the regulatory framework and the coding method; we will answer honestly.