No-ooze adhesives have made laser labels more appealing to customers.
In the past, one of the biggest concerns associated with laser labels was whether or not they were going to cause problems when run through laser printers.
"Years ago, when people first started trying to run the labels through some of their laser and inkjet equipment, especially the laser equipment, the heat tended to soften the adhesive which would then migrate out around the edge of label and gum up the internal components in the laser creating quite a mess," said Mark Lemberger, president of Western States Envelope and Label, Butler, Wis.
"There's always been this mentality that laser labels have to contain a border that prevents the adhesive from oozing or that there can only be a 1⁄16˝ of adhesive," said Tony Heinl, vice president of sales and marketing for Repacorp Label Products, Tipp City, Ohio.
"That mentality's been hammered into a lot of different companies' heads. Therefore, they believe that if they switch to a distributor who doesn't offer a laser label with a pattern-coated adhesive, they are going to run into difficulties."
Standing Up to the Heat
But times have changed in the world of laser labels over the past four years with the advent of materials that can withstand the heat generated by laser printers. "There are not many companies that have the capability to produce that type of pattern coat, but the different types of acrylic adhesives that have been brought to the market enable companies like us to continue to use a standard product," said Heinl. "Although the adhesive still extends to the edge of the label, it now holds up better in the heat because of the acrylic, so there's not as much of an oozing problem."
Sales representatives for Western States Envelope and Label promote how their company has circumvented the oozing problem associated with laser labels. "One of the benefits of our laser label line that our sales team emphasizes to customers is that we use permanent, no-ooze adhesives that will not soften and will not migrate out and get inside their machines," said Lemberger.
Another strong feature of Western States Envelope and Label's laser label line—introduced four years ago—is the use of premium bright white stock. "Currently, there's a very high level of interest in the brighter white sheets because graphics look much nicer on them," said Lemberger.
Bye, Bye Curls
Both Lemberger and Heinl have taken great strides to re-solve curling—another significant problem associated with laser labels. "We make sure that our laser labels are packaged well so that they lay flat and feed very smoothly," said Lemberger. "We use no-curl stock and release-line paper so that when the sheets are fed through a machine one at a time they don't stick to the adjacent sheet in the curtain or curl."
To avoid curling in its laser-label line, Repacorp has gone as far as installing a moisturization system throughout its entire plant to maintain the relative humidity at 55 percent. "If a sheet curls even a little bit on the ends, it's not going to feed through the printer and will cause a jam," said Heinl.
In addition, Repacorp has purchased special blades that slit the material down in a way that avoids tiny fibers from flaking off and getting into the drum of the laser printer. "It took us a good year to learn how to manufacture laser labels, ensure they lay flat and are packaged correctly," said Heinl. "There was a lot of research and development on our part to make sure that we offered a high-quality product."
Repacorp seems to be onto something. After receiving many requests for laser labels, it made a stock product and has experienced an increase in volume over the past two years. "There are a lot of barcode ap-plications out there today—especially in the pharmaceutical and retail/warehouse industries," said Heinl. "Customers use laser printers for these types of applications, so I think that's why the de-mand for laser labels has grown so much.
Western States Envelope and Label has also experienced an impressive demand for laser labels. "Our sales growth on this product is averaging about 20 percent annually," said Lemberger. "It's definitely a growing segment for us and I believe the proliferation of affordable inkjet and laser-type printing devices in the general office environment is really driving the consumption of this product."
More specifically, Western States Envelope and Label has witnessed an increased interest in more options of laser label shapes. "A couple of years ago, we had six basic laser label products and now we are up to 15," said Lemberger. "Originally, our clients were interested in mostly address labels and some of the smaller shipping labels, but now we're experiencing interest in larger rectangles."
Follow the Trend
And what's the latest trend in laser labels and printers? According to Heinl, it seems to be label/form combinations. "The label/form combinations are big," said Heinl. "However, I don't think there's any one product that's really outselling another. I just think that there are lot of new materials in that market that are now able to run through a laser printer without melting."
He suggested that if someone is buying from a company that sells laser labels, the distributor should make sure that it has been in the industry for a while and allows testing of its products.
Repacorp follows its own advice by sending out as many samples needed for its customer to feel comfortable with the product. "Don't just buy from any company that's just getting into laser printing," added Heinl. "We had our learning curve, and it was an expensive learning curve, but now we feel very confident that we know how to produce laser labels.
"It took us a while to get to this point," he concluded. "And it's been worth it."
By Jennifer Hans
- Companies:
- Repacorp
- Western States Envelope & Label
- People:
- Mark Lemberger
- Tony Heinl
- Places:
- Butler, Wis.
- Tipp City, Ohio