When it comes to designing and printing labels, you may find yourself confronted with an important question: whether you should use paper or synthetic material for your labels. Both types may be used on curved or flat surfaces, and both come in a variety of thicknesses. However, each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Benefits of paper and synthetic options
Paper is a good fit for products that will mostly be indoors, as it typically cannot withstand exposure to extreme temperatures, moisture, and other outdoor elements. Paper offers a number of benefits for short-term applications, as it has the following attributes:
• Available in a wide range of colors
• Less expensive
• Eco-friendly and recyclable
Paper may be a good choice for compliance and product labels. However, paper on its own likely will not suffice in open truck shipping and container transport, where it will be subject to the elements of nature on a regular basis.
In those situations, it’s best to go with a synthetic label. These come in a narrower range of colors, but offer durability that paper simply does not. Polycarbonate is considered the best synthetic material, as it can withstand intense light, heat, and moisture. A material like vinyl can last up to seven years, whereas polyester has a useable lifespan of about five years. Polypropylene is a popular option for applications like soft drinks labels, but the material typically lasts about six months—not long enough for many labeling needs.
Another option is applying a synthetic finish to a paper label. This gives you better durability while maintaining paper’s other advantages. Regardless, choosing the right material for your product is critical, as you want to avoid labels peeling off or the text and images becoming blurry and unreadable by barcode scanners.
A flexible barcode label solution
For businesses and organizations seeking reliable, high-performance label and barcode printers, GoDEX offers a wide range of solutions. For more than two decades, the international company has delivered high-quality mobile, desktop, and industrial printers, along with easy-to-use software and barcode scanners. These solutions all work well with either paper or synthetic label material.