Partially Pre-printed Labels
Partially pre-printed labels usually contain high quality graphics describing the product and its manufacturer, as well as a blank space on which to imprint information. A sandwich manufacturer may leave an area blank so that they can use the same label for all their production, while an apparel manufacturer would leave an area blank so that they can designate the length, waist and style of a particular garment.
These labels are produced on rolls and run through thermal transfer printers which store and print the variable information. Once the labels are printed they can either be rewound for later application to a product, automatically applied to a product on a conveyor belt with a print and apply system, or the printer can be set so that once a label is removed the next label is printed and is ready for application.
Fully Pre-printed Labels
Fully pre-printed labels are typically ordered when there is a large quantity needed and the information on the label doesn’t change. This is ideal for branding labels on products, such as food, beverages and other identifying labels (like size labels for clothes). In many cases pre-printed labels are manually applied to products. However, large manufacturers can apply fully pre-printed labels with automatic label applicators at speeds up to 300 per-minute. For the apparel industry, stickers such as those indicating the size and the inspector, are applied by individual operators as they work with the garments.