Are you considering ordering roll labels? Our production team manufacture everything to order, allowing complete flexibility in ordering rolls to your specific requirements. If you are new to ordering roll labels, we appreciate some of the terms you may come across on the website can be a little daunting. That’s why we’ve created an article detailing everything you need to know or at least to get you started!
Ordering Roll Labels With Flexi Labels
Lots of our customers order labels on rolls for convenience. In busy warehouse settings or on hectic dispatch benches, the roll label format lends itself to quick printing and easy peeling manual label application. Roll label applicators are popular in large-scale businesses, automating product labelling. This method is much more efficient and less tedious.
You can order plain or printed labels with us. It is imperative to check compatibility with your printer before purchasing. We have a wide range of materials on offer to cater to the ever-growing label printer market. Our customer service team are available for any advice on ordering, or you can visit our ordering roll labels checklist.
Should you have the budget, we would recommend getting your labels printed with us. Not only does this take the hassle out of printing the labels yourself, but we can also add premium embellishments to compliment any design.
Ordering Roll Labels? Key Specs To Know
Roll Labels are complex products. Many factors contribute to a roll label functioning correctly in a label printer. Take a moment to scan your printer or label applicator manual to ensure the product you are ordering from us will fit and function;
- Core Size
- Material Compatibility
- Maximum Media Width
- Overall Roll Diameter
- Label/ Artwork Orientation
Core Size
You must ensure that your core size selection is correct as this affects how well the roll fits within the printer. This information can be found in your printer manual or by measuring the core in the roll that comes with your printer. We offer four core sizes - 25.4mm, 38.1mm, 44.45mm and 76.2mm - and this is the diameter of the cardboard cylinder at the centre of the roll label.
We appreciate sometimes our customers can accidentally order roll labels on the wrong core size. Should this happen, email the customer service team (info@flexilabels.co.uk). We can rewind your roll labels for a small upcharge or set up a new order.
The multiples in which rolls can be ordered are determined by how the roll labels are produced. This is how we avoid waste and continue to provide bespoke products. Please be aware that you may need to amend your desired quantities. When you have filled out the product specifications, a price will be auto-generated at the bottom. Just below the ‘Add to basket’ button, the system will have configured a ‘price per roll’ and ‘price per label’ to help determine the best product combination for your budget.
Compatible Roll Materials
Selecting the correct material is a crucial element to consider for all orders, but customers who have chosen to print on their labels themselves must ensure that the material is compatible with their printer before placing an order.
There are four different types of printers that we offer compatible materials for. These are Thermal Direct, Thermal Transfer, Inkjet and Laser. Each option has different material types, one of which may be more suited to your application than another. We offer a variety of paper materials with options of colour, texture and adhesive, as well as plasticised and splashproof options, polyester and polypropylene materials. Check with the little material compatibility indicator on the product pages that the material will work with your specific printer.
Thermal Roll Label printers are considered very economical. There are two main types of Thermal Printer - Thermal Direct and Thermal Transfer. Using heat, and a ribbon for Thermal Transfer printers, a label can be produced quickly without extensive set-up times or high consumable costs.
If you are having your labels printed in-house at Flexi Labels, the compatibility of the material won’t affect your selection unless you intend on overprinting. In this instance, your only concern may be deciding which material is suited to your application. For example, will your labels be in contact with water? Do they need to be heatproof? Is there a finish you are looking to achieve for aesthetic reasons?
We supply materials suitable for freezer application, popular in industries such as hospitality and medicine. As well as recyclable and biodegradable papers, for customers looking to reduce their carbon footprint. There are materials in an array of textures and colours. There is so much choice, but please check the compatibility before placing an order.
We can offer perforated labels on rolls. Lots of our customers use these for retail, logistics, food and pharmaceutical purposes. The added perforation increases efficiency and can be more cost-effective. It eliminates the need to cut the roll as the perforation line allows for the labels to be torn off the roll easily and effectively.
Unfortunately, we cannot supply vinyl material on roll labels, only in sheets. If you are looking for a waterproof label on rolls, we would recommend adding a layer of protection to any other material with a matt or gloss lamination, depending on the desired finish. We can also offer other embellishments for roll labels including spot UV, white ink and metallic foiling.
At Flexi Labels, we will always suggest, if you’re uncertain about a material, to order a material sample via a member of our team or through the website. We cannot provide samples of rolls, however, this doesn’t mean you can’t still order a material sample and manually wrap it around a core you may have from a previously used roll of labels. We cannot provide this service as we manufacture our orders to order - otherwise, we would end up with a warehouse full of spare labels.
Roll Label Dimensions
Our roll labels can be purchased in many different shapes and sizes. It can be overwhelming, but we recommend starting your ordering journey on your label size requirements through the ‘Easy Label Finder’ on the home page. Filter your search further focused by label format, shape and labels per sheet on the search results page.
Key dimensions to consider when finding a label suited to your needs and label printer/ applicator (if applicable) are the Media Width and Overall Roll Diameter. Both dimensions can be found in your Roll Printer/ Applicator manuals.
The media width is the measurement across the roll label. Knowing the limitations on the media width will ensure that the roll fits snuggly, without affecting the performance of the roll feeding through the printer. Please note that the label width and the media width are different. The media width is the label width plus the excess on either side of the label ( the ‘Gap Across’ measurement).
The Overall Roll Diameter is the height of the total roll. This dimension is crucial for roll-label printers with a cab/ lid that needs to shut. Ordering a roll which is too large will not allow the printer to close and print. Our system is very clever in calculating an approximate Overall Roll Diameter measurement. This can be found under the ‘Add to basket’ button.
If you are looking to use a roll applicator to apply your labels, you will need to ensure that the specifications of your rolls are also compatible with your roll applicator. The important information includes the maximum media width, maximum overall roll diameter and core size.
Please let us know if you cannot find a label size for your requirements on our website. We can contact our tooling company for a quote for a die that can create the custom labels you are looking for. While you will be responsible for the one-off cost of the tool on the first order, you will not be required to pay any upkeep costs once the tool has been ordered. It works out to be a very cost-effective option if you are looking to order with us regularly.
Preparing Artwork For Printed Roll Labels
When ordering printed labels with us, please be aware that we can only print one artwork per roll. Unlike A4 sheet labels, there are no artwork allocation brackets - it’s as easy as one roll per artwork.
We currently do not offer templates to download for roll label products as every roll label printer comes with different design software. Using the specification on the product page, a simple template can often be created in any design software.
If you use our in-house print services, there are a few ways to submit your artwork to us.
Incorporated into the product page we have our very own FREE Online Design Software. Set up to the correct specification and with access to a cast library of fonts, images and assets (as well as the ability to upload your own), this service is easy to use and stress-free.
Alternatively, you can create your artwork in a design platform of your choosing and upload it into the design. Check out our Artwork Requirements for the best possible print results and drop our design team an email for any further assistance - designer@flexilabels.co.uk
When ordering printing labels with us, please check the orientation of the label and artwork on the roll. You can see a visual of the label orientation and expected artwork orientation for clarity on the product page. The wound selection can also be changed, even though almost all of our customers opt for their labels on outwound, you can also choose inwound. These last few considerations should not be overlooked if you want to overprint on your labels or use a label applicator.
If you have opted for printed roll labels, after uploading your artwork to the order one of our designers will aim to email you a digital proof within 48 hours, during our Monday to Thursday working hours.
Please note sequential numbering/ variable data is not available on our printed roll labels. Should you need this service, you can enquire about Mail Merges on sheets instead.
We hope that’s everything covered! If there’s anything we’ve missed or any queries you may have, please get in touch with our team of label experts by calling +44 (0) 1733 646 290 or sending us a message to info@flexilabels.co.uk.
