Mike Fairley
The global association for self-adhesive labels has discussed the market’s history.
In a press release from the association, writer Mike Fairley discusses the history of adhesive labels and their printing throughout the 400 years in which they have been used. He begins by noting that the first labels would have been printed “on hand-made paper using relief letterpress type or images cut into wood or metal”, with pressure applied through a hand press and screw.
200 years later, hand presses were made of iron with a lever system, though paper was still made by hand, but the Industrial Revolution meant that “significant changes to the world of printing” were taking place, with cylinder printing presses powered by steam, offset printing and continuous papermarking machines all changing the industry.
Other 19th century innovations included coated paper, halftone processing and colour printing, and “automatic volume production” of bottles and filling lines, along with canning factories, meant that labels grew in their use, as well as boxes, luggage and pharmacy products. The first part of the 20th century meanwhile saw narrow-web presses for printing “gummed and self-adhesive tape”, with such materials able to be cut to shape on presses.
Into the later 20th century, self-adhesive products emerged in Europe, with UV-curing inks and improved plate-making technology, and even by the 1970s self-adhesive labels had earned a seven percent market share of the label market, in comparison to 40 percent today. Fairley notes that it has only been since 1978 that the bar code has been produced for products with the help of self-adhesive labels.
Future developments mentioned by Fairley include “UV flexo”, digital printing, “nanographic” printing processes, and even using inkjet technology to “print direct onto glass or plastic bottles”: a “real threat for the future” to label makers. He adds that factors to consider for the future will hinge on: investment in new technology; environmental impact; colour gamuts; finishing options; output speeds and whether to “go digital”.