Ramp Up Your Digital Press Offerings With Digitally-Produced Industrial Labels
Industrial labels have many important purposes: to identify a product, track/relay information, orto offer warning or instruction on a product’s proper usage. Industrial labels don’t sparkle or include complicated artwork; they are designed to catch your attention with bright primary colors, as well as withstand the rigorous, harsh environments typical of industrial settings. Industrial labels are very common, and found in a wide variety of markets including lumber tags, outdoor applications, HVAC units, security seals, and as caution/warning labels for a multitude of machinery and equipment. Despite the wide variety of applications for industrial labels, many of the requirements are the same: the label must be durable and remain intact for the lifetime of the product. These standards require use of aggressive adhesives, UV-stable synthetics, and materials that are resistant to damage by chemical exposure. Failure to use the proper material can cause the important information included on the label to be compromised, which could cause a hazardous situation if warnings go unheeded.
Since industrial labels are so common, and in many cases, imperative to the design of the product, the market presents the perfect opportunity to add additional offerings to your digital press product arsenal. In addition, the variable data options of digital presses offer label converters the ability to create one-of-a-kind labels that include serial numbers, manufacturing date, and other pertinent information.
Masterpiece Graphix is your go-to supplier for materials suitable for any industrial label application. MGX offers a variety of high-performance synthetic substrates in roll or sheet form that are guaranteed to print on your HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, Kodak Nexpress, and other digital press models. Here are just a few of the materials from MGX that are perfect for industrial labeling applications:
Masterpiece Hardcoated PET: An alternative to polycarbonate stocks, hardcoated polyester, or PET, has a stronger hardcoat than similar polycarbonate options. PET is more durable than polycarbonate and is resistant to heat and chemical solvents. Masterpiece Clear Hardcoated PET products are optically clear, offer excellent outdoor and UV stability, and are thermo-formable. These characteristics make Masterpiece Clear PET options perfect for many industrial labeling applications, as well as other options like touch panels and electronic overlays. When reverse-printed and combined with a high-end adhesive option, Masterpiece Hardcoated PET allows your business to deliver the highest quality and longest lasting industrial label and overlay options available. MGX’s Hardcoated polyester stocks are available for both wet and dry toner-based digital press technologies like the HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, and Kodak Nexpress. MGX’s hardcoated PET stocks are available in sheet or roll form in 5, 7, or 10 mil thicknesses, with an anti-glare or gloss finish.
Masterpiece White PET: White polyester (PET) is perfect for many industrial label applications. MGX’s exclusive white polyester stocks are available for both wet and dry toner-based digital press technologies like the HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, and Kodak Nexpress. The material is available unsupported or as a pressure-sensitive product, in 5, 8, 10, and 14 mil thicknesses The material is chemical, water, and stain resistant, and the UV stability of the material make it an exceptional product for outdoor usage. The overall printability and strength make Masterpiece white PET stocks a viable alternative to polyethylene and PVC. Masterpiece white PET is an excellent choice for wet environment labels and harsh environment tags. MGX’s white PET stocks offer 90 bright whiteness, high opacity, and antistatic properties.
Masterpiece 3.25 mil White Vinyl/Perm/90# (MGX-1009): One of MGX’s most popular products, MGX-1009 is a pressure-sensitive vinyl that is HP-Certified for use on the HP Indigo sheet press series. MGX-1009 is ideal for warning and instructional label applications because it is durable, easy to apply, and provides excellent printability, keeping the label intact and legible. The substrate provides good resistance to the abrasion that occurs during assembly, shipment, and everyday use, and is UV-stable when used outdoors. The material features a permanent acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive that performs well on many surfaces including low- and high-surface energy plastics, painted metal, powder-coated painted polycarbonate and fiberglass. In addition to being HP Indigo-certified, MGX-1009 is also interchangeably compatible with digital presses like the Kodak Nexpress and Xerox iGen.
Polycarbonate: MGX stocks several types of HP Indigo-compatible polycarbonate sheets, including 10 mil Velvet/Matte Makrofol® UV-1 Polycarbonate C1S (MGX-1089). Use of a polycarbonate formulated for UV resistance is essential for outdoor use, as yellowing will occur if the polycarbonate is not outdoor rated. Instrument panels, machinery nameplates, and outdoor signage are all viable industrial label applications for MGX’s UV-resistant polycarbonate sheets. This material is made for reverse-printing applications, so the sheet is digital-ready on the matte side, and finished printed piece is applied velvet-side up to protect the ink. The velvet side is also scratch-resistant, as the material masks any surface scratches within the velvet texture. Other custom polycarbonate stocks are available through MGX; contact a Digital Material Expert for more information.
Overlaminate Options: Masterpiece Graphix offers several digital overlaminate products that are suitable for industrial lablels, designed to perform well on digital inks. Masterpiece Graphix’s Clear Medium Release Polyester Overlaminate w/ UV Inhibitors (691DIG) maintains optical clarity after the material is laminated. The material provides an attractive glossy finish and features excellent resistance to moisture, oils, acids, alkalis, and chemicals typical of industrial environments. This material contains a UV inhibitor, offering protection from the outdoor elements which will protect the printed substrate from sunlight, weathering, and aging.
Destructible Films : Masterpiece Graphix offers a multitude of other material options that are well-suited for industrial label production. MGX can supply destructible films with VOID, tamper-evident, and self destructing properties. These specialized substrates are engineered specifically for security applications that want to identify tampering. These specialized labels warn users of possible tampering, including machine entry, cover/door removal, and warranty-voiding use.
Masterpiece Synthetic Paper: Masterpiece Synthetic Papers are bright white and are a perfect choice for tear, chemical, and moisture-resistant applications like industrial labels. MGX Masterpiece Synthetic Paper stocks can easily be converted via cut, perforation, laser die-cut, folding, and/or punching. Its versatile properties make the stock a superb choice for petrochemical identification tags, lock out/hang out tags, warning signs, safety tags, material identification tags, quarantine tags, as well as a variety of other industrial applications where durability is important. These versatile synthetic papers are for use on HP Indigo digital sheet presses. Like all products, Masterpiece Synthetic papers are interchangeably compatible with wet toner and dry toner digital press technologies.
MGX’s team of Digital Material Experts can help you with any industrial labeling application you’re pursuing. Get in touch to consult with the best substrate team in the industry.