08 Jun How Can I Make My Packaging Look Label Free?

The packaging for your product will usually come in one of two forms. Either a printed label is stuck onto plain packaging, or the packaging comes pre-printed without a label. Which direction you decide to go down will usually depend upon what is most cost effective and which design is most compatible with your process of production.

Using labels is usually the cheaper and more flexible way, but what if your brand requires a seamless label free finish? Fortunately, there are a number of ways we can produce labels that match your product packaging. We can use different materials, printing options and finishes.

Read on to find out how your label free look can be achieved.

Clear Packaging Labels

The simplest way to achieve a label free look is to use a clear material. This method is compatible with all our production processes and is perfect for application to a great number of products, such as food, drink and cosmetics.

We want to ensure that print remains distinctive and vibrant, so we use an additional white ink on our flexographic and digital presses as a backup to the standard colours. This stops colours from looking washed out and faded on clear materials by generating a background for light to reflect off.

Well designed clear labels use transparent segments that integrate with the remainder of the packaging

Clear product labels aren’t suitable for every type of product or application. If you need lots of small text or information contained on your label, then a plain background makes it easier to read. Minimalist designs that focus on showcasing the product work best for clear labels.

Packaging-matched finishes and textured labels

Another way to achieve a label free look more simply, that is often overlooked, is to use a self-adhesive label with a different finish, such as a varnish or laminate. This is a vital part of ensuring that the label is in keeping with your brand and the feel of your product, even if a label free look is not what you’re going for.  Textured materials can make the label feel like part of your product.

For example, a gloss or matt varnish can be used to co-ordinate with either a gloss or matt product. Gloss or matt laminates also work, but they have a much larger impact on how the label feels. Our matt laminates are extremely smooth and are frictionless compared to our gloss laminates. A matt laminate would be best suited to a matt or normal plastic bottle, while a gloss laminate would be best suited to a high gloss bottle. Other options like vinyl laminates are also available, which have their own unique textures that might better suit your specific product.

What if I need a paper label for my product?

There are numerous textured options for paper labels too, like finely grained antique paper, felt marked Tintoretto paper or standard semi-gloss and matt papers. We really love how Antique paper creates a realistic wood grain effect when you combine it with digitally printed images of wood!

Talk to us at RGS Labels today for more information about which labelling materials are right for you.