Custom product labels on a roll, printed in London

Roll labels versus sheet stickers

Sheet stickers are fine for a market stall. Once you are labelling fifty jars on a Sunday night, a roll changes the job: labels peel one after another in the same orientation, line up the same way every time, and feed into a hand-held or benchtop applicator if you buy one. Our product labels are supplied on a roll in your chosen size, which is why the minimum is 100 and the price per label falls steeply from there.

Materials

• White vinyl, matt or gloss: the standard. Water-resistant, laminated, and the right choice for most food, drink, candle and cosmetic brands. Matt reads as crafted; gloss makes colour pop.
• Clear vinyl: the "no label" look on glass and clear plastic. White areas in the artwork are printed as a white ink layer, and anything left unprinted shows the product through.
• Kraft-effect paper: a natural brown look for food, candles and soap. Not water-resistant, so keep it to dry products or boxes.

Laminated vinyl is water-resistant rather than waterproof: fridge condensation, a wet bathroom shelf and a cold drink are fine, but long immersion or a dishwasher will lift the adhesive eventually. If the product lives in water, tell us and we will confirm the material before you order.

Sizes for common containers

A 250 ml jar takes a 60 × 40 mm or 70 × 50 mm label comfortably. A standard 330 ml bottle takes about 80 × 60 mm on the body; a tall candle tin takes a 50 mm circle on the lid. The label must be narrower than the flat area of the container or it will crease on the curve, so measure the straight section, not the circumference. For a wraparound, send the circumference and we will size it with an overlap. Any size and shape is available on request, including circles, ovals and custom die-cut outlines.

What a food or drink label needs

UK food labels have required content: the product name, an ingredients list with allergens emphasised, the net quantity, a best-before or use-by date, storage instructions, the business name and address, and for some products nutrition information. We print what you approve on the proof and the content is your responsibility, but we do set type small enough to fit and large enough to read; the legal minimum x-height is 1.2 mm, and we will flag text below that. Batch and date areas can be left as a blank panel to write on or overprint.

Artwork

Build the label at actual size at 300 dpi, or as a vector, with 2 mm of bleed on every edge and the important content 2 mm inside the cut line. Barcodes print best in black on white at no smaller than 80 per cent of their nominal size. If you only have a logo and some text, send them and we lay the label out for you; the proof is free either way.

Applying labels straight

Mark the position on the first container and use it as the reference. Peel the label from the roll at the top edge, align the top, and smooth down with a thumb from the centre out. On a curved jar, lay the centre first and work round in both directions. A simple benchtop applicator pays for itself above about 200 units a week.

Timing and reorders

Production is one to two working days after you approve the proof, with a paid next-day option, and standard UK delivery is free. We keep your file, so reorders need only the quantity; many small brands order monthly as their batches grow. London customers can collect from Spelman Street in E1.