Clear and Transparent Product Labels: Strategies for a Visible Impact
Sometimes the best selling point for an item is the appearance of the product itself. Clear and transparent product labels create a striking but minimalist look that highlight your container – and potentially everything inside of it.
While opaque labels are still the traditional choice, see-through labels can give alcohol, cosmetic bottles, food products, and other types of packaging a clear advantage over the competition. But planning is key.
Here are some strategies and considerations to make your clear or transparent product labels a success.
Choose Materials Based on Your Container’s Purpose
If you’ve decided on clear or transparent product labels, you’ll need to opt for some type of film material, namely some form of polypropylene, like Clear BOPP or MDO.
Durability matters when alcohol-based cosmetic formulas, wet environments, and daily handling threaten to scratch and damage your product label. A common solution for film ink protection is to add a laminate or varnish protective coating.
Consider White Underprinting for Color Elements
Inks are not completely opaque. This means that both the container and the contents of that container can alter the colors on your label. If you’ve used a bold yellow on your product label, but the liquid inside the container is blue, your ink may end up looking a hazy shade of green.
The process to shield your color design from the container or its contents is called white underprinting— the creation of a white layer directly behind those areas in the artwork. White ink is typically printed wherever the white layer is present in order to add some opacity.
It’s always worth test printing a physical proof before making the final commitment.
Place Double-Sided Labels Carefully
When clear bottles are on the shelf, how will people read your labels? From the front? Back? Both?
This is an opportunity to print an image on one label and important textual information on the other. You can also pair a clear label with an opaque label so that customers can view artwork, designs, images or branded messages on the inside of the container. In this situation, you’ll want a layer of white dividing the inner and outer designs to prevent illegibility.
Use a Tight Application Process
Although see-through labels are chic, water resistant, and flexible, they come with one distinct challenge: Bubbling.
All labels are prone to common label application issues like air bubbles, wrinkles, or other faults, but clear labels are especially difficult because they lack color to hide them. Here’s how to avoid problems before you start:
- Purchase high-quality containers
- Clean them for dust before you begin
- Machine apply your labels to avoid air entrapment
- Ensure steady, even pressure using rollers across the entire label surface
- Choose a label that allows for outgassing
A clean and tight application process can also prevent accidental fingerprints, dust or any other foreign objects under the label.
Work with A Professional Printing Company
Clear and transparent product labels can give your product a competitive edge, but producing professional results requires more than strategy. At Labels & Specialty Products, we have the experts and technology to produce eye-catching see-through labels. We work with you to identify your needs and provide a label solution made specifically for your products.
Contact Labels & Specialty Products today to talk to one of our experts about how we can help your products stand out with unique clear and transparent labels.
