Self Adhesive Label Guide

HCR Systems Ltd is an established labelling company in Hull which supply printed self adhesive labels in reeled format. We focus on meeting our customers’ needs with our quick turnaround time and high quality products.

We print self adhesive labels using two makes of printers, which include Zebra and Sato, in house. We can also supply a wide range of self adhesive labels to any size to suit your company's needs. Our in-house label bureau service based in Hull, East Yorkshire, uses Sato and Zebra thermal transfer printers which are ideal for companies who do not have the time or the resources to run their own label printing operation. It is also useful to outsource large print runs to rather than investing in additional hardware and tooling costs for 'one-off' label runs.


We supply printed self adhesive labels via our Hull based print bureau using modern '4 colour' Edale print press for large or full colour print runs. We also print using the method of thermal transfer, which means the printer uses heat to melt a coating of ribbon on to the label on which the print is applied.

From small runs of plain self adhesive labels featuring black text through to thousands of durable full colour labels or millions of sequentially numbered barcode labels, we can specialise in a fast turnaround at great prices.



Types of Thermal Transfer Ribbons

 There are three main types of thermal transfer ribbons which are used when printing onto self adhesive labels, these are:

• Wax
• Wax-Resin
• Pure Resin

Wax Ribbons are for printing on to paper labels. The life of labels when using a wax ribbon is determined by how the labels are stored and what kind of conditions the labels are subjected to.

Wax Resin ribbons produce a much finer finish compared to that of a Wax ribbon. The image which is left on the label is much more durable than that of wax but can only stand slight contact with water.

Pure Resin ribbons are made to print onto plastic labels such as polyester, polypropylene and vinyl. The ink is designed to slightly dissolve into the plastic surface of the label and becomes extremely durable, depending on the plastic material and ribbon make used.

Sizes of Self Adhesive Labels

In our Hull depot we have a wide range of different sizes of self adhesive labels we keep on stock suitable for thermal transfer printing the most popular sizes of labels are 90mm x 45mm thermal transfer, 72mm x 38mm thermal transfer, 52mm x 38mm thermal transfer, 40mm x 18mm thermal transfer and 31mm x 20mm thermal transfer labels. These are the most common sizes of self adhesive labels but we are able to manufacture any size of label you would require to meet your needs.

We can provide labels in sizes ranging from small self adhesive labels suitable for bar code printing up to sizes of labels which are used in pallet labelling as we can have the cutters made to produce any size of label.

Types of Self Adhesive Labels

There are two main different types of labels which include Thermal Transfer labels and Direct Thermal labels. Thermal Transfer labels use a ribbon to print the text or image wanted on the sticky labels using a specialist printer. The printer uses heat to melt a coat of ribbon onto the label which dries immediately to prevent smudging and leaves you with a high quality finish.

Direct Thermal labels are printed using the same technique but without a ribbon. This is made possible as the self adhesive labels are heat sensitive and when passed through the print head of the machine the product darkens to leave an image or text on the label.

For more information please contact our Hull office on 01482 606800.

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