Clear Polyester Labels · Synthetic & waterproof
The label you are not supposed to notice
The short answer: on clear polyester the film disappears against the glass and only the printing stays visible — the « no-label look » that pale ales, spirits and serums are built on. Two things decide whether it works: an opaque white under the pale colours, and a careful hand when it is applied. From £198 per 100 in full colour.
Any shape within this size — rectangle, round, oval or custom die-cut.
VAT invoice · card or bank transfer · proof before production · ±5 % quantity tolerance
- Printing
- 1 option
- Protection
- 3 options
- Adhesives
- 3
- Sizes
- 16 formats
- Smallest
- 35 × 30 mm
- Largest
- 100 × 105 mm
- Quantities
- 100 → 10 000, more quoted
- Variable data
- available
Printed from £198 per 100, unprinted on rolls from £58. Production 2 to 10 working days after proof approval.
The rule that decides everything
On clear film, white is a colour you must print
Four-colour printing has no white ink: on paper the white is the paper. On a transparent film there is nothing behind the ink, so whatever is behind the glass shows straight through. Pale tints go translucent, white text disappears entirely, and a logo designed on a white background arrives as a faint outline.
The fix is an opaque white layer printed underneath, either across the whole design or only where it is needed — a white block behind the text, nothing behind the areas meant to vanish. It is decided on your proof and it is part of the job, but a design drawn without thinking about it usually has to be reworked.
The second condition is application. There is no white paper to hide behind, so a bubble, a fingerprint or a crooked placement is visible from a metre away. On short runs, ask for the transparent liner — you can see the bottle through it while you line the label up.
- Effect
- no-label look
- White ink
- printed underneath, on request
- Adhesives
- removable · permanent
- Water
- fully resistant
- One colour, from
- £181 / 100
- Full colour, from
- £198 / 100
- Variable data
- available
Two ways to print on glass
On the face, or in reverse behind it
Face printing — this page
The label goes on the outside of the bottle and the ink faces out. It is what a product label needs: applied on a filling line, read at any angle, protected by a lamination where the bottle is handled hard.
from £198 / 100Reverse printing — window work
The design is mirrored and printed on the adhesive side, so the sticker goes inside the glass and the print sits protected behind it. For shopfronts and windscreens, not for bottles.
from £185 / 100Price by quantity
What a run actually costs
Up to 55 × 70 mm, full colour, gloss varnish — die, setup and printing included.
| Quantity | Run price | Per label |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | £209 | £2.09 |
| 200 | £213 | £1.07 |
| 300 | £217 | £0.73 |
| 500 | £221 | £0.44 |
| 1 000 | £243 | £0.24 |
| 1 500 | £258 | £0.17 |
| 2 000 | £279 | £0.14 |
| 3 000 | £313 | £0.10 |
| 5 000 | £398 | £0.080 |
| 10 000 | £607 | £0.061 |
Excluding VAT and delivery. Other sizes, finishes and quantities are priced in the configurator above.
FAQ
Clear polyester — what customers ask us
Will my colours look the same as on paper?
No — everything behind the glass shows through them. Dark, saturated colours hold up well; pale tints and pastels go translucent. Print an opaque white underneath the areas that must stay solid and the design behaves like it does on paper.
How much does the white backing cost?
It is part of the printing rather than a separate line. What it changes is the design: decide early which areas need it, because adding a full white backing to a design meant to be transparent removes the whole point of the material.
Is it easy to apply by hand?
Less forgiving than a white label — there is no paper to hide a bubble or a crooked edge. For hand application on short runs, use the transparent liner so you can see the bottle while positioning, and work from one edge to the other rather than laying the label down flat.
Does it survive a fridge and an ice bucket?
Yes. Polyester is fully waterproof and dimensionally stable, so condensation and immersion do not affect it. That is exactly why the no-label look is so common on chilled drinks — a paper label would be ruined in the same conditions.
Can I have it in one colour only?
Yes, from £181 per 100 against £198 in full colour. On this material a single dark colour is often the strongest choice anyway: it holds against the bottle behind it and it needs no white backing.
The bottle keeps the credit.
Clear polyester, one colour from £181, full colour from £198.