Functional labels
Chosen for what it survives, not for how it looks
The short answer: this is the range you reach for when the label has a job — freezer, heat, grease, dishwasher, opacity, clean removal, or none of the above but a shop window. It carries seven adhesives and the widest size range we cut, from 30 × 30 mm to 300 × 350 mm. From £145 per 100.
The range
Six constraints, six materials
Freezer & deep-freeze
Adhesives that bond on a cold, damp surface and stay flexible at −25 °C, on coated paper or on a polyethylene film.
from £151 / 100
High temperature
A white polyimide film for circuit boards through reflow, engine parts and heating elements — where every other film shrinks or chars.
from £163 / 100
Greaseproof
Cheese, charcuterie, bakery. Standard paper turns translucent where fat soaks in, usually within a day on the shelf. This one does not.
from £170 / 100
Washable to 80 °C
Stays put and stays readable through a dishwasher or a wash line — reusable containers, catering equipment, laboratory glassware.
from £189 / 100
Opaque blockout
An extra opaque layer so nothing shows through: correct a date, a price or a translation on packaging you have already produced.
from £145 / 100
Reverse-printed window
Printed mirrored on a clear film, applied inside the glass, read from the street. Removable or ultra-removable so nothing is left behind.
from £185 / 100Also in the range
Six more jobs this family covers
| What you need | Material | Adhesive | From / 100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified for direct food contact | White polyester, food grade | Migration-tested | £223 |
| Printed on both faces | White polyester, double-sided | Permanent | £186 |
| Comes off with no trace on glass | Coated paper | Ultra-removable | £157 |
| Dissolves off in the wash | Coated paper | Water-removable | £212 |
| No adhesive at all — static cling | Synthetic film | None | £159 |
| Repositionable while lining it up | White polypropylene | Repositionable | £150 |
Also here: thermal papers for date and batch overprinting from £157, an acetate silk for delicate surfaces, and a dry-gum paper carried on a backing strip.
The choice everyone underestimates
The adhesive is half the label
Seven adhesives run on this range — permanent, reinforced, removable, ultra-removable, semi-permanent, water-removable, repositionable, plus the film that uses none at all. No other family here offers that spread, and it is the reason this range exists.
The useful question is not « will it stick » but « what happens at the end »: does the label stay for the life of the product, come off when the container is refilled, dissolve in a wash line, or leave a display exactly as it was found? Answer that and the material follows in one step.
- Material
- Coated paper
- Size
- 75 × 50 mm
- Adhesive
- Water-removable
- Washing
- Comes away in the wash line
- Variable data
- Date + tray number
- Quantity
- 2 000 labels
- Production
- 2 to 10 working days
An example of a real order. Quantities are not capped — we print from a hundred pieces to several million.
Specification
What you choose when you order
| Choice | Options | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Printing | Full colour · both faces · reverse for windows | Reverse printing is applied inside the glass |
| Protection | None · gloss varnish · gloss or matt lamination | Thermal papers are left unlaminated by design |
| Adhesive | Seven, from permanent to none | The widest adhesive choice in the catalogue |
| Sizes | 69 formats, 30 × 30 mm to 300 × 350 mm | The largest dies we cut, on clear films |
| Variable data | Not available on this range | Numbering runs on coated and synthetic stocks |
| Quantities | 100 to 10 000 online, more on quotation | Any die-cut shape at no extra cost |
Production runs 2 to 10 working days once the proof is approved, then delivery across Europe and the UK.
Price by quantity
What a run of thermal paper costs
Full colour on protected thermal stock, 55 × 70 mm — the material used for labels you overprint yourself with dates and batch codes.
| Quantity | Run price | Per label |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | £187 | £1.87 |
| 500 | £197 | £0.39 |
| 1 000 | £216 | £0.21 |
| 2 000 | £246 | £0.12 |
| 3 000 | £275 | £0.094 |
Excluding VAT and delivery. Prefer to print everything yourself? Blank rolls start at £38 per 100. Above 10 000 labels, quantities are quoted at volume rates — up to millions.
FAQ
Functional materials — what customers ask us
What is a functional label?
One chosen for what it has to survive or do rather than for how it looks: hold at −40 °C, take +250 °C, resist grease, go through a dishwasher, hide what is printed underneath, come off cleanly, or dissolve in water. This range is the answer to a constraint, and it is where most of the difficult questions we get end up.
Which adhesive should I ask for?
It depends on what happens at the end of the label's life. Permanent for anything that stays. Removable when the label comes off during use. Ultra-removable for glass and displays that must not be marked. Semi-permanent and water-removable for returnable containers washed between uses. Repositionable while the operator lines it up by hand. Seven adhesives run on this range — more than on any other.
Do you have a label that hides an old one?
Yes — an opaque blockout paper, from £145 per 100. It carries an extra opaque layer so nothing shows through, which is what lets you correct a date, a price or a translation on packaging already produced instead of reprinting the packaging.
Can a label be printed on both sides?
Yes, on a white polyester printed on both faces, from £186 per 100 — used for hanging tags, wrapped seals and labels applied to transparent packaging where the back is visible. For shop windows there is a dedicated reverse-printing option instead, applied inside the glass.
Is there a label with no adhesive at all?
There is a synthetic film that clings by static rather than glue, from £159 per 100. It leaves absolutely nothing behind, repositions endlessly and is used on glass and smooth plastic — service reminders, seasonal notices, vehicle windows.
In this range
Every product under Functional
Tell us the constraint. We will name the material.
Cold, heat, grease, washing, opacity, clean removal — from 100 labels.