Overprintable label rolls
We print the brand. You print the date.
The short answer: your design printed by us in full colour, with one area left deliberately bare so your own thermal printer can add the date, the lot and the barcode as you pack. From €183 per 100 — the middle road between a blank roll that carries no brand and a finished label that cannot carry today's data.
Three routes
Who prints what, and what it costs
| Route | We print | You print | From / 100 | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blank rolls | Nothing | The whole label | €44 | Content changes constantly, no colour needed |
| Overprintable rolls | Design, in full colour | Date, lot, barcode | €183 | A brand label plus day-of-packing data |
| Finished labels | Everything, data included | Nothing | €137 | Data known at order time, longer runs |
Variable data printed by us — numbering, barcodes, unique QR — is an option on the third route, from + €112 per run. See numbered labels.
The stocks
Two papers made to be overprinted
Protected thermal
A thermal paper with a protective top coat: it stands the damp of a chilled room and the handling of a packing bench without the print fading. The default for food.
from €183 / 100
Standard thermal
The same principle without the top coat — for dry environments and labels that are read within days rather than months.
from €185 / 100Both are cut up to 100 × 105 mm and supplied on rolls, wound to suit your printer. A free panel can also be left on other coated stocks — ask us with the machine you use.
Designing the panel
Leave it bare, and leave it big enough
The free area is not just an empty rectangle in your artwork: it must carry no varnish and no lamination. A coating over the panel stops the thermal head marking the paper and the label comes out blank — the single most common mistake on this product, and the reason these stocks ship unprotected.
For size, work from what your printer actually produces: a date and a lot number need roughly 40 × 12 mm, a Code 128 barcode takes the block to about 40 × 25 mm, and 2 mm of margin all round keeps the print off your design. Send us a label your machine has produced and we place the panel around it on the proof.
- Material
- Protected thermal
- Size
- 75 × 70 mm
- Printed by us
- Full colour design
- Free panel
- 45 × 20 mm, unvarnished
- You overprint
- Use-by date + lot
- Quantity
- 1 000 per reference
- 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.
Where it earns its keep
Four situations that call for it
Fresh food
A use-by date that changes every morning, on a label that still looks like a brand.
Frozen & chilled
Freezer stocks accept the same treatment, panel included.
Small-batch producers
One design, a different batch number on every cook.
Dispatch
Your header pre-printed, the address added at the bench.
FAQ
Overprintable rolls — what producers ask us
What is an overprintable roll?
A roll of labels carrying your design already printed in full colour, with one area deliberately left free and uncoated by varnish so your own printer can add the date, the lot number or a barcode as you pack. You get a proper brand label and day-of-packing data, without printing the logo yourself on every single label.
Which printer do I need?
A direct thermal printer for the thermal stocks — no ribbon, the paper darkens under the head. A thermal transfer printer with a ribbon works on the same stocks and gives a more durable mark. Tell us the model with your order and we match the stock and the winding direction; if you are unsure, send a photo of the roll you use today.
How big should the free panel be?
Big enough for what your printer produces, plus a 2 mm margin all round. A date and a lot number need roughly 40 × 12 mm; add a Code 128 barcode and you are at 40 × 25 mm. Send us the sample your printer produces and we place the panel around it on the proof.
Can the free panel be varnished or laminated?
No, and that is the one rule that matters. A varnish or a lamination over the panel stops the thermal head marking the paper — the label comes out blank. We leave the panel bare on purpose, which is why these stocks ship unprotected while the rest of the design keeps its colours.
Is it cheaper than printing everything myself?
Not per label — blank rolls start at €44 per 100 against €183 for a pre-printed roll. It is cheaper in practice for anyone whose in-house printer is monochrome: you get a full-colour brand label without buying a colour label printer, without the printing time on your line, and without the colour drift between batches.
In this range
Every product under Overprintable rolls
A brand label that still knows today's date.
Printed by us, overprinted by you — from 100 labels.