Custom Compostable Labels on Cellulose Film and Paper Stocks

Paper Face Stocks

Uncoated white paper is the workhorse. It prints crisply, takes a pen if you need to write a batch date, and can be die-cut to any outline. Natural kraft paper is unbleached, slightly fibrous, and gives the warm look most people associate with small-batch food and skincare. Textured papers, with a laid or felt finish, suit candles, soap and anything sold as a gift.

None of these stocks has a film laminate over the print. That means the surface will mark if it is scuffed hard, and the ink will soften if it gets soaked. For products that live in a bathroom or a fridge, tell us and we will suggest a stock and a water-based varnish that copes better, and note it on the quote.

The adhesive is the same across all the paper stocks and is chosen to bond to board, kraft paper and glass. If you are labelling a box we have also made, we match the label stock to the board so the two look like one piece. The product labels for retail packaging page lists the standard stocks with sample photos.

Shapes, Sizes and Finishing

Rectangles, squares, circles and ovals are cut with standard dies and carry no extra cost. A custom outline, such as a leaf, a bottle silhouette or a logo shape, needs a one-off die which we quote separately and keep for your reorders. Wrap-around bands for cups, candles and tubs are cut long and thin and applied in one pass.

Labels are supplied on rolls for hand or machine application, or on sheets for small runs applied by hand. Tell us how you apply them and we set the roll direction and core size to suit. Sheet labels are the sensible choice under about 500 pieces, rolls above that.

Finishes are limited on purpose. We print full colour, add a white underprint on clear film so colours stay bright, and offer a water-based varnish for mild protection. We do not laminate these labels with a film or add foil. For a metallic or heavily protected label, our roll labels for machine application have those options on a conventional stock.

• Rectangles, squares, circles and ovals at no extra cost
• Custom die-cut outlines with the die kept for reorders
• Wrap-around bands for cups, candles and tubs
• Rolls with your choice of core and wind direction, or sheets
• Full-colour water-based print with optional white underprint

Where These Labels Are Used

Coffee roasters put a clear front label on a kraft pouch and a white back label with the roast notes and weight. Granola, nut and dried fruit brands do the same on stand-up pouches. Preserve makers use a paper label on the jar and a small circle on the lid as a seal. Soap and candle makers wrap a textured paper band around the product with the scent name on the front.

Refill shops and zero-waste stores like a plain white paper label with space to write the contents and date by hand. Bakeries use a small kraft circle to close a paper bag. Cosmetics brands with aluminium tins use the white cellulose film because it reads like a gloss label and wipes clean.

All of these buyers tend to need two or three sizes rather than one, and we quote them as a set so the artwork, stock and adhesive match. If your coffee bags are a different format, the labels sized for coffee bags page lists the common bag sizes and the label that fits each.

Application Advice

Apply labels to a clean, dry surface at room temperature and press them down firmly from the centre outwards. Starch-based adhesives build strength over the first day, so a label applied today holds better tomorrow. Avoid applying onto cold glass straight from a store room; let the jars warm up first.

On kraft pouches the adhesive bonds well to the paper outer. On film-laminated pouches it bonds to the laminate, which is fine for most packs but worth testing with a sample before a large run. We include a few extra labels with every order for exactly this reason.

If the label will be printed over by a thermal printer for batch codes, tell us and we will choose a face stock that accepts thermal transfer. For stock that is written on by hand, the uncoated paper is best. Smaller sticker formats for sealing bags and boxes are covered on the custom labels in any shape page.

Getting a Label Quote and Proof

Send the label size, shape, quantity, the stock you prefer and the format you need, rolls or sheets, along with your artwork. We reply by email within one working day with a custom quote that lists the face stock, adhesive and liner. Minimums are low and set per job, and simple paper labels start from £0.25 on larger runs. A free design proof shows the cut line over your artwork before anything is printed.

Production takes 4–7 working days after proof approval and delivery is free and tracked to UK mainland addresses in 2–3 working days. Misprints or damage reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Most clients order the box or pouch and the label together so that the proofs can be checked as one design; the labels and stickers range overview shows the other formats we can add to the same order.