Roll Labels vs Sheet Labels: Choosing Custom Product Labels

Order roll labels if you apply more than a few hundred at a time or use a dispenser or applicator. Order sheet labels if you apply them by hand in small batches or print details on an office printer. The material matters as much as the format: paper for dry products, white or clear BOPP for anything that gets wet, cold or oily.

Food and cosmetic labels also have to follow FDA layout rules, and those rules decide how much room the design has. Settle the required text before the artwork, not after.

Roll labels or sheet labels: which do you need?

Roll labels suit volume and machines. Sheet labels suit hand application and short runs. The deciding question is how the labels get onto the product.

Which label material should you choose?

Match the material to the worst condition the product will meet: the fridge, the ice bucket, the shower shelf or a hot delivery van.

Tell us how the product is stored, not only what it is. A label that curls off a chilled bottle is a reprint, so the stock and adhesive are matched to refrigeration, condensation, oil or heat before anything prints.

Which label for which product?

• Product labels: retail-ready labels with space for a barcode and a compliance panel.
• Food and beverage labels: stocks rated for refrigeration and condensation.
• Bottle and jar labels: waterproof BOPP that survives an ice bucket.
• Health and beauty labels: oil and water resistant film for creams, oils and soaps.
• Barcode and inventory labels: sequential numbers or a different barcode on every label, printed from your data file.
• Shipping and mailing labels: thermal rolls for label printers, or laser sheets for office printers. Check your printer's spec sheet before ordering.

What core size and unwind direction does a label roll need?

Use the core size and wind position your dispenser or applicator specifies. Cores are normally 1 inch or 3 inches across the inside. If the core does not fit the machine's spindle, the roll will not load. Hand application works with either.

Wind position, also called unwind or rewind direction, describes which edge of the label comes off the roll first and which way up the copy reads as it unrolls. There are eight standard positions, numbered 1 to 8, and an applicator is set for one of them. A roll wound to the wrong position puts every label on sideways or upside down. Resource Label Group's roll label primer covers core size, roll diameter and wind position.

Before ordering rolls for a machine, collect these from its manual or its operator:

• Core size: 1 inch or 3 inches.
• Maximum outside diameter of a roll the machine accepts.
• Wind position number, 1 to 8.
• Label orientation on the liner, if the machine specifies it.
• For hand application, just say hand applied.

What must a food label include under FDA rules?

A packaged food label needs the name of the food, the net quantity, the ingredient list, the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, and any major food allergens, plus a Nutrition Facts panel unless the product is exempt. FDA rules also say where each item goes, which shapes the layout.

• Principal display panel (PDP): the part of the label most likely to be seen at purchase, usually the front. The statement of identity, meaning the name of the food, and the net quantity go here.
• Net quantity: a distinct item in the bottom 30 percent of the PDP, in lines generally parallel with the base of the container, in both metric and US customary units, for example Net wt 12 oz (340 g).
• Information panel: the panel immediately to the right of the PDP. The name and address, ingredient list, nutrition labeling and allergen labeling sit together here, with no unrelated material in between.
• Ingredients: listed in descending order of predominance by weight, heaviest first.
• Type size: at least 1/16 inch on the information panel, measured on the lowercase letter o.

Source: the FDA Food Labeling Guide. The FDA does not pre-approve food labels, so the content is the brand's responsibility. A printer's file check catches print problems, not regulatory ones, so have the copy reviewed before you approve the proof.

How must allergens appear on a food label?

Nine major food allergens must be declared: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) set the first eight, and the FASTER Act added sesame as the ninth from January 1, 2023. Declare each one either in parentheses after the ingredient, as in lecithin (soy), or in a Contains statement immediately after or next to the ingredient list, as in Contains wheat, milk and soy. See the FDA food allergies page.

What must a cosmetic label include?

Cosmetic labels follow a similar front panel and information panel layout, with differences in detail.

• Statement of identity on the principal display panel, in bold type.
• Net quantity on the PDP, in the bottom 30 percent unless the PDP is 5 square inches or less. Weight statements use net wt., and the minimum type size grows with the panel, from 1/16 inch up to 1/4 inch.
• Ingredients in descending order of predominance, on an information panel of the outer container, or on the container itself if it is not boxed. Ingredients at 1 percent or less can follow in any order.
• Name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, with Manufactured for or Distributed by when it is not the manufacturer.
• Warnings where needed to prevent a health hazard, in bold type on a contrasting background, at least 1/16 inch tall.
• A domestic address, domestic phone number or electronic contact such as a website for adverse event reports, required on cosmetic labels under MoCRA.

Sources: the FDA Cosmetics Labeling Guide and FDA guidance on MoCRA, which restates the label contact requirement. Because the ingredient list can sit on the outer carton, a small tube or jar sold in a box can carry a shorter label.

When do you need tamper-evident seals?

Use a tamper-evident seal wherever a customer needs proof that nobody opened the product first: delivery bags, food containers, supplement and cosmetic cartons, sample kits. A void label leaves a pattern on the surface when it is lifted, and a destructible label breaks into pieces. Neither can be peeled off and put back cleanly.

Place the seal across the opening, half on the lid and half on the body, so opening the product means breaking the seal.

Product label questions

See all roll, sheet and product label printing, read our die-cut vs kiss-cut sticker guide if your labels are really giveaways, and our custom packaging guide for the box around the product.