Types & Features of Cosmo Label Films

A label is a small part of the product, yet holds great significance. As the buyers these days are growing conscious, they prefer to purchase products only after reading a label; no/misprinted label can create negative buying decisions & goes on to reflect your brand value. A quality label, on the other hand, protects the legibility of printed information you wish to communicate to your audience. Thus, from aesthetics to durability, every characteristic of a label matters.

While some businesses may question investing in quality labels, smart entrepreneurs understand that it is these elements that make their product stand apart amongst the thousands of other similar ones. At Cosmo Films, we have engineered a wide range of high-quality label films for different applications. In this blog post, we are going to talk about the different types of Label Films offered by Cosmo and their features. 

Pressure Sensitive Labelstock Films

These are co-extruded, bi-axially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films engineered especially for home care & personal care products for self-adhesive label film applications. These are available in Transparent, Metalized, and White variants. Below are its key features: 

• Offers excellent adhesion with the product 
• Boasts of high clarity & aesthetic appeal 
• Provide high durability, withstanding extreme & rough conditions 
• Embedded with RFID that allows storing, transmitting & tracking data 
• Anti-Counterfeit property prevents imitation & reduces loses 
• Known as Universal Printable film, compatible with multiple print technologies 
• Delivers unmatched print quality 
• Applications include: home care & personal care products, beverage & pharmaceutical products 

Wrap Around Label Films 

These, too, are co-extruded BOPP films for wrap-around applications. Cosmo Wrap Around Label Films are used by top brands for labeling food & beverages. These are available in Transparent, Pearlized & Metalized variants. Below are the key features: 

• Offers amazing printability & machinability 
• Resistant to moisture & oil 
• Known for high durability 
• Good optics & clarity 
• Suitable for cut & stack, and reel fed applications 

In-Mould Label Films (IML) 

IML is a pre-printed Polypropylene label, engineered to take the container’s shape before being injected into the mold. IML unites with the mold with the process of heating & cooling, such that it becomes a part of the product & offers excellent durability. Below are the key features: 

• Offers high durability & strength against rough handling & bad weather conditions 
• Available in Transparent & White variants 
• Compatible with Offset, Rotogravure & Flexography printing technologies 
• Matte surface suitable for PP containers 
• Since it is made with the same material as the container, it promotes recyclability 
• Applications include Paint buckets, candy/ice cream/yogurt tubs, cosmetic boxes, etc. 

Label Over Lamination Films 

It is a co-extruded, plain, both-side treated & bi-axially Oriented Polypropylene rim, designed to add a layer of protection for standard & premium products to enhance aesthetics & durability. Below are the key features: 

• Provides excellent antistatic properties 
• Known for great machinability & resistance to moisture 
• Enhances durability of products 
• Adds good gloss & transparency with little to no haze 
• Applications include: Carton lamination, printed/non-printed paper & paper board lamination, etc.

Conclusion 

Cosmo Films’ range of label films is designed for superior quality & sustainability. The organization is continually innovating to provide improved products & services to its customers and offer sustainable films for the environment.

What is Metalized Film and its Different Types

An ever-increasing number of products, changing lifestyles & safer food packaging are a few factors that have seen the packaging & labelling industry grow over the past few years. The COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to the fire, making customers realise the importance of packaging that keeps foreign contaminants at bay. The result is there to see, with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of this industry in India expected to rise approximately 26.7% in the next 5 years!

Companies are actively looking for a packaging & labelling material that ticks the most boxes. The answer? Metalized packaging & labelling films. 

What are Metalized Films?
Metalized films are films made by coating a polymer film with a thin layer of metal (generally aluminium). The film retains some of its original properties, like toughness & low density, but attains additional features like reduced permeability to external factors. 

This metallic coating could often be the difference to make a product one step ahead of the rest. The metalized packaging films give way to attractive images & are a fun way to display the product’s unique selling points. This makes it pop out from the rest of the monotonous packets on the aisle. Apart from that, it acts as an additional barrier, preventing the contents inside from interacting with the environment. The experts at Cosmo films noted these benefits & developed metallic films that incorporate all the above advantages and a few more! 

Metalized Printing & Pouching Films 

Used majorly to pack snack items and bakery goods, our co-extruded films support high-quality printing & converting. The ability to be used as a monoweb or laminate on horizontal form fill seals (HFFS) and vertical form fill seals (VFFS) packing machines make it a versatile option. 

One of its sides is metalized while the other differs in property according to variant. All 5 variants have a multi-layer laminate setup which provides an excellent moisture & oxygen barrier. Properties like a bright white background and oxo-biodegradability come with types like Metalized Cavitated White Opaque Film and Metalized Oxo-Biodegradable Heat Sealable Film, respectively. 

Metalized Barrier Films 

The experts at Cosmo Films made the Metalized Barrier Films to counter two of the packaging industry’s most crucial problems—food wastage & material consumption. 

These films have a high moisture barrier to keep the packed food consumable for a long time, hence improving the shelf life. It tackles the problem of material consumption through laminate rationalization. Metalized Barrier Films are solvent-free coated films which make them ideal to be used as an inner seal web in duplex/triplex laminate structures. Its good machinability aids to offer the best results in sandwich lamination. 

Metalized Pressure Sensitive LabelStock Film 

Coming to the realm of labels, these films are extensively used to fulfil the global need for self-adhesive labels. One of the best properties of Metalized PSL Films is their universal printability, which means they can deliver high-quality printing across a wide range of printing processes like flexography, UV, letterpress and offset. Apart from this, they are compatible with UV, water-based and solvent alike. This range is known for its sparkling metallic appearance, high stiffness, and good optics. With a good active moisture resistance, these are ideal for beverages, health, beauty & pharmaceutical products. 

Metalized Wrap Around Label Films 

Metalized Wrap Around Label Films are suitable for people who use cut-stock and reel-fed applications. These BOPP-based films are metalized on one side & heat sealable on the other with a super white opaque look on the latter side. In addition to high optical density, stiffness, & good adhesion, it also has good mould resistance. These are used by reputed beverage brands worldwide. 

Thermal Label Types for Your Barcode Application

Choose the Thermal Label Type for Your Barcode Application From retail to healthcare and beyond, barcodes have seen a rise in use to get accurate tracking, inventory, asset management and more. It carries digital information that can be scanned and viewed, hence requiring accurate details while printing. Therefore, choosing the right label films for barcode printing is complicated. Selecting the wrong type will lead to unnecessary risks in services, which affects the quality you promised.

What is a barcode?
Barcode is a combination of bars and spaces, which are a machine-readable representation of characters. It is used in coupons, images, signatures, licences, patient ID tags, specimen tags, backs of prescriptions, shipping containers, etc. The correct label film for printing ensures maximum quality and is decided by considering its type, printer compatibility, durability, and adhesion properties. Let’s go over two of the leading types for this application.

Thermal Transfer 

Thermal transfer printing has a thermal ribbon as a buffer between the printhead and label film. As the label is passed, the printhead heats the ribbon containing the ink. This ink melts and essentially transfers itself (the image) onto the label. This type of printing delivers graphic images with long-lasting image stability. They are comparatively durable and cost-efficient to laser printers. On the downside, the ribbon used is poor in terms of recyclability and changing them occasionally takes time and effort.

Direct Thermal
Direct thermal is also a heat-based printing process but doesn’t need a ribbon to print. The label film is passed through a heated print that heats specific areas of it. These areas react to heat and form crisp, accurate images.
The printers used for direct thermal printing don’t need extra components like ribbon and toner, making them more cost-efficient and easier to use as compared to thermal transfer printers. However, the results are often good only for short-term usage as it’s prone to scuff.

DTP Films by Cosmo Films
The innovative minds at Cosmo Films have made a direct thermal printable film that banks on the advantages while losing a few of its disadvantages. It is a BOPP-based film with a proprietary direct thermal coating and a wide temperature endurance. The top has a protective layer that shields it from mechanical abrasion, climatic factors, chemicals, etc., increasing its durability against physical rubbing, water, oil and other solvents. DTP films are suitable to print with UV & water-based flexo, providing crisp, dark quality images every time.

• Here are a few benefits of using DTP films to print your barcodes.
• High-speed printing, ideal for large-scale applications.
• Accurate images with a reduced chance of smudging.
• Lower cost to print as it doesn’t need toner or ink cartridges.
• Reduced inventory and lighter, more portable printers.

All these features and benefits make way for a wide variety of applications, like:

• Barcode printing
• Airline baggage tags
• Retail price marking
• Ready-made food labels
• Fresh fruits & meat labels
• Logistics labels
• Deep freeze product labels
• Pharmaceutical labels, and more.

In conclusion, if you desire high-speed barcode printing without losing out on quality and durability, DTP label films are the perfect fit for your needs. Our top-coated films give you an edge over your competitors. 

4 Applications That Should Use Cosmo Synthetic Paper

Paper is widely used in multiple industries because of its print versatility. From things as small as visiting cards to huge billboards that you cross when driving on the road, its applications are countless. Following its rise in the print & similar industries, other options sprung up and put themselves forward for companies to make use of. One of those variants that offers itself as an alternative to pulp-based paper is Cosmo Synthetic Paper.

What is Cosmo Synthetic Paper?

Cosmo Synthetic Paper (CSP) is a co-extruded, BOPP-based synthetic film that acts as a direct replacement for traditional paper where longevity is needed. It is white opaque and resembles traditional paper in appearance, but has a wide variety of features that make it an upgrade over its counterpart. Let’s go over a few of those:

• It is tear-free.
• It is resistant to water, oil & chemicals.
• It is compatible with multiple print processes.
• It has excellent folding endurance & lay flatness.
• It is dimensionally stable & writable.
• It is durable & recyclable.

While the features are amazing, most industries don’t know how to implement CSP in their businesses. Here are 4 applications that we think should make the switch.

Menu Cards
Restaurants and cafes use menu cards to showcase what their place offers. It is the first piece of interaction with your customers and hence, should be ideal to make a great first impression. However, menu cards are victim to water spills & greasy hands, both of which deteriorate their condition with time.
On the flip side, menu cards printed on CSP look new even after many years because the synthetic paper does not absorb water, oil or grease. All that goes away by simply wiping it clean with a cloth.

Baggage Tags
Baggage tags help identify one’s luggage while travelling. There are many options in the market with catchy designs, but none can withstand tearing. Tags printed on CSP don’t tear, even if someone manually tried to do it.
Not just for consumers, CSP tags are a boon for the printing industry too because of their excellent printability. It can be sheeted, hot foil stamped and is also compatible with digital printing techniques like thermal transfer.

Outdoor Billboards
Billboards are great for advertisements and are used by brands worldwide. It’s catchy and useful, but only if it is readable. Most billboards fail to keep up with the harsh outdoor weather.
Cosmo Synthetic Paper’s durability, resistance to moisture and excellent printability make it ideal for printing billboards. From sunny days to heavy showers, these billboards will display your adverts until you decide to take them down.

Wedding Albums
Newly-wed couples invest big in their wedding album as it showcases memories of their special day. Unfortunately, the rolling years aren’t kind to them as these albums fade, tear or are damaged by moisture.
To truly store those memories ‘forever’, one can opt to print them on CSP. A few of its variants are printable on both sides by HP Indigo, letterpress, UV offset, electrophotography, and more. These also have a high tear & moisture resistance to keep the albums in mint condition.

These applications are just the start. One can use Cosmo Synthetic Paper in hundreds of industries to make the experience of both the business & end consumers better.

Benefits of Using Cosmo Pressure Sensitive LabelStock Films

Every product needs marketing to improve sales, & labels play a humongous part in it. Label films hold the responsibility to convey the company’s view of the product to the customers. From the name at the front to technical details (like ingredients) at the back, they are paramount in convincing customers to pick a product. 

The type of adhesive activation categorizes label films into heat activated, water activated, pressure activated, etc. One of the best out of the pool is the pressure-sensitive variant. 

What are Pressure Sensitive Labels? 

Each label is primarily made of the adhesive that attaches the label & the face stock, which is the label itself. A barrier & a backing protects the adhesive side whereas a topcoat does it on the label side of the film. The components can be switched & modified to achieve the ideal combination for any product.

Pressure-sensitive labels have adhesives that activate when pressure applies to the film. Unlike others, the absence of the need to heat or use a solvent makes it easy to apply using hands or machines. Uses include labelling containers, beverages, medicines & more. 

Pressure Sensitive Label Facestock Films by Cosmo Films 

Our Pressure Sensitive Label Facestock Films are BOPP-based films that are modified to give the best adhesion & durability. These increase the product’s shelf life by saving it from the physical wear and tear during transportation & storage. Not just that, its good optical properties ensure the product looks great on the shelf. 

Heavily used in the beverage & pharmaceutical industries, our films are universally printable & compatible with UV, water-based & solvent ink-based systems. Let’s go over a few benefits, followed by the advantages of using our PSL Facestock films. 

Benefits

 

No Label Look 

The transparent pressure-sensitive label facestock variant is co-extruded & clear. The transparency makes it excellent to attain a ‘no label’ look on the product. Apart from that, it has high stiffness for conversion & dispensing. 

Print Performance 

These films are universally printable, so they can print on all major printing processes including UV, flexography, gravure, offset and letterpress. While printing, they deliver superior machinability and print performance coupled with top-class ink adhesion & retention. 

Process Efficiency 

On top of print performance, its print surface makes running on a high-speed press a breeze. The performance of the print surface shows great promise, even in humid conditions. 

Strength & Resistance 

A label that scratches easily is useless on products. Our label films have good strength & the topcoat provides ample shielding to the label behind it from physical wear. Looking beyond that, PSL facestock films have great durability to make the products look amazing for a long time. 

Sustainable 

Taking care of the environment while moving forward is growing in importance for both companies and end-users. We understood the need and made our films sustainable by facilitating the recycling process. 

Advantages 

Versatility 

These films react to pressure, which means you can manually apply it to the products or use a machine-fed approach. Unlike others, the label, once placed, can be repositioned with little effort. This leads to accurate placement every time giving you perfectly labelled products. The nature of the film also allows you to place it on almost all shapes & surfaces, hence providing an all-around solution. 

Cost-efficient 

The adhesives on labels are activated with heat, solvent, water, or even other adhesives. A core advantage PSL stock films have over them is the pressure-activated adhesive that eliminates the need for extra equipment. This paves the way for faster setups & lower investments. We offer our Pressure Sensitive Label Facestock Films in three categories: 

• Transparent 
• White 
• Metalized 

Each of these categories has variants to help you find the perfect one to suit your need. 

Reusable Packaging Solutions: The Future of Packaging Industry

Plastics and nature are two main reasons and the greatest concerns for today's environment. We can always find the plastic described data, however, it remains in an extended environment. Why? Since plastic are the most environmental friendly solutions, unlike its contradictions, because it will reduce, minimize opportunities and less energy consumed in production. For example, we use stiff glass packaging for the product, will require additional storage space compared to multiple pollution. So the question is not how to replace plastic, but how can it be environmentally friendly? 

Since this packaging is designed for reuse, guaranteeing great is of most extreme significance. This fills the double need of upgrading packaging timeframe of realistic usability and additional assurance to the bundled item. Items pressed in reusable packaging are less inclined to decay or harm during transportation. Additionally, adaptable packaging that is broadly acquiring notoriety is smaller and requires a lot lesser space to ship items when contrasted with inflexible packaging. 

Efficient Transportation

Since this packaging is engineered for reuse, ensuring high quality is of utmost importance. This serves the dual purpose of enhancing packaging shelf life and extra protection to the packaged product. Products packed in reusable packaging are less prone to spoilage or damage during transportation. Also, flexible packaging that is widely gaining popularity is compact & requires much lesser space to transport products as compared to rigid packaging. 

Limited Storage Space

It eliminates the requirement of raw materials for more packaging, as the same packaging can now be reused. This is beneficial in industrial applications where they need to constantly pack products to transport from one site to another. 

Less Waste Production 

Reusable packaging has the power to minimize household & industrial waste production by many folds. Unlike conventional packaging that goes into trash after one use, reusable packaging results in less waste generation. It can also bring down the cost of waste management, especially for large firms. This can have a major effect on the overall cost of production. 

Environmental Benefits 

It not only saves time & money but also is beneficial for the environment. It can help you bring down your carbon footprint by minimizing environmental degradation activities. When both companies & households use packaging that can be reused or returned to form a circular economy, the requirement to manufacture more packaging material will reduce. 

This also reduces the energy & raw material consumption, and emission of greenhouse gases during the process. Cosmo Films is a responsible organization that is investing money & efforts in creating smart & sustainable solutions for its clients and the environment. Producing durable packaging that enhances the shelf life of products and promotes sustainability is at its core.

Benefits of Using Cosmo Synthetic Paper

The pulp-based paper has been around for a long time. The rise of technology saw strides in every industry and the paper industry was no exception. The need for innovation resulted in a new type of paper—Synthetic Paper. 

Synthetic paper is a resin-based film that resembles the look and feel of paper. Made from thermoplastic polymers, it is used by leading companies for labelling, printing, packaging, and more. Considering this demand, the synthetic paper industry is forecasted to reach over $800 million by 2026! 

Let’s understand the benefits that back these astounding numbers. 

#1 Non-tearability

The tearing of paper is a problem that we have grown to accept. People stopped looking at it as a problem but as an inconvenience. Not anymore. 

One of the most noticeable features is the synthetic paper’s non-tearable nature. It is almost impossible to damage it by hand. Thus, the sturdy synthetic paper can directly replace conventional paper in applications where durability is desired. Companies use it for product tags, children’s books, medical charts and more. 

#2 Printability

A different material often scares the users of its practicality. After all, we use paper extensively for printing. Synthetic paper also supports high-quality printing with exceptional print quality. It produces excellent colour replication with multiple print technologies like offset printing or digital technologies like laser and thermal. A few variants may need special ink to print and more time to dry, nonetheless flaunt excellent print retention. Besides printing, these also support hot stamping. This makes it a good option for printing brochures, menu cards, books, etc. 

#3 Water-Resistant

As essential as it is, water is the natural enemy for many things. Not only does it damage regular paper, but it also gets into its structure, ruining the print on it. Laminating the paper offers a bit more resistance but increases production costs. 

Food labels, garden tags & similar paper applications that needed to withstand water in any form found their solace in the synthetic paper. Whether you wipe it clean or even dip it in water, neither will affect the print. You can use it to replace paper in marine applications. Another use is for labelling products that are stored in the freezer. The moisture resistance practically makes it weatherproof, hence, a good option for outdoor use too. 

#4 Oil & Chemical Resistant

Transporting and storing chemicals has always been tough. Apart from finding the right material to contain it, another problem is finding the material to print the description and instructions. The fumes from strong acids are enough to damage chemical drum labels. The synthetic paper offered a solution with good oil and chemical resistance. This durable paper keeps the labels safe from the time of packaging to transportation and even storage. This makes it ideal for drum labels, chemical tags, etc. 

#5 Security Benefits

Companies and individuals lose money every year because of counterfeit goods. The synthetic paper helps fight back by tamper-proofing important documents and identifications. You can build in security features like QR codes, serial numbering, prismatic printing, etc. between its layers. Businesses use it to print certificates, identity cards, unique labels and certificates. 

Feel the need to upgrade to synthetic paper after reading this? The experts at Cosmo Films, a leading synthetic paper manufacturer & supplier, have what you are looking for. They produce BOPP-based synthetic paper which is recyclable, trusted by leading brands for a variety of applications. Click here to connect with a Cosmo Films’ expert & request a free sample.