Labels being unwinded fast in Columbine Label Company.

What is “Unwind Direction” and Why Does it Matter for Custom Labels?

Lable Unwind Direction

We all can agree on the importance of the label in branding the product, communicating the product benefits, and catching the attention of consumers.

Numerous decisions must be made to design and print a label that will work with the product packaging or bottle, as well as correlate the label with the brand image of your company and product.

If you want people to know that your brand is quality, the label needs to be printed with as much quality and precision as possible to help relay that message.

Columbine Label Company can help ensure that your branding goals are carried through the whole labeling process. We do this by helping customers work through the considerations to determine the best solution for the product’s use, storage, and presentation.

One of these important considerations is something you’ve probably never thought of before – how should the labels be printed on the roll to correlate with how they will need to be applied?

This is where the “Unwind Direction” comes in.

When you are searching for a supplier for custom labels, you will hear terms such as “Copy Position”, and “Unwind Direction”. What are these terms and why do they matter? Well, these are in regard to the visual representation of how the labels are oriented on the roll of labels – (horizontal, vertical, side by side, etc.) and how the roll will unwind. For labels that will be applied by hand, these don’t really matter – but for labels that will be applied by a machine, the wrong copy position and unwind direction could shut down production!

The layout of the label on the roll, and how it needs to be applied to the bottle or package, is a basic science in the custom labeling world.

Let’s look at an Industry Standard Copy Position Chart:

a chart of label Unwind Directions

At Columbine Label Company, we focus on printing labels that will communicate your brand image with a quality label that fits perfectly with the product packaging. A quality label communicates trust, passion, and high quality to consumers.

We offer strategic runs and digital proofs so you can see how the labels will look but also test out the application process to make sure all flukes were worked out.

Located in the Denver Colorado Metro area, Columbine serves customers across the US, with needs for as few as 1000 labels (Digital) well into the millions with Flexographic web printed roll labels and sheeted labels. We ask a lot of questions – maybe even questions you haven’t yet considered. We take the time and the personal interest to understand what you are trying to or need to accomplish, so that in the end, you not only have a great looking label – as expected, but an experience that didn’t drive you crazy in the process. “We do what we say we’ll do”. Sounds simple enough!

Getting a price quote is faster, simpler, and more painless than you probably think – give it a try