Stickers vs. Labels – A Comparison
A showdown of superlatives that easily eclipses even King Kong vs. Godzilla: Sticker vs. Labels! Whilst the differences are clear in the film (body hair, chest-thumping threatening gestures and varied battle cries), they are not quite so obvious when it comes to the topic of stickers versus labels. Following customer feedback on this issue – and, of course, to stir things up a bit in the world of film once again – we explore this question in this article: What exactly is the difference between stickers and labels? And who do you think would come out on top?
Am I your father?!
A brief look back in time reveals that the need for labels has long existed in human history, specifically for labelling objects. For example, the ancient Egyptians would attach labels to amphorae to note their contents and other relevant information. Later (in the 17th century), another property was added: adhesiveness. Or shall we say, the ability to be stuck on. To draw on another cinematic epic: in the battle between labels and stickers, the line might well be: ‘I am your father, sticker…’
Showdown
There is no specific difference. The two products are simply too similar for that; technically speaking, they are even one and the same. The distinction arose rather from their actual use and respective areas of application.
Stickers are seen as colourful, trendy, eye-catching items that are quick and easy to apply, can be collected and swapped (sticker albums) and make excellent advertising media. Whether as a bold statement on laptops, a quick way to jazz up notebooks, or on lampposts and windows, stickers are great fun.
Whilst we wouldn’t go so far as to say that labels are entirely devoid of fun, they are generally seen as purely informational, describing products and serving their purpose in a practical way. Of course, this doesn’t mean they have to look or be designed in a boring way.
Labels and stickers: A comparison
To help you order the right product (whether they’re called labels or stickers), our customer service team will be happy to advise you. To help you find your way around, here’s a sort of showcase – a ‘who’s who’ of the world of adhesives, so to speak:
Labels | Sticker | |
| Delivery | At druck.at, these are supplied either in sheets, individually cut, or on a roll. In the latter case, the roll width can be flexibly adjusted or produced in a fixed roll width. | Supplied in sheets or cut to size |
| Material | Plastic film, paper adhesive, acetate silk | Plastic, paper, doming/3D (PVC with special effects) |
| Pressure | coloured, white/silver, transparent (also mirror-reversed for mounting behind glass), white printing | coloured, transparent, mirror-inverted or unprinted |
| Finishing | 3D varnish, gold/silver, UV varnish, gloss/matt | with or without protective film (glossy/matt) |
| Forms | square, round, rectangular, free-form | round, oval, rectangular, square, custom shapes |
| Format | Minimum size 4mm, maximum size 300mm (and everything in between) | Minimum size 20x20mm, maximum size 1,300x10,000mm. |
| Utilisation | For cosmetics and personal care products, bottles, food packaging, rewritable and removable labels, address labels for shipping packaging, textiles Materials for indoor and outdoor use (weather-resistant, UV-resistant, temperature-resistant) | Decorations, promotional materials and promotional gifts Materials for indoor and outdoor use (weather-resistant, UV-resistant, temperature-resistant) |
Conclusion
It depends on the intended use. How long should the printed product stick? If so, will it be used indoors or outdoors; should it stick for a long time or be easy to remove quickly; and how many of them do I actually want? Should it be applied using a labelling machine, applied automatically, or just stuck on manually in specific places? What will it be stuck to? In principle, you’ll need to answer these questions for yourself. But we hope we’ve been able to offer a little help!
More on the topic of labels
You’ve made up your mind: labels are the way to go for your needs! Then we’ve got another blog post for you, in which we delve even deeper into the topic of labels. Read it now!
