Metallized labels create a silver or tinted metallic appearance for packaging and identification. We review the face material, white ink, print, finish and inspection requirements for your design and application.
Which silver you actually want
| Stock | What it is | We would use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Metallized PET (met-PET) | Polyester film with a vacuum-deposited aluminium layer | Rating plates and asset tags; review the heat or chemical exposure of the complete construction |
| Bright silver film | Metallized polypropylene | Cosmetics, beverages, retail — where the look matters more than the environment |
Metallized PET and polypropylene can have different performance. Specify the temperature, chemical and outdoor exposure so the selected construction can be reviewed and tested.
Finishes we print
| Bright silver | Mirror-like, the standard metallized finish |
| Matt silver | Brushed appearance, hides fingerprints and surface marks |
| Tinted metallic | Gold, bronze and colour effects printed over the silver base |
| Spot metallic | White ink masks the areas that should not look metallic |
The last one is worth understanding, because it saves you a tooling charge. A metallized face is silver everywhere until something covers it. We lay opaque white over the areas you want plain, giving you metal exactly where the design calls for it — logo, border, panel — with normal colour everywhere else. No foil stamping die required.
Short runs without a plate
Our digital press carries white ink as its fifth colour. On a metallized face that changes the economics: the white underprint and the colour layer go down in one pass, so a metallic label no longer needs a plate cut before you can see it on the actual container.
- Samples and short runs — confirm the sample plan and minimum order value
- Short production runs without printing plates where suitable; confirm any cutting and finishing tooling
- Variant testing — several designs on the same order
- Scale up to the 12-colour presses once the design is settled, same factory, same quality system
The press room
| Printing processes | Flexo · PS plate · screen · digital UV inkjet |
| Web width | 300 mm standard, 450 mm on one press (print length ≤ 380 mm) |
| Colours | Flexo up to 12 · PS Plate up to 7 + 1 · Digital CMYK + white |
| Platemaking | In-house — Esko CDI laser imager, DuPont thermal processing |
| Finishing | 12 standalone die-cutters · hot foil stamping · lamination · slitting · variable data coding |
| Inspection | 7 high-speed inspection machines, 2 inline vision systems |
| Minimum order | No fixed minimum label quantity; minimum order value depends on material and production process and is confirmed in the quotation. |
In-house platemaking supports artwork review and colour registration; any plate revision and schedule are confirmed for the job.
What to send us
- Label size, and which edge runs in the web direction
- Whether you need mirror bright or matt brushed silver
- What the label is applied to, and whether that surface gets hot, wet or oily
- Whether any area should look plain rather than metallic
- Quantity, and whether you need roll or sheet
Related: All materials we print on · PET labels · BOPP labels · Factory equipment