The crack-and-peel label business has blossomed over the past few years, too. The do-it-yourself businesses and retail label makers have printers and software to create small batches and single-use labels of great innovation and graphic appeal. Label producers are eager to serve this growing and profitable market, and quality is very important. One bad performance will turn these quality-conscious users away, with a resulting loss in reputation and profits.
The Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) and other industry associations have outlined an easy and acceptable group of standards for adhesive manufacturers, label producers and label applicators to follow. Instrument companies produce the testing machines that can verify and document the standards. (See Figure 1.) Waste (labels and containers), equipment downtime and poor performance in desktop and limited-batch operations can be minimized by verifying conformance with the specifications. Testing by manufacturers and users can uncover the source of a problem and minimize its impact.