All labels designed and purchased through the website come on The Everything Label which has a high gloss laminate. But larger quantities printed on rolls provide quite a few options. Whether you choose a matte label or glossy label will ultimately depend on your personal preference… some people just like the way one looks better than the other. But there are some things to think about before making that choice, and some things you need to know before the label printing gets started.
A glossy finish will usually provide a few additional benefits that a matte finish will not. The most profound being the additional physical protection the gloss finish gives the label. We use a glossy plastic laminate for our labels, which makes the label much more durable and protects it against scratches and scuffing. This can be important if your product will be handled by a lot of people, or for a wine bottle that will have to deal with the rigors of shipping and stocking of shelves. Another benefit is color saturation… a glossy label will usually make colors “pop” a little more and provide a little bit more contrast, making the label a bit more vibrant. And finally, a glossy label provides an extra layer of protection against moisture, ensuring a completely waterproof label.
Although it doesn’t provide any utilitarian benefits, a matte label does provide aesthetic qualities that glossy labels cannot. A matte finish is usually best when there is less ink coverage in the artwork, meaning more paper is showing through. This not only allows the texture of the paper to be seen, but just as importantly that texture can be felt. How something feels to the touch can have a big effect on how people feel about it, with very textured surfaces giving the impression of higher quality. Matte labels are usually a better choice when there’s not a lot of ink on the paper.
Ink coverage is something to keep in mind when choosing what kind of finish you want on your personalized custom labels. Inks and toners will always have a bit of a sheen to them, so if the entire label is covered in color, then none of the paper will show through and the label will have a more satin or semi-gloss look. This is certainly less shiny than a gloss finish, but will not be completely “flat” in appearance. And if all the paper is covered with ink, then you should consider the additional benefits a glossy finish will provide.