Metallic Labels

Metallic Labels

Create premium packaging with the brilliance and dimension of a metallic finish.

Metallic labels combine eye-catching visual impact with the flexibility of full-color custom printing. The reflective metallic surface interacts with printed inks to create highlights, depth, and a distinctive metalized appearance that can make design elements stand out on the shelf.

Unlike simply printing a metallic-looking color, metallic label materials use a reflective metalized surface beneath the printed image. Areas of the design can be allowed to retain the natural metallic character of the material, while other areas can be printed with opaque color to create a wide range of effects—from subtle satin-like metallic tones to bright, highly reflective accents.

Control Where the Metallic Effect Appears

One of the biggest advantages of printing on metallic material is the ability to combine metallic and opaque-looking areas within the same label design.

Colors printed directly over the metallic surface can take on a luminous, reflective quality as light passes through the ink and reflects from the substrate below. When a more conventional solid-color appearance is required, an opaque white ink layer can be printed beneath selected colors to reduce or block the metallic effect. This selective use of white ink gives designers significantly more control over the finished appearance. Metallic effects can be isolated to a logo, border, lettering, pattern or background while product photography, small text, barcodes and other graphics can be printed over white for a more traditional appearance.

The result is a label that can incorporate metallic highlights, opaque colors, and full-color graphics in a single printed piece.

Designed for High-Impact Packaging

Metallic label materials are an excellent choice when packaging needs a premium or distinctive appearance. Depending on the artwork and ink construction, the material can be used to produce effects ranging from understated metallic accents to dramatic reflective graphics.

Metallic labels are especially well suited for specialty foods, beverages, cosmetics, personal-care products, promotional products, candles, gourmet products, retail packaging and other applications where shelf presence matters.

Our production process is designed to maintain sharp typography, clean line work and accurate registration between printed colors and opaque white areas, helping complex metallic designs reproduce consistently from label to label.

Professional Metallic Label Printing

Evermine produces custom metallic labels for businesses that need professional print quality, dependable production, and packaging that gets noticed. Our experience with specialty label materials allows us to help translate your artwork into a finished label that takes advantage of the reflective substrate rather than simply printing over it.

Use the metallic surface as a design element, combine it with strategically placed white ink, and create packaging with depth, contrast and a distinctive premium finish.

Custom metallic labels can ship in as little as 1–2 business days after proof approval, depending on the specifications of your order. Order online or request a quote for specialty applications.

Billions of labels printed. Professional results every time.

Laminate options

• Matte laminate adds a rich depth and soft glow to your label. Matte laminate also provides protection from oils, acids, and water. It is especially important to add a laminate when your product contains oils or acids.
• Gloss laminate is very shiny. It pops the colors and adds a bright sparkle. Labels with gloss laminate are very effective at attracting attention. Gloss laminate also provides protection from oils, acids, and water.
• It is especially important to add a laminate when your product contains oils or acids.

Unwind direction

Specify that your labels will be applied by hand or machine. If your labels will be applied by machine, you can specify which edge comes off the roll first - the top, bottom, right side, or left side. Machine applying labels is an excellent use for roll labels especially for bottles because it automates the application, providing fast and accurate positioning of the labels.

Quick Tips for Designing Metallic Labels

• Let the Metal Show
  Leave selected areas unprinted to reveal the bright metallic surface underneath.
• Use White Ink for Solid Color
  White ink under your colors blocks the metallic shine and keeps colors looking rich and opaque.
• Create Metallic Colors
  Print color directly over the metallic material—without white underneath—to create shimmering, reflective colors.
• Mix Shine with Solid Areas
  Combining metallic and opaque areas creates contrast and makes the metallic effects stand out.
• Keep Metallic Details Bold
  Logos, borders, lettering and simple graphics work especially well. Avoid making metallic details too small or fine-lined.
• Use Metallic as a Design Color
  Think of the metallic material as another color in your artwork. Use it strategically to highlight the elements you want customers to notice first.

Designing Great Metallic Labels

Metallic material can turn an ordinary label into something that really stands out. The key is deciding where you want the metallic shine to show and designing around it.

Use the metallic material as part of your design.

Areas with little or no ink allow the metallic surface to shine through. Use these areas for borders, lettering, logos, patterns or decorative accents.

Use white ink to control the metallic effect.

Printing white underneath your colors blocks the metallic surface and helps colors appear more solid and opaque. Leaving out the white lets the metallic material influence the ink and create a shimmering, foil-like effect.

Create contrast between metallic and opaque areas.

Some of the most effective designs combine shiny metallic elements with solid printed areas. This contrast makes the metallic portions look even brighter.

Remember that colors can look different over metallic material.

Transparent or semi-transparent inks printed directly over metallic stock can take on a luminous, reflective appearance. For more accurate, conventional color, use white ink underneath.

Don't overdo the shine.

Metallic effects are often most effective when they're used selectively. Highlight a logo, product name, border or important design element rather than making everything metallic.

Keep fine details in mind.

Very thin lines, tiny type and intricate metallic details are difficult to reproduce consistently. Bolder elements produce a cleaner, more noticeable metallic effect.

Think about lighting.

Metallic labels change as the package moves and light hits the surface. A design that combines reflective and non-reflective areas can create movement and visual interest on the shelf.

Plan your metallic areas before submitting artwork.

Clearly identify which portions should be metallic, opaque or printed with white ink underneath. This helps ensure the finished label looks the way you intended.

Designer Tip:

Think of metallic material as another color in your design—not just the material you're printing on. When you intentionally expose it in selected areas, it can create effects that aren't possible with ordinary white label stock.

Set-Up Tips

For the smoothest workflow, quickest turnaround, and highest quality printed image:

• Use layers
• Everything in vector format
• Outline all fonts

If you want it to look metallic – DO NOT put white behind it.

If you want it to look opaque (as if printed on white paper or BOPP) – DO put a white background behind it.

Instructions

1. Set up all white elements on one separate layer. Name this layer White.
2. Put this layer on top of the CMYK layer(s).
3. All elements on the White layer need to be filled with a spot color named White (with a capital W). We recommend giving this spot color a hue such as gray to make it easier to work with during the design process.
4. Select all of the elements that are on the White layer.
5. Open the Attributes panel and click the box next to Overprint Fill.
6. To verify that your white elements will print as they should, go to Separations Preview in Illustrator or InDesign.
7. Click the View box and select Separations. In this mode, you can look at each individual CMYK channel as well as the White channel. This will enable you to verify that your white will print where it’s supposed to.

Acceptable File Types

• Illustrator (ai, pdf)
• Acrobat (pdf)
• InDesign
• Photoshop (psd, tif) are also acceptable, but these file types may require a longer turnaround.