Beating the Elements with Custom Outdoor Labels
Your outdoor labels convey essential messaging and safety information that must last for years. Using the wrong materials will lead to wear and tear, leaving your label unreadable and may put your business at risk. Your labels must stand up to extreme temperatures, snow, rain, UV exposure, and a host of other elements. How can you ensure durability in the face of these forces? Custom outdoor labels are the answer.
Outdoor labels are used in thousands of applications, from air conditioning units to appliances, dumpsters, pool and lawn equipment, heavy machinery, and more. Labels are not one-size-fits-all; what works in one scenario might not work in another.
The key to creating a durable label is understanding how environmental factors affect the performance of certain materials, inks, and adhesives. Experts at DRG Technologies can guide you on the best combination for your specific application.
Considerations for Creating Custom Outdoor Labels
Product Surface
One of the most important items to consider when creating a custom outdoor label is the surface it will be applied to. Different substrates require their own specific adhesive and label material to ensure long-lasting performance.
UV Exposure
Chances are, your outdoor label will be exposed to UV light. UV exposure breaks down chemical bonds found in your label, making it fade over time. This effect is called photodegradation. It’s impossible to completely stop this process, but there are some tricks you can use to extend the life of your label. For labels with heavy UV exposure, you’ll want to consider fade-resistant inks and a laminate that repels UV rays. Also, bright colors tend to fade faster, so your label will last longer if you choose darker colors.
Heat
Heat can reduce the effectiveness of some adhesives and cause the label to warp. Vinyl is an extremely versatile label material that can stand up to heat. It can expand or shrink in every direction, then return to its original shape without cracking or peeling.
Water
Water is a huge detriment to untreated paper-based labels as it can make them wrinkle and split. Water may also dissolve some inks, making your label unreadable. Consider materials that hold up in wet environments like polypropylene, polyester, and vinyl.
Ice
Like water, ice can make labels wrinkle and split, as well as dissolve inks. Additionally, ice can cause the label to contract and expand, warping it over time and breaking down adhesives. Vinyl material would be a great choice for labels in cold climates as it can expand and shrink without cracking or peeling.
Chemicals
It’s important to consider if your label will come into contact with chemicals. If they will be exposed to chemicals, choose materials that will not interact with the substance.
Abrasion
How often will your item be handled? If it’s subjected to constant movement, abrasion can cause the label to fade over time. In this case, you may want to choose a thermal transfer label, which stand up to abrasion better than others.
Work with DRG Technologies to Choose the Right Custom Outdoor Labels
When choosing custom outdoor labels, you must consider ink, face stock and coatings, and adhesive choices. With thousands of combinations available, it can be overwhelming to decide on a design. The experts at DRG Technologies can help you choose a label that will last for years to come.
DRG Technologies is a leading label products and solutions manufacturer based in Safford, Arizona with additional sales and logistics facilities in Nogales, Sonora and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Our team can work with you to decide on the label for your chosen application, provide supplier consolidation, logistics solutions, and thermal print services.
For more than 40 years, we’ve been providing label products to companies in various industries, from automotive to aerospace to household products and electronics, and more. To ensure quality, we maintain compliance with quality, safety, and environmental standards, including UL/cUL, CSA, ISO 9001:2015, FDA, RoHS, WEEE, Prop65, and more.
Our extensive equipment and commitment to solving our customers’ greatest supply chain challenges have made us the label manufacturing partner of choice for organizations across the U.S. and Mexico. We would love to do the same for you.
Get Started on Your Custom Outdoor Labels Today
Ready to begin your custom outdoor label journey? Contact one of our team members today.