How to Measure a Label

Most label orders that go wrong go wrong here. A quarter of an inch either way is the difference between a label that sits square on the pack and one that runs off the edge of the die — and once the tooling is cut, the size is the size. Two minutes with a ruler before you send the artwork saves the whole run.

Width first, then height

Label sizes are always written width × height, in that order: 4 × 6 means four inches across and six inches down. Width is measured across the label as the copy reads, left to right; height is measured top to bottom. On a roll, width is the dimension across the web and height is the dimension running in the direction the roll unwinds — which is why a 4 × 6 and a 6 × 4 are two different products even though the label is the same piece of paper turned sideways.

Measure the label itself, not the liner. The backing paper is deliberately wider than the die cut, so a tape measure laid across the roll will always read big. If you are copying a label you already buy, peel one off and measure the label; if you are working from artwork, measure to the die line, not to the bleed.

Rolls: repeat, gap, core and roll size

A roll takes four numbers beyond the label size, and every automatic applicator cares about all four:

• Gap — the bare liner between one label and the next, normally 1/8".
• Repeat — height plus gap. This is the number your applicator is set to, so quote it if you know it.
• Core — the inside diameter of the cardboard core. 3" is the standard for a machine, 1" for most handheld dispensers.
• Maximum roll diameter — how big a roll your applicator will physically take, which sets how many labels we can put on each one.

Then tell us which way the copy comes off the roll — see copy position for the eight standard unwind directions. A roll wound the wrong way out is a perfectly good label that your machine cannot feed.

Corner radius

Rounded corners are measured as a radius: hold a coin or a radius gauge into the corner and read off the circle that matches. Ours are 1/8" (0.125") unless you ask for something else, and a rounded corner is worth having — square corners are the first thing to lift when a pack is handled, stacked or dragged across a shelf.

Wrap-around labels

For a label that goes right round a bottle, jar or tub, measure the circumference at the height the label will sit, not the diameter. The reliable way is a strip of paper: wrap it around the container, mark where it meets itself, lay it flat and measure to the mark. If you would rather do the arithmetic, circumference is diameter × 3.14.

From that number, decide how the ends meet. A butt fit stops about 1/8" short so the two ends do not touch; a full wrap adds 1/8" to 1/4" so the label overlaps itself and the seam is sealed. For the height, measure the straight part of the container only — the label has to sit below the shoulder and above any base flare, or it will crease.

If the container is tapered, like a deli tub or a yoghurt pot, a rectangle will never lie flat on it however carefully you measure. That one needs a curved die: how to determine the arc of a label walks through it.

When in doubt, send us the pack

We would far rather measure it ourselves than re-cut a die. Post us the container or a sample of the label you use today, or send photographs with a ruler beside them, and we will spec the size, the material and the adhesive with the quote. If you want to try a stock size first, order free samples and hold them against the real packaging before you commit.