Industry Definitions
NADCO®, like most companies, has industry terms and jargon, but what does it all mean? What does it mean to have your label kiss-cut versus die-cut? Or the 4-Color Process versus the 7 Spot Color Printing Process? Below you will find many of our industry terms and their definitions:
Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive: If an adhesive is pressure-sensitive it means that the adhesive will form a bond when pressure is applied to have the adhesive adhere to the selected surface.
Spot Color Printing: Spot coloring is any one color created by an ink that is printed using a single specific pantone color. This process is normally used when the label design calls for a specific color or the design doesn’t have complex shading.
4-Color Process: This process is the mixture of 4-colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black)) to create different colors and shades. This is used when the label design calls for several different colors and complex shading.
Die-Cut: Much like a cookie cutter, a die cut is used to cut the label into irregular shapes and leaves a matrix of liner exposed around the label.
Kiss-Cut: If a label is kiss-cut, it means that the top layer was cut to the liner below and no matrix of exposed liner is left behind.
Flexographic Printing: This process utilizes a flexible relief plate and that plate is rotated on a cylinder and involves a series of rollers transferring and metering the ink. Essentially it is a more modern version of the original letterpress printing process.
Digital Printing: This printer process deposits toner, in some cases, onto the substrate (material); basically the toner forms a thin layer on the surface through a heating process.
Foil Stamping: This is the application of metallic film or foil onto a surface by applying a heated dye or adhesive (cold foil) which makes it permanently adhere to the surface below leaving the design desired.
