Reeling in Wine Consumers

Whereas sheetfed labels can wind up “dirty,” and register can be a problem, he says, pressure-sensitive technology results in a cleaner, register-correct label. Given shrinking brand cycles (from 5 years to 16 months, Sage says), production efficiency is a key focus for Tapp.

“What you tend to see in the wine market is that with huge brands where there isn’t a lot of changeover, the labels tend to be glue-applied. As you cross the spectrum to a certain grade point, however, labels tend to be pressure-sensitive for the following reasons: they’re cleaner, easier to apply, and they permit more design flexibility as well as more efficiency on the applicator. You can drill down on any of these and say that the die shapes are more intricate. You can apply multi-piece labels more easily. You have two- or three-piece front labels that are easily applied on pressure-sensitive applications, more difficult on sheetfed.”