Frequently Asked Questions

Custom labels at Certified Labeling Solutions are made with flexographic printing — a modern letterpress process that uses flexible relief plates to print on almost anything: plastic, metallic films, cellophane, paper. Each color in your design gets its own plate, and a precision ink-metering system keeps the color identical from the first label to the last.

Flexographic printing (flexo, if you're in a hurry) uses a flexible relief plate to transfer ink onto a substrate — think of an extremely precise, extremely fast rubber stamp. It's the industry standard for high-volume label production because it's fast, holds color accurately, and prints on nearly any material: plastic, metallic films, cellophane, paper, and more.

Flexo wins on speed and per-label cost for medium-to-high volume runs — it outpaces screen printing and letterpress while handling a wider range of materials. It also supports specialty inks like UV, metallic, and fluorescent that other processes can't run efficiently. If you're ordering 5,000+ labels at a time, flexo is almost always the right answer.

Tooling is the physical hardware a flexographic job needs before it can run: plates (one flexible polymer sheet per color), dies (the cutting tools that give your label its shape), plus press components like anilox rollers and doctor blades. Here's the good news — Certified Labeling Solutions keeps thousands of dies in stock, so most standard label shapes carry no tooling charge at all.

PMS stands for Pantone Matching System — the printing industry's standard for exact spot colors. Your brand color gets matched against a PMS reference, so it reproduces identically on every press run, year after year. PMS covers spot colors; process printing uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to approximate colors through dot patterns instead.

Thermal transfer uses a ribbon to apply ink, producing a durable image that lasts. Direct thermal applies heat straight to heat-sensitive label stock — no ribbon needed — but the image fades over time and doesn't like heat, light, or chemicals. Not sure which you have? Scratch the label: a dark mark means direct thermal, no mark means thermal transfer.

Yes — our Nilpeter and Allied Gear presses support backside printing. It's common for back-panel nutrition facts, promotional messages that show through a clear container, and liner printing.

The full range: coated and uncoated paper (white, kraft, colors), white and clear BOPP, white and clear polyester (PET), vinyl, polypropylene, foil, destructible film, and specialty textured stocks. The right choice comes down to where the label lives — your application environment, container surface, and durability needs. Tell us what you're labeling and we'll narrow it down fast.

Paper is the economical choice and prints beautifully — perfect for dry, indoor products. BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) is a plastic film that's waterproof, tear-resistant, and shrugs off moisture, refrigeration, and rough handling. If your product ever sees condensation, ice, or a cooler, BOPP is the standard.

Yes. BOPP and polyester (PET) face stocks are fully waterproof — they don't absorb moisture at all. Paired with a water-resistant adhesive, they handle refrigeration, ice baths, humidity, and outdoor exposure. These are the go-to materials for beverage, personal care, and outdoor products.

Freezer-grade BOPP or polyester face stocks with freezer-grade acrylic adhesives, which hold their bond down to -65°F. This matters more than most buyers realize: standard adhesives simply quit in the freezer. If you're labeling frozen food or cold-storage products, the adhesive spec is the whole ballgame.

Permanent acrylic (the general-purpose workhorse), removable, repositionable, high-tack for rough or low-energy surfaces, freezer-grade acrylic for cold chain, rubber-based permanent for hard-to-stick surfaces, and high-temperature adhesives rated up to 400°F. We match the adhesive to your surface, temperature range, and whether the label ever needs to come off cleanly.

For most glass bottles, a standard permanent acrylic adhesive bonds beautifully — glass is a high-energy surface that adhesives love. Two exceptions: refrigerated glass needs a cold-temperature acrylic to hold through condensation, and returnable bottles that need clean label removal call for a removable adhesive.

Yes — clear BOPP and clear polyester face stocks create the "no-label look" on glass and plastic. Printed with a white ink under-base, your design appears to float directly on the container. It's a favorite for premium food, beverage, and personal care brands.

Call Certified Labeling Solutions at (908) 495-6235 or use the quote form at certifiedlabelingsolutions.com/contact. For an accurate number, have these handy: label dimensions, quantity, number of colors, material and adhesive, any special finishes, and roll or sheet format. We typically respond within one business day.

For flexographic production, minimums typically run 5,000 to 10,000 labels depending on size and complexity — plate and tooling setup makes smaller runs uneconomical. Need less? We produce short runs through our digital printing partners with minimums as low as 250–500 labels. Call (908) 495-6235 with your specs and we'll tell you the real minimum for your job.

About 2 weeks from artwork approval for a new flexographic job — that includes plate production (typically 5–7 business days), press time, and finishing. Repeat orders with existing plates and dies often ship in a week or less. Rush production is available when you're in a pinch.

Yes, depending on current press capacity. Call Certified Labeling Solutions directly at (908) 495-6235 and tell us your deadline — we'll give you a straight answer on what's achievable. Rush orders get priority scheduling and may carry an additional charge.

First, our team preflight-checks your file — resolution, color mode, bleed, safe zones, barcode quality. Then you get a digital proof to review. Nothing gets made until you approve it in writing: no plates, no press time, no surprises. It's the step that prevents expensive reprints, and we never skip it.

Flexographic labels are manufactured at the Certified Labeling Solutions facility at 51 Old Camplain Rd in Hillsborough, NJ — the same building we've operated from since 1986. Short-run digital labels run through select domestic partner facilities to keep costs competitive. Either way, materials stay 100% US-sourced.

If you apply labels by hand, it doesn't. If a machine applies them, it matters a lot — the wind direction has to match your applicator's feed, or labels come off the roll facing the wrong way and your line stops. We produce every wind direction; just tell us which one your equipment needs.

Because a roll that doesn't fit your equipment is just expensive shelf decoration. The core ID (inside diameter) has to match your printer or applicator's mandrel — 3" is standard for hand application, but automated equipment varies. The OD (outside diameter) determines how many labels fit per roll and whether the roll physically fits your machine. Getting both right means it works the first time.

Yes — barcode labels are a core capability at Certified Labeling Solutions. We print all major 1D and 2D symbologies, including UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-13, Code 128, Code 39, ITF-14, GS1-128, QR Code, and DataMatrix. Every barcode is verified to ANSI/ISO grading standards before it ships, so it scans at the receiving dock, not just on our press.

UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-13, EAN-8, Code 128, Code 39, ITF-14, Interleaved 2 of 5, GS1-128 (formerly UCC/EAN-128), GS1 DataMatrix, QR Code, PDF417, and Aztec. We also produce RFID-enabled labels with embedded inlays. If your trading partner requires something specific, we've almost certainly printed it.

GS1-128 is the barcode standard used across shipping, logistics, and retail supply chains — it packs GTIN, lot numbers, expiration dates, and serial numbers into a single barcode. Many large retailers require it on incoming shipments. Yes, we produce GS1-128 labels, and we'll help make sure your format matches your trading partner's spec so shipments don't bounce.

Yes. Our variable data printing (VDP) handles sequential numbering, unique serial numbers, lot codes, expiration dates — any field that changes label to label. Serialized labels are standard in pharmaceutical DSCSA compliance, food traceability, and asset tracking.

Food and beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and dietary supplements, manufacturing and industrial, logistics and distribution, retail consumer goods, personal care, chemical, and automotive. Certified Labeling Solutions' longest-running clients include Domino Foods, Lipo Chemicals, and American Sugar Refining — some have been with us for decades.

Yes. All our food-contact labels use FDA-compliant inks, adhesives, and face stocks meeting 21 CFR requirements for indirect food contact. We routinely print nutrition facts panels, ingredient statements, and allergen declarations at the small font sizes the regulations demand — with the print precision to keep them legible.

Yes. We produce DSCSA-compliant serialized labels with GS1 DataMatrix barcodes encoding all four required data elements: GTIN, serial number, lot number, and expiration date. We also offer tamper-evident constructions and NFC/RFID-enabled labels for pharmaceutical serialization programs.

Print-ready vector files are best: Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 with fonts embedded or outlined. Photographic elements can come as TIFF or PSD at 300 dpi minimum at final print size. Please skip JPEG, PNG, and Word files — they can't meet print production standards. Not sure your files qualify? Send them over and our team will check.

Yes. Bring us a concept, existing brand assets, or a napkin sketch, and our design team can turn it into print-ready label artwork. Design fees are quoted separately. Already have print-ready files? Then we skip straight to proof and production.

It depends on five things: quantity, number of colors, material, label size, and finishes like overlaminate or foil. Flexographic jobs carry upfront tooling costs that spread across the run — which is why per-label cost drops dramatically at higher quantities. Short-run digital flips that: low setup, higher per-label price. Certified Labeling Solutions provides itemized quotes within one business day — call (908) 495-6235.

For repeat orders with existing plates and dies, we can often ship in 3–5 business days. New jobs that need plate production realistically take 5–7 business days from artwork approval at the fastest. Call (908) 495-6235 and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable — no promises we can't keep.

For a new flexographic job, yes — plates (one per color) and, if your shape is unusual, a cutting die. But two things soften that: Certified Labeling Solutions stocks thousands of dies, so most standard shapes carry no die charge, and we keep your plates and dies on file afterward, so reorders have no setup costs at all. Short-run digital printing has minimal setup either way.

Flexo uses physical polymer plates and shines at volume — typically 5,000+ labels, where setup costs spread thin and per-label price drops fast. Digital skips plates entirely, so it's cost-effective for short runs (250–5,000 labels), prototypes, and versioned designs. We run flexo in-house for production volume and partner with digital facilities for short-run work — you get the right process for the job, not the one we happen to own.

Both are waterproof plastic films — the difference is toughness and cost. BOPP is softer, slightly conformable, and cheaper: the standard for food and beverage. Polyester is stiffer, more dimensionally stable, and far more resistant to chemicals, heat, and abrasion: the standard for industrial and asset-tracking labels. Simple rule: food and beverage, choose BOPP; industrial environments, choose polyester.

Permanent for labels that stay put for the product's whole life — product labels, shipping labels, safety labels. Removable when the label has to peel off cleanly with no sticky residue — promotional stickers, price tags, temporary warehouse labels, returnable containers. Removable adhesives still hold firmly in use; they just let go gracefully when asked.

A label has adhesive on the back — you press it onto a surface and it stays. A tag has no adhesive; it attaches with a string, wire, fastener, or slot. We produce both. Tags show up in retail (hang tags), industrial settings (equipment and asset tags), and logistics (tote and bin tags).

Certified Labeling Solutions Inc. manufactures custom labels in Hillsborough, NJ — from the same facility at 51 Old Camplain Rd since 1986. We produce pressure-sensitive labels, barcode labels, thermal labels, and tags for businesses across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and we ship nationwide. Call (908) 495-6235 or request a quote at certifiedlabelingsolutions.com.

Since 1986 — 40 years of manufacturing custom labels from the same Hillsborough, NJ facility. Long-tenured clients include Domino Foods, Lipo Chemicals, and American Sugar Refining. We're also an authorized Zebra® and Datamax® thermal printer dealer.

Yes — we ship custom labels throughout the continental United States. Our primary service area is New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, where most customers receive shipments within 1–2 business days of dispatch, but distance is no obstacle. Flexographic labels come from our Hillsborough, NJ plant; short-run digital labels run through domestic partner facilities.

BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) is the industry standard for wine and beer — waterproof, tear-resistant, and unbothered by condensation, ice buckets, and refrigeration. Want the premium no-label look on clear glass? Clear BOPP with a white ink underbase. Certified Labeling Solutions supplies wineries, breweries, and beverage manufacturers throughout NJ and NY.

BOPP or polyester face stock with a cold-temperature or freezer-grade acrylic adhesive. That combination is non-negotiable: paper absorbs moisture and lets go, and standard adhesives lose their grip in the cold. Matching the material and adhesive to the environment is the single biggest factor in whether your labels survive the fridge.

Polyester (PET) or polypropylene face stock, UV-stabilized inks, and a permanent acrylic adhesive. Polyester stands up to sun, moisture, and temperature swings far better than paper or standard BOPP. For the harshest outdoor duty — signage, equipment, long-term asset tags — we build overlaminated constructions rated for 3–5 years outdoors.

Glass takes adhesive well, so the real question is where the jar is headed. Dry shelf product: paper works great. Refrigerated or wet: BOPP. Premium no-label look: clear BOPP or polyester. And if that jar will sit in a fridge or an ice bath, make sure the adhesive is a cold-temperature grade — that's the piece most people miss.

No — you can get a quote with just your specs: dimensions, quantity, colors, material, and finish. If you don't have print-ready artwork, our design team can build it from your brand assets or concept (design fees quoted separately). If you do have print-ready files, we move straight to proof and production.

Always. Every new job includes a digital proof showing exact dimensions, colors, text, and barcode placement — and nothing prints until you approve it in writing. Physical press proofs are available on request. It's your insurance against surprises, and ours too.

Yes — Certified Labeling Solutions sends label samples so you can judge material, print quality, and adhesive with your own hands before committing. Tell us what you're labeling (food jars, chemical drums, cold storage, whatever it is) and we'll send samples relevant to your product. Call (908) 495-6235 or use the Request a Sample button on our site.

The basics: label dimensions (width × height), quantity, number of colors or PMS colors, face stock (paper, BOPP, polyester, clear, foil), adhesive type, any special finishes, roll or sheet format, and core/OD specs if machine-applied. Don't know some of these? That's normal — our team asks the right questions and guides you to the correct spec.

Yes — we keep your plates, dies, and approved artwork on file for the life of the product. Reorders with existing tooling typically ship in a week or less with no additional plate or die charges. You call, we run it. That's the whole process.

Small copy or color changes may need new plates for the affected colors — quoted before we do anything. A new shape or size always needs a new die. Full redesigns go through a fresh proof cycle like a new job. Either way, we'll tell you exactly which elements need new tooling and what it costs before work begins.

One dedicated point of contact who knows your account, your specs, and what "the usual order" means. No ticket queues, no starting from scratch with a stranger every reorder. When something needs attention at 2 PM on a Thursday, you call someone who already knows your job.

Six questions separate a label partner from a label vendor: Do you manufacture in-house or broker the work? What's your real lead time, in writing? Do you verify barcodes to ANSI/ISO standards? What's your proof process? Who will I actually talk to? And do you keep my tooling on file for reorders? Certified Labeling Solutions answers all six happily — call (908) 495-6235 and test us.

Nine times out of ten it's one of three culprits: the wrong adhesive for the surface or temperature, contamination on the surface (oils, moisture, mold-release agents), or a low-energy plastic that repels standard adhesive. Tell us your surface material, temperature range, and current label spec — we'll spot the mismatch and fix the construction. This is a phone call, not a mystery: (908) 495-6235.

Because most container plastics — polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), HDPE — are low-surface-energy materials that actively repel standard adhesives. The permanent acrylic that grips glass and metal beautifully just slides off these plastics. The fix is a high-tack adhesive rated for low-energy surfaces. Tell us your container material and we'll spec the right one.

Switch to a cold-temperature or freezer-grade acrylic adhesive — that's almost always the fix. Standard adhesives lose tack in the cold; freezer-grade holds down to -65°F. If the label itself is wrinkling or soaking through, upgrade the face stock from paper to BOPP while you're at it. Call Certified Labeling Solutions at (908) 495-6235 and we'll diagnose it from your current spec.

Under 21 CFR Part 101, most food labels need six elements: statement of identity (what the product is), net quantity, the manufacturer or distributor's name and address, ingredient list, nutrition facts panel, and allergen declaration. Some products add more — organic certification, country of origin. We print every required element, including nutrition panels at the small font sizes the FDA demands.

Yes — food product labels must use FDA-compliant inks, adhesives, and face stocks meeting 21 CFR requirements for indirect food contact. That covers both the material and the ink on it. At Certified Labeling Solutions, FDA-compliant materials are the default for all food and beverage work — it's standard practice, not a paid upgrade.

A UPC-A or EAN-13 barcode on each retail unit, built from a GS1 Company Prefix you register at GS1 US (gs1us.org). Shipping cartons need GS1-128, and major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon typically require GS1-128 or SSCC labels on inbound pallets too. We print all of them and verify every barcode to ANSI/ISO standards. Got a retailer routing guide? Share it and we'll match the spec exactly.

Check five things: vector format (.ai or PDF/X-1a), fonts outlined or embedded, images at 300 dpi minimum at final size, CMYK color mode (or PMS colors specified), and at least 1/16" bleed past the cut line. Barcodes should be vector too. Don't sweat it if you're unsure — we preflight every file and flag issues before anything moves to proof.

Yes, and it's the easiest order you'll ever place — your plates, dies, and approved artwork are already on file. Contact us with your previous order reference, quantity, and any changes. Standard reorders typically ship in a week or less, often faster since everything is pre-approved and ready to run.

Certified Labeling Solutions runs four production presses: a Nilpeter 13" 7-color, a Nilpeter 11" 6-color, a Rotoflex 16", and an Allied Gear 10". Every run passes through inline video web inspection, and all barcode output is verified to ANSI/ISO grading standards. Owning our presses means we control quality and lead times — no brokering, no excuses.

Yes — any shape a cutting die can make, we can produce. Better yet, we maintain an in-house library of thousands of dies, so most standard shapes and sizes carry no tooling charge. Genuinely custom shapes need a custom-ground die, quoted upfront. Send us your dimensions and we'll check the library first to save you the cost.

Polyester (PET) and polypropylene face stocks with solvent-resistant adhesives are the industrial standard. For extreme exposure, vinyl and specialty films add another level of resistance. The right call depends on the specific chemicals, concentrations, and contact time — and specifying the wrong material is one of the most common causes of industrial label failure. Tell us what the label will touch and we'll build to it.

Yes. We produce OSHA HazCom 2012 / GHS-compliant chemical hazard labels with the required pictograms, signal words (DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION), and hazard statements — plus ANSI Z535-compliant safety labels for machinery and equipment. Materials are durable polyester or vinyl built for industrial environments, indoors or out.

Standard permanent acrylic adhesives handle up to about 200°F. High-temperature adhesives take continuous exposure to 300°F and short peaks up to 400–500°F. Polyester face stock outlasts paper and BOPP as heat climbs. Labeling ovens, motors, or exhaust components? Say so in your quote request and we'll build the construction for the heat.

SSCC stands for Serial Shipping Container Code — an 18-digit number, encoded in a GS1-128 barcode, that uniquely identifies one pallet in your shipment. Warehouse systems scan it to match the pallet against your EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice. Many retailers and distributors require SSCC labels on every inbound pallet, and we produce them in the standard GS1 format.

Yes. We produce retailer-compliant GS1-128 and SSCC labels meeting the barcode quality and format specs of Walmart, Amazon, Target, Home Depot, and other major retailers — with every barcode ANSI/ISO verified before it ships. Have a routing guide from your trading partner? Send it over and Certified Labeling Solutions will match it line by line.

GS1-128 is the barcode format — a way of encoding supply chain data. SSCC is one specific piece of data (the Serial Shipping Container Code) that gets encoded in that format. So every SSCC label uses a GS1-128 barcode, but GS1-128 can also carry GTINs, lot numbers, expiration dates, and other identifiers. Format versus content — that's the whole distinction.

Yes. We produce DOT-compliant hazardous materials labels per 49 CFR specifications — Class 1 through Class 9 hazmat diamonds, ORM-D, and subsidiary risk labels — on materials durable enough for domestic and international hazmat shipments.

Send Certified Labeling Solutions your current label — a physical sample, your artwork, or just the specs — and we match the size, material, shape, finish, and roll format. Nothing prints until you approve a proof, and you keep ordering from your current supplier until your CLS labels are in hand, so supply never gaps. The full step-by-step guide lives at certifiedlabelingsolutions.com/switching-label-suppliers.

No — that's the fear that keeps buyers stuck with bad suppliers, and it's avoidable. You don't stop ordering from your current supplier until your new labels arrive. With standard production around two weeks from artwork approval (rush available), you simply time your first CLS order around your existing inventory. Overlap, not handoff.