How-to · Nº 12
How to store labels and sticker rolls
Store labels flat or on their roll in a cool, dry place at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Heat, humidity and UV degrade the facestock and the adhesive before you even apply the label. And before running labels that arrived cold, let the rolls acclimatise to room temperature so the adhesive is not stiff.
A roll of labels has a shelf life, even though nothing on the box says so. The adhesive keeps curing on the core long after it was made, hardening until it no longer tacks; the facestock takes on humidity; heat and UV work on both. Store a roll badly for a year and it can reach the applicator looking perfect and refusing to stick. The fix is dull and cheap: keep it cool, dry and dark, and run the oldest stock first.
Step by step
- 01
Keep them at room temperature
Heat softens adhesive and cold stiffens it. A stable, roughly room-temperature environment preserves both the facestock and the bond.
- 02
Keep them dry
Humidity swells paper facestocks and can affect the adhesive. Store labels away from damp and moisture.
- 03
Keep them out of sunlight
UV degrades inks, facestock and adhesive even in storage — keep stock out of direct sun.
- 04
Store flat or wound
Keep sheets flat and rolls on their core. Avoid crushing or deforming a roll, which causes feed problems on an applicator.
- 05
Acclimatise before use
If labels arrived cold (winter shipping or cold storage), let the rolls reach room temperature before running them, or the cold-stiffened adhesive will not wet the surface.
Why a perfect-looking roll stops sticking
Three things age a label in storage, all of them out of sight. Heat softens the adhesive and, over months, drives it past its tack; cold stiffens it so it will not wet a surface until it warms back up; humidity swells a paper facestock and curls the liner, and a curled liner jams a high-speed applicator even when the label face is perfect.
It is also why a roll shipped through a cold winter needs a day at room temperature before it runs, and why adhesive, like film, is dated — a label two years on the shelf can have lost much of the tack it left the factory with. Rotate stock oldest-first, keep it in its original packaging until use, and store it the way you would store good paper.
Good to know
- →Use older stock first — adhesives have a practical shelf life and weaken over time.
- →A freshly applied label is not at full strength; the bond builds over roughly 24 hours.
- →Keep labels in their original packaging until use to limit dust and contamination.
Common questions
How should I store label rolls?
Cool, dry, at room temperature and out of direct sunlight, kept on their core. Avoid heat, humidity and UV, which degrade both the facestock and the adhesive.
Why do old labels stop sticking?
Heat, humidity and UV degrade the adhesive over time. Store labels cool, dry and out of sun, and use older stock first so the adhesive is still at full strength.
Not sure it'll hold?
Tell us your surface and job and we’ll spec the right material and adhesive — and ship a free sample to test.