0-Split

a designation for sheet pressure sensitive label stock that does not have any splits or compression scores in the liner.

2-Dimensional Symbols

see stacked codes.

8 Pt. Tag

a pressure sensitive face stock which has a semigloss finish and is 8 mils thick. It is used when stiffness of the label is important. Opacity is high because of its thickness.

A/N

see alphanumeric .

abrasiveness

tendency of a paper, paper coating or ink to wear die edges, slitting blades, etc.

abrasion resistance

the ability of the surface to resist rubbing or other frictional forces without being worn away.

absolute humidity

the actual amount of water vapor present in air, usually expressed in grains per cubic foot of volume. See also humidity and relative humidity.

absorption

capillary attraction of surfaces to draw off the liquid or adhesive film into the substrate. Inks will also absorb into most paper face stocks.

ac

abbreviation for acrylic. This is a designation for top coating on foil face stock that is acrylic top coated. Acrylic top coatings are compatible with water or solvent based flexo inks, but are not compatible with offset printing. NC or nitrocellulose coatings are used for offset printing.

accelerated aging

procedures for subjecting pressure sensitive label stock to special environmental conditions in order to predict the course of natural aging. We test adhesives with accelerated aging techniques to predict shelf life and long term performance. Most test procedures are based on storage of the sample at elevated temperature conditions at a specific humidity.

accumulator

another name for festoon. See festoon.

acetate

a transparent film which is more moisture resistant than cellophane. It does not weather well compared to polyesters and vinyls because it has little UV resistance. Normally it is only recommended for indoor applications. Acetate volume has been largely replaced by polystyrene which is much less expensive. Polystyrene otherwise has similar characteristics.

acid free

a material with a neutral pH. The adhesive or product is neither acidic or alkaline. This is an important property for labels that need to last forever. Acidic materials tend to yellow with age.

acrylic adhesives

adhesives composed of specific synthetic polymers or co-polymers which are inherently pressure sensitive. Generally acrylic adhesives do not offer as high of quick stick properties as rubber or latex based adhesives, but they have better aging characteristics. They have excellent UV resistance. Some are used for repositionable label applications.

activate

a change in an adhesive film from a dry or dormant stage to a useful, sticky state. It is a common term used with moistening of water sensitive adhesives and heating of heat sensitive adhesives.

adhesion

the affinity that an adhesive has for the material to which it is applied. Degree of adhesion is usually affected by the chemical nature of the substrate, surface shape and surface conditions of the material to which a label is applied.

adhesion build up

an increase in the peel adhesion value of a pressure sensitive adhesive after application. Acrylic permanent adhesives offer adhesion build up which enables them to be used for some repositionalble applications. Adhesion build up in a removable adhesive is not a good property. If adhesion builds up too much, the adhesive will become permanent.

adhesive

a substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment.

adhesive bleed

another term for adhesive ooze. In some cases adhesives could bleed so much that they go through the face stock, making it transparent looking. Many rubber based pressure sensitive adhesives will bleed after prolonged contact with a vinyl substrate. This is caused by plasticizer migration through the adhesive. The plasticizer softens the adhesive to a point where it flows through the face stock.

adhesive migration

this occurs when the adhesive moves through what seems to be a solid object. Adhesive migration could cause adhesive contamination for the contents of the labeled package.

adhesive residue

the remaining adhesive left on substrate after the label is removed. This can be an important factor in end user selection of removable adhesives. On one hand they want the adhesive to stick well enough that it does not flag, but on the other hand they want the adhesive to remove cleanly without adhesive residue.

adhesive transfer

the transfer of adhesive from its normal position to the substrate. Most of Technicote pressure sensitive adhesives are coated on the liner. When the liner and face stock are laminated, the adhesive transfers from the liner to the face stock.

an adverse reaction between silicone release liners and adhesive which causes the release values to decrease (become easier) over a short period of time, usually denotes an incompatibility between release and adhesive

age-up

an adverse reaction between silicone release liner and adhesive which causes the release values to accelerate (become tighter) over a short period of time, usually denotes an incompatibility between release and adhesive

aging

the changes that occur to a material with the passage of time.

AIAG

Automotive Industry Action Group. is responsible for automotive industry standards pertaining to bar code symbology and common label formats. Address: 17117 W. Nine Mile Road, Ste 830, Southfield, MI 48075.

AIM

Automatic Identification Manufacturers, Inc., the trade association of manufacturers of automatic algorithm to interpret the signals into meaningful. data and provides the interface to other devices.

alignment

The relative position of a scanner or light source to the target of the receiving element.

all temperature adhesive

a common designation for a pressure sensitive adhesive designed for application between room temperature and freezing conditions. In spite of its name, it will not apply successfully at all temperatures. Generally all temperature adhesives are only used when application is done at a wide variety of temperatures because they are more expensive than permanent adhesives. See also cold temperature adhesive and freezer adhesive.

alligatoring

the appearance of an adhesive, coating or sealer film that is cracked into large segments resembling the hide of the alligator. When alligatoring is fine and incomplete, it is usually called checking.

alphanumeric

The character set which contains letters, numbers and usually other characters such as special symbols.

anchor coat

another term for barrier coat.

anchorage

the specific adhesion of a pressure sensitive adhesive to a face material or to an anchor coat. Without adequate adhesive anchorage, labels could be easily removed and much of the adhesive would stay on the substrate. This can also refer to the degree with which the ink or toner is bonded to the surface.

anhydrous

a material or chemical that is free from moisture.

animal glue

another name for bone glue. It was the original type of strong gum in water remoistenable adhesives. See also strong gum and bone glue.

ANSI

The American National Standards Institute formerly United States of America Standards

anti-foam

an additive used to reduce foaming tendencies in adhesives, coatings and sealers applied by roller coating equipment. Bubbles caused by foaming could cause some parts of the surface being coated to have uncoated areas.

antioxidant

a chemical which is added in small quantities to inhibit or retard breakdown due to oxidation.

antistatics

methods of eliminating or reducing static electricity in plastic materials such as film stocks. this is sometimes found necessary to obtain a uniform coating of silicone on a polymer film backing.

anvil cut label

pressure sensitive material on which the die cutting went through all label stock layers. An anvil cut label would be a sheeted label.

aperture

the opening in an optical system defined by a lens or baffle that establishes the field of view.

apparent density

the weight per unit volume of a paper. It is frequently calculated by dividing the basis weight by the caliper. The numerical value depends on the basis weight system used for the paper. As long as basis weight systems are equal, a paper with a lower number would be less dense. Density of the paper will have a big bearing on how large diameter a 2,000 pound roll of paper will be.

application temperature

the temperature at which the label is actually applied. Most pressure sensitive adhesives have a range of recommended application temperatures. They will vary depending on the type of adhesive. Most general purpose permanent adhesives are designed for application between room temperature and about 50 degrees F. Cold temperature adhesives may be designed for application at temperatures between room temperature and 35 degrees F. Freezer adhesives may be designed for application between 50 degrees F and -10 degrees F. If application occurs outside the recommended range, the user runs the risk of reduced performance or adhesion failure.

applicator

a device that automatically feeds and applies pressure sensitive labels to a substrate.

aqueous

a material that contains water or is water based. In adhesives it refers to the fact that water is used as the adhesive carrier during coating.

artificial aging

the accelerated testing of samples to predict their change in properties over a long time. The artificial aging techniques can also be referred to as accelerated aging. Some common properties that are evaluated are dimensional stability, effect of contact with water, effect of contact with chemicals, light stability and resistance to fatigue.

ASCII

The character set and code described in American National Standard Code for Information

ash

an inorganic residue after burning a piece of paper to determine the percentage of mineral content and loading material such as filler. Ash content can have a bearing on electrical properties of papers.

aspect ratio

The ratio of bar height to symbol length .

autodiscrimination

the ability of bar code reading equipment to recognize and correctly decode more than one symbology.

autodistinguish

the ability of a scanner to recognize a selectable number of different symbologies and process the data without operator intervention; this is a prerequisite feature of linear bar code scanners employed in open systems.

average background reflectance

expressed as a percentage; the simple arithmetic average of the background reflectance from at least five different points on a sheet.