“Hi, I’m Addie, a chemical-resistant label from EIM. From the time I was born I was so aggressive that other labels were jealous of me. Not all labels can stick to chemical drums, be able to stay outside for a long time, and still resist various chemicals, ya’ know. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I have a really strong adhesive.”
“Addie! You do not know what it has taken to make you really strong! You act as if it is a right for you to have your adhesive!”
“Who, who’s there?”
“My name is Bond…Adhesive Bond. And you are coming with me to an ancient time.”
Addie and Adhesive flew through the sky to the time of dry gum labeling.
“You need to learn about your adhesive forefathers before you can talk about how great your adhesive is.”
“Okay. So what is this gum stuff?”
“Dry gum, Addie, dry gum. Let’s look over here where they are making a batch of it now.”
They walked over to a group a workers cutting away at pounds of label adhesive blocks.
“This adhesive is either dry gum wove offset or dry gum bond. Both of them are essentially the same…they are re-moisten-able adhesives that need moisture in order to stick to a surface. The glue on the back of the label stock (the part that sticks to something) is dry until it is moisture-activated, which allows it to stick to a surface.”
“Wow. So why don’t many people use this stuff anymore? I’ve never even heard of it.”
“Well, most people do not want to have to go through the process of moistening the backs of all their labels so that they will stick. This can be very inefficient since it is another step that needs to be completed during the labeling process. It can also be expensive since another worker or a machine will be needed to moisten all the labels. The pressure-sensitive adhesives are much more efficient since they only need pressure to stick.”
“Pressure-sensitive? I have never heard of that either. And not all labels have an aggressive adhesive?”
“No, not all adhesives aggressively stick to a surface. And for someone who talks so much about how great their adhesive is, you really do not know much about it do you?”
“I guess not.”
“Come along then. We will make a pit stop on our way back to the present.”
They flew again, landing in a small manufacturing facility where labels were being made.
“What is this place?”
“It is a label manufacturing business. You should recognize it because some labels just like you live and work here. Now hush up and listen how this adhesive works. Pressure-sensitive labels have three parts: the face stock, which is the part that everyone recognizes as the label; the adhesive, which is what keeps the face stock sticking to a surface; and the liner, which keeps the adhesive from sticking to everything else on the way to the user. The face stock and adhesive are peeled from the liner and then stuck to a substrate using pressure. Pressure-sensitive labels are quickly becoming the most popular type since they are so easy to use and stick to a wide variety of surfaces. And that’s all there is to it.”
“Wow―that is so cool. So I’m a pressure-sensitive label? That means I am one of the most popular label adhesive types? I knew it all along.”
“You knew you were popular, but you didn’t know why. I hope you learned a few things on this trip. I don’t want to have to come back and get you again for talking about things you don’t know about.”
“No you won’t have to. From now on I will do my research before I start talking about something. Now, will you take me home?”
“Gladly.”
They flew through the sky, landing in Addie’s home. Adhesive Bond disappeared into the air as Addie looked around.
“Well, now where was I? Oh yes, my strong adhesive. Now I know why my adhesive is strong and many people like to use it. You wanna know who else has strong adhesives? Almost all the labels available from EIM do. It is slightly ridiculous as to how many adhesives they have that adhere to all kinds of surfaces, but I guess that’s how it goes when they are using the most popular type of adhesive.”
Addie is right. EIM provides a variety of adhesive options that work in many different applications. We have specialized adhesives for cryogenic temperatures, extreme heat, extremely rough and textured surfaces such as wood, painted metals, plastics, and many more. We have adhesives created for “freezer” temperatures, where it gets cold but not as cold as cryogenic temperatures. Other adhesives resist moisture, chemicals, weather, dirt, oil and grease, stains, abrasions, and so many other harsh conditions that a label may be exposed to. Since we have such a wide variety of options, it is easy to customize your labeling order to fit your specific needs. We also test all our labeling materials in-house so you can be assured you are getting the highest quality labels possible with the best peace of mind guarantee.
