Custom Compostable Labels
A certified compostable label on a plastic bottle achieves nothing. The bottle goes to recycling, the label goes with it, and the certification is a line on an invoice. The label only does its job when the pack it is stuck to is going the same way.
- Certification
- Face stock, adhesive and inks certified together
- Streams
- Home compostable and industrially compostable, specified per job
- Formats
- Sheets, rolls and singles
Get a price for Compostable Labels
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Where it works, and where it is a wasted premium
This is not an argument against the product. It is the question to answer before buying it, because the premium is real and it only buys something on the top three rows.
| Paper wrap or bag | Works — label and pack go into the same stream |
|---|---|
| Molded pulp tray | Works, and the pack is often the reason the label was specified |
| Compostable film pouch | Works, if the adhesive is certified as well as the face stock |
| Plastic bottle or jar | Wasted — the pack is recycled, not composted |
| Glass | Wasted, and a removable adhesive would serve you better |
Three components have to be certified, not one
A compostable label is a face stock, an adhesive and an ink. Certification of the paper alone is common and close to meaningless — a conventional acrylic adhesive will not break down and will contaminate the compost the pack was meant to join.
Ask for certification covering the whole construction. We supply the three together or not at all, because a partly certified label is a claim that cannot be defended.
Home compostable and industrially compostable are different certifications with very different real-world outcomes. Know which one you are claiming.
They behave differently on the roll and on the shelf
None of these is a reason not to use them. All of them are reasons to test on your own line and your own pack before committing to a large order.
- A shorter usable life on the roll — order to a schedule rather than stockpiling.
- Slightly softer print, with less contrast than a coated conventional stock.
- Lower moisture tolerance; a chilled or damp application needs testing first.
- Application speed can be lower on automatic lines, which matters at volume.
Claiming it without overclaiming it
The wording on the label matters as much as the label. "Compostable" without saying where — home or industrial — is the claim most likely to attract a complaint, because most household waste never reaches an industrial composter.
State the certification, state the stream, and keep the leaf imagery proportionate to what the pack actually achieves. Overclaiming on packaging is a bigger commercial risk than not claiming at all.
The alternative worth considering first
A plain uncoated paper label with a standard adhesive on a paper pack is repulpable in a normal stream, costs less, and requires no claim at all. For many products that is the better environmental outcome as well as the cheaper one.
We will quote it alongside the certified option every time, with the geometry and adhesive constraints set out in our label and hang tag notes.
Compostable Labels — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Certification
- Face stock, adhesive and inks certified together
- Streams
- Home compostable and industrially compostable, specified per job
- Formats
- Sheets, rolls and singles
- Shelf life
- Shorter on the roll than conventional stock; order to schedule
- Alternatives
- Uncoated repulpable paper labels quoted alongside
- Minimum
- 100 labels
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo on a roll for volume, digital for short runs and for variable data such as batch codes and names.
- Color
- CMYK plus spot colors. On clear film a white underprint is needed wherever a color must read against the product.
- Tolerance
- Die-cut plus or minus 0.5 mm, and the label drawn 3 mm inside the panel so a slightly crooked application still looks square.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per shape and size, made once and kept. A change of artwork on the same shape needs no new tooling.
- Food contact
- Food-safe adhesives and inks where a label goes onto food packaging or a food-contact surface.
- Sustainability
- Paper labels recycle with a paper pack. Synthetic labels come off first, and the spec says which yours is.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build compostable labels on
A label is a face stock, an adhesive and a liner, and each is chosen from where the label lands. The face decides how it prints; the adhesive decides whether it stays there.
Matte paper face
The everyday label. Writable, recyclable with a paper pack, and the right ground for a barcode. Not waterproof.
80–90gsmGloss paper face
Brighter color and a sharper photograph, at the cost of glare and fingerprints. Never put a barcode under a gloss finish.
80–90gsmKraft paper face
Unbleached and tan. One or two colors and white ink; the artisan seal. Colors print warm and muted on it.
70–90gsmClear polypropylene
The no-label look on glass and clear packaging. Needs a white underprint wherever a color has to read against a dark product.
50–60 micronWhite synthetic
PP or PE film: waterproof, tear-proof and dishwasher-tolerant. For bottles, jars, chilled and frozen goods and anything outdoors.
50–80 micronDirect thermal
Prints black with heat and no ink, for shipping and batch labels. It darkens in heat and fades in sunlight, so it is not for retail.
60–80gsmAdhesives
Permanent for corrugated and long-stay labels; removable for a clean peel; freezer-grade for anything applied cold or stored below zero.
Water- or solvent-basedLaminate and varnish
A film or a coat over the print for scuff and moisture resistance. It also stops a pen working, which matters on a label meant to be written on.
Matte, gloss or noneNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
A label is finished for what will rub against it and whether anyone writes on it.
Matte laminate
Scuff and moisture resistance. Stops a pen working, so not for a label meant to be filled in.
Gloss laminate
Deeper color and a wipeable face. Never over a barcode.
Varnish only
A thin coat instead of a film, so a paper label still recycles with the pack.
Hot foil
On a small label the block is tiny and the effect is out of proportion to the cost.
Embossed label
Raised shape on a face stock, usually on a bottle or a jar where it is felt.
Textured face
Felt, laid or cotton label stock for wine and spirits. Prints softly and tears with a fiber edge.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a label to the panel it sits on: compostable labels
A label is cut to the surface, not to a standard size. Send the container or the box — or its dimensions and the panel you want covered — and the label is drawn to fit with the tolerance an applicator needs.
- Flat panel
- The panel less 3 mm each way, so a slightly crooked application still looks square. Rounded corners resist lifting.
- Wrap-around
- The circumference less 5 mm, so the ends butt rather than overlap. A wrap that overlaps its own print reads as a mistake.
- Corner radius
- 2–4 mm. A square corner lifts first and, on a shipping label, jams a sorter.
- Barcode area
- A white matte area with the quiet zone clear on both sides. Verified on the printed label, not on screen.
- Roll direction and core
- Set to your applicator: the wind direction, the core size and the number of labels per roll. Send the machine model.
- Application temperature
- Cold or damp surfaces need a specific adhesive. A standard permanent applied at 2°C often does not stay on.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Compostable Labels
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a face stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about compostable labels? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
What is the minimum order?
100 labels, on sheets, a roll or singles.
Is a compostable label worth it on a plastic bottle?
No. The bottle is recycled and the label goes with it, so the certification buys nothing.
Is the adhesive certified too?
It has to be, and often is not elsewhere. We supply face stock, adhesive and inks certified together or not at all.
Home or industrial compostable?
Different certifications with different outcomes. Most household waste never reaches an industrial composter — say which one you mean.
Is there a cheaper option that is still sound?
An uncoated paper label on a paper pack is repulpable in a normal stream, costs less and needs no claim.
Do compostable labels print as sharply?
Slightly softer than conventional stock, and they have a shorter shelf life on the roll — order to a schedule.
Is a compostable label worth it on a plastic bottle?
No. The bottle is recycled and the label goes with it, so the certification buys nothing.
Is the adhesive certified too?
It has to be, and often is not elsewhere. We supply face stock, adhesive and inks certified together or not at all.
Home or industrial compostable?
They are different certifications with very different outcomes. Most household waste never reaches an industrial composter — say which one you mean on the label.
Is there a cheaper option that is still sound?
An uncoated paper label on a paper pack is repulpable in a normal stream, costs less and needs no claim.
Same range
