White BOPP is displayed on the left, and Chrome BOPP on the right.
Designing an eye-catching label can be a difficult task. A product that seems to ‘jump off of the shelf’ at a customer is much more likely to be seen than a product with a label that blends in with the rest. You could have a superior product, a better marketing plan, or put more effort into your finished product than anyone else, but if customers don’t notice your product on the shelf then you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.
A technique often used to great effect is to make use of an unusual material when printing your product labels. You may have seen this on wine bottles for example – where textured papers, gold foil, or raised lettering are quite common. However, these effects are very expensive when compared to most product labels, and the materials may not be suited to products where the container has a longer life or gets subjected to repeated handling. One material that can add both visual appeal and longevity is what we call Chrome BOPP.
Add Chrome To Your Custom Labels
The chrome label material is actually a plastic film, but special treatments in the manufacturing process give it a reflective metallic appearance – just like the old-fashioned chrome bumpers we used to see on most cars. The image below demonstrates the visual effect. Both of these rolls of material started out as the same base, but no-one would suggest they look the same.
When it comes to printing your product labels on Chrome BOPP, there are a few aspects of the design and printing process that are unique to this product label material. When printing labels on a Chrome BOPP material, the ink that is printed on the chrome label can change the hue, saturation, and overall presentation of the individual colors. For example, Yellow that is printed directly on the Chrome BOPP will display Gold. In this case, the sheen of the Chrome BOPP will be seen through the ink layer.
Such color implications can be taken care of rather easily during the design process. In the label design below, the only part of the custom label that will show any chrome finish will be the white triangular area behind the name “Probiotic Chewable Tablets” and the image of the coconuts on the custom label. This look is achieved by adding an initial layer of white ink underneath everything except for the area in which you want the chrome to peek through on the product label.
| Any colors printed over that white ink will display as though they were printed on white material. However, you could also deliberately leave some selected colored areas without the white layer, in which case the color is printed directly on the Chrome BOPP – which creates a translucent metallic effect. This can help you achieve a unique, eye-catching label design. |  |
 |
In the example to the left you can see how the majority of the product label background has yellow, orange, and blue, and you can still see the sheen of the Chrome BOPP showing through. However, the name of the product and the product features are an opaque (solid) white. This is an example of how selective use of the white layer can make text or images “pop” and stand out from the rest of the background. |
Printing your product labels on Chrome BOPP is a great way to draw immediate attention to your product in a retail environment. Whether you want to accent a label with chrome elements or want the entire label to “shine on the shelf”, printing your product labels on Chrome BOPP material can help draw attention to a product that you’ve worked extremely hard to develop.