Hot and humid summer weather is upon us, causing your labels to be at risk of oozing adhesive. We thought it would be good timing to educate on what you can do to control that summertime OOZE!!!

Here’s how it works. As temperature and humidity increase, the adhesives in pressure-sensitive labels can start to ooze. Labels with high performance adhesives are typically the most at risk, and our materials such as 628 and 650 are no exception. A curl in the facestock can evolve in a label construction as the environment moves above 70°F and 50% relative humidity due to the liner absorbing more moisture than the facestock. This is especially apparent in film facestock, paper liner labels, and laser sheets. Another thing to keep in mind is that freshly delivered labels may have been transported in a 170°F trailer for hours prior to arrival.

There is a Cure for the Summertime OOZE

Since summer heat is inevitable in most parts of the country, how do you cope with the summertime OOZE? Here are a few tips to keep ooze at a minimum and your labels in tip-top shape:

1. Keep your label rolls in a climate controlled area, and try to allow rolls to acclimate overnight if possible.
2. Keep your labels out of sunlight and in the original packaging until you’re ready to use them. This avoids exposing them to humidity fluctuations.
3. Smaller quantities of labels per roll helps, allowing for a looser fit around the core.
4. Keep your label rolls wound loosely. Do not tighten them before putting them in the printer. Handle the labels only when needed to avoid coaxing the OOZE to make an appearance!

Here in Southern New Hampshire, we’re certainly no strangers to the summertime heat and the dreaded OOZE. We combat it by keeping all of our materials in a dry, cooled warehouse and maintaining a lean inventory with rotating material rolls. Sometimes the OOZE will occasionally creep out, but the Label Experts are professionally trained to handle the seepage!