Buying roll labels for a label applicator or dispenser? Three specs decide whether the roll fits your machine: core size, unwind direction, and roll orientation. Get those right and any applicator runs happily — here's what each one means and what we supply as standard.
The core is the cardboard tube the labels wind around, and its inner diameter has to match your applicator's spindle. We supply 76mm cores as standard — the most common size for benchtop and production label applicators. Smaller handheld dispensers sometimes take smaller cores, so if you're unsure what your machine needs, check its manual or just call us with the model name and we'll confirm before printing.
Labels can wind onto the roll facing outward or inward, and they can come off the roll top-first, bottom-first, left-first or right-first. For a machine, this matters: the applicator peels labels at a fixed orientation, so a roll wound the wrong way feeds your labels sideways or upside down.
Our standard is outward-facing — labels on the outside of the roll — which suits most applicators and dispensers, and is also the natural orientation for hand application straight off the roll. Inward-facing is available on request: just tell us in your order notes, along with which edge should come off the roll first if your machine is fussy about it.
If you're labelling by hand, you can stop worrying: any core size works, and outward-facing rolls are actually easier to peel from. The specs above only bite when a machine enters the picture. Plenty of our customers start hand-labelling from rolls and only think about applicators once they're doing hundreds of units a week — the nice part is the labels don't change, just the roll spec.
When we say our roll labels are dispenser-ready, it means: wound on a 76mm core, outward-facing, consistently spaced on a continuous backing — ready to drop straight onto a dispenser or applicator without rewinding. Rolls start at 500 labels, which is where per-label pricing starts making sense over sheets.
Applicator-fed labels are cut on the roll with rounded corners (minimum 1mm radius) — sharp square corners tend to lift and snag at press and application speed. If your design needs a truly custom shape with sharp points, that's a job for sticker sheets or die-cut singles instead.
| Spec | Our standard | Check against your machine |
|---|---|---|
| Core diameter | 76mm | Spindle size in the manual |
| Label facing | Outward | Peel-plate orientation |
| Feed edge | Specify in order notes | Label orientation as it dispenses |
| Corners | Rounded, min 1mm radius | — |
Still unsure? Tell us your applicator's make and model when you order and we'll match the roll spec to it — that's the advantage of dealing with the people at the press rather than a form on a website.
White, clear and silver vinyl or paper, from 500 labels, live pricing online. Free digital proof before anything prints, dispatch in 1-2 business days.