What is Linerless Label Printing?

If your company has avoided printing labels to date, or if you have been using traditional liner-based label printing, it’s time to level up.

Linerless label printing started as a niche technology but has now become mainstream, and with good reason. It offers a range of benefits that can improve your existing label printing. If you’ve never printed labels before, now is the time to transform your operations.

Read on for an explanation of how linerless label printing works and how it can benefit your business.

What does “linerless” mean?

Traditional label printers use a backing paper, known as a liner, that sits behind the label. This stops adhesive labels from sticking to the ones under them on the roll while releasing them easily so that a label applicator can automatically stick them to a box or other surface.

Linerless label printers use the same printing method as their predecessors — typically thermal technology — but they don’t use the backing paper. Instead, they use a tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive on the back of the label that will not stick to the other labels on the roll, similar to a roll of tape.

Whereas each label could be removed individually from the liner on a liner-based label printer, linerless models use a cutter to separate their labels at predefined lengths.

Benefits of linerless label printing

Linerless label printers offer several benefits for businesses.

Sustainability

With 80% of consumers concerned about the environmental impact of products, sustainability is a major business concern. Linerless labels help businesses minimize material waste, which supports sustainability efforts. Since liner isn’t included, there’s room for more labels on each linerless label roll. Fewer rolls can help make roll storage and waste disposal more efficient.

Improved operational efficiency

All label printers help companies to quickly and easily track inventory and standardize pricing, but linerless label technology increases flexibility for short print runs or varied print runs.

Whereas liner-based printers require all labels on a roll to be the same size, linerless printings’ built-in cutter technology allows for different label sizes on the same roll. That makes it easy to print different label types on demand.

Removing the liner also makes room for more labels on a single roll. Fewer roll changes can help businesses to maximize their printing time.

What to look for in a linerless labeling system

Not all linerless labeling systems are created equal. Some features can help supercharge your business efficiency. Consider these when choosing a solution.

Device hardware

The mechanisms within the device greatly affect efficiency and reliability. Look for a solution like Epson’s OmniLink TM-L100 Liner-Free Compatible Thermal Label Printer, which supports different sizes and adhesives of liner-free media for maximum flexibility.

This printer has also been engineered to minimize downtime from part replacements and maintenance. Its support for thermal printing eliminates the need to replace ink cartridges, while its print head and auto-cutter mechanisms are designed with a long life in mind.

Connectivity and management

Think beyond the device hardware and think about its position in the broad ecosystem. The OmniLink TM-L100 includes flexible connectivity options that support evolving use cases. It can handle USB, Ethernet, serial, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections.

This connectivity enables the OmniLink TM-L100 to integrate with existing point-of-sale (POS) solutions, avoiding the need to replace existing infrastructure. It can also directly access e-commerce systems. This enables it to retrieve and print order information directly from a server or web application with no intermediary POS system, helping to streamline the processing of online orders.

Connecting the OmniLink TM-L100 also gives companies the power to share a single printer between multiple devices and switch seamlessly between them, helping to save on capital expenditure. It simplifies operations by delivering data from multiple sources to one label.

Any connectivity strategy today should include reliable mobile support. The OmniLink TM-L100 supports printing from smartphones and tablets,¹ which is ideal for in-the-field usage and for highly mobile on-site staff in environments from warehouses to hospitals. iOS users can also connect the printer to their devices via USB.

Paper-saving features

When it comes to reducing paper waste, a little innovation can go a long way. The OmniLink TM-L100’s software includes the ability to control white space and character height, reducing paper usage up to 47 percent.²

Epson’s linerless label printer also includes a label-taken sensor. This halts printing after a label has been printed, until the label is pulled, avoiding multiple unwanted prints.

Benefits across multiple sectors

The right mixture of powerful features in a linerless label printing solution can make it an invaluable investment across a range of sectors.

In the retail sector, the pandemic changed operations forever by making click-and-collect a mainstream service for shoppers. Fast, efficient labeling combined with direct access to ordering systems streamlines click-and-collect services.

Technology has become a key tool for increasing competitiveness in the hospitality industry, with 76% of quick-service restaurants stating that using technology gives them a competitive advantage.³ Labeling offers a powerful way to bolster speed and accuracy for both drive-thru and table service.

In the healthcare sector, the move to labeling is a potentially life-changing issue. Avoiding the use of handwritten notes and clearly including all relevant information avoids dangerous errors in medical treatment and prescriptions.

Finally, manufacturing and logistics both benefit from high accuracy, fast printing, and label resilience in time-critical and rugged environments.

Now is the time to act

Businesses often overlook linerless label printing technology in favor of outdated liner-based solutions. However, this is an area where a small investment in premium technology can offer substantial benefits across multiple sectors. This is why analysts expect market value to grow at a 4.2% CAGR from $2.1 billion in 2025 to $3.3 billion by 2035.

To learn more about Epson Point-of-Sale solutions, including receipt printers, label printers and kitchen display systems, visit Epson.com/point-of-sale