The short answer

The Digital Label Services blog collects practical guides on label printing, printer selection, label materials and Australian labelling requirements. Articles are written for production managers, business owners and packaging buyers deciding on labels, equipment or consumables, with the technical detail needed to compare options.

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Every article in this label printing blog starts from a question a customer has actually asked, usually in front of a stopped machine or a rejected artwork proof. The guides are grouped by theme below, so you can go straight to the decision in front of you.

None of this replaces advice on your own job. Materials, adhesives, inks and finishes should always be selected for the intended application and the relevant Australian requirements, and any specification is worth checking with a specialist before a full production print run is committed to press.

Who are these guides written for?

Production managers, business owners, packaging buyers and anyone who has inherited a label printer without a manual. This label printing blog assumes you want specifications, not adjectives. Who reviews it is set out on the about Digital Label Services page.

What do the compliance and labelling requirement guides cover?

What has to appear on a label, at what size, and by when. Food articles cover allergen declarations under Plain English Allergen Labelling, mandatory since 25 February 2024, nutrition panels and country of origin. Chemical articles cover GHS Revision 7, required in Australia since 1 January 2023.

How do the equipment guides help you choose a printer?

By comparing what the machines do rather than what the brochures claim: thermal against inkjet, desktop against production units, cost per label, and when digital label printing in-house beats outsourcing.

What do the materials and adhesive guides explain?

Why a label lifts off a chilled bottle, curls on a curved container or refuses to wash off a returnable keg. These cover face stocks, permanent, removable, freezer and wash-off adhesives, laminates, and barcode quiet zones.

What do the maintenance and cost guides cover?

Keeping a printer running, and knowing what a label really costs. Maintenance articles cover printhead care, jamming, sensor calibration and cleaning schedules. Cost articles break down stock, ink, labour and waste so quotes compare honestly.

“Digital Label Services have delivered quality labels and consumables, cost savings and support for the last 7 months for our colour label printers ensuring that a key component of our business runs efficiently.”

Kim Jardine, General Manager, James Bennett P/L

Frequently asked questions

Do allergens have to be bolded on an Australian food label?

Yes. Allergens must be declared in bold in the ingredient list and again in a bolded summary statement beginning with the word Contains. Tree nuts and molluscs are declared individually, and added sulphites must be declared at 10 mg/kg or more.

What is the difference between direct thermal and thermal transfer?

Direct thermal prints by heating a coated label, with no ribbon, and the image fades with heat, light and abrasion. Thermal transfer melts ink from a ribbon onto the label and lasts far longer. Freezer, outdoor and long-life uses generally need it.

Which GHS revision applies to chemical labels in Australia?

GHS Revision 7 has been required since 1 January 2023 for classifying and labelling hazardous chemicals. Chemicals manufactured or imported before that date may keep their earlier labels without relabelling, but the safety data sheet must comply with GHS 7.

When is printing labels in-house cheaper than outsourcing?

Usually when SKUs are many, runs are short and artwork changes often, because plate-free short runs and variable data are where trade printing costs the most. Long, stable, high-volume runs of a single design normally still favour an outside printer.

How often should a label printer be cleaned?

A printer running daily needs the printhead and platen roller wiped at the first roll change each day, sensors cleaned weekly and a full internal clean quarterly. Adhesive and paper dust cause more faults than component failure, and cleaning is cheaper.

All articles

Cannot find the answer you need?

If a question is not covered in this label printing blog, send it through with your label size, material and printer model, and we will answer it directly.

Get a Personalised QuoteSpeak With Our Printer SpecialistsCall 0431 942 464

References and further reading

Written by the Digital Label Services Technical & Packaging Team — more than 30 years of packaging industry experience across digital label printing, label stock, printing equipment, commercial label presses and packaging solutions.

Reviewed by: Digital Label Services Technical Team, Packaging & Digital Label Printing Specialists. Last reviewed: 26 August 2026.

Label materials, adhesives, inks and finishes should be selected according to the intended application and relevant Australian requirements. Discuss specific technical or regulatory requirements with Digital Label Services before production.