Linerless Label, also known as liner-free label, is a type of pressure-sensitive label without a release liner. Compared to traditional adhesive labels, it eliminates the silicone release paper, and the labels are directly wound into rolls, with a special coating to prevent them from sticking to each other.
The difference between linerless labels and traditional adhesive labels
| Comparison items | Linerless label | Traditional adhesive label |
| Backing paper | None | With release backing paper |
| Waste | Almost no waste | A large amount of waste bottom paper will be generated |
| Material utilization rate | higher | lower |
| Roll length of the same size | Longer | Shorter |
| Warehousing and transportation | More space-saving | larger space occupation |
| Environmental protection | More environmentally friendly | Waste paper needs to be disposed of |
| Printing methods | often adopt thermal printing | thermal transfer, etc |
Working principle
The reason why the linerless label has no liner is:
• The back of the label is coated with a special anti-adhesive layer (Topcoat/Backcoat).
• The front printing surface has undergone functional treatments such as wear resistance and heat resistance.
• The adhesive layer is typically made of **Hot Melt Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (Hot Melt PSA)** or other specialized pressure sensitive adhesives, ensuring both bonding performance and avoiding sticking between rolls.
When using labels, they are cut, printed, and affixed through a dedicated printer or labeling machine.
Why is it becoming more and more popular?
In recent years, linerless labels have experienced rapid growth in the global market, primarily due to the following reasons:
1. Environmental waste reduction
2. Reduce logistics costs
3. Save material costs
Main application industries
Linerless labels have been widely used in:
• Supermarket electronic scale label
• Fresh food packaging
• Takeout order label
• Express logistics label
• Retail price tag
• Medical label
• Warehouse management label
• Airline baggage tag
Especially in the retail, catering, and logistics industries, due to the large volume of printing and fast turnover, the advantages of liner-free labels are even more pronounced.
The requirements for hot melt adhesives are higher
The performance requirements for adhesives used in linerless labels are stricter than those for traditional labels, and hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) is commonly used.
The following characteristics are required:
• Good initial adhesion
• Stable adhesion
• Not prone to glue spillage
• High temperature resistance and low temperature tolerance
• No adhesion during winding (anti-blocking)
• Good compatibility with anti-adhesive coating
Therefore, hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive has become one of the key materials in the linerless label industry chain.
Future development trend
With the development of e-commerce, food delivery, retail automation, and green packaging, linerless labels are becoming an important growth direction in the labeling industry. In the coming years, it is expected to focus on the following developments:
• Recyclable packaging dedicated linerless label
• RFID linerless label
• Food-grade eco-friendly hot melt adhesive
• High-speed automatic labeling system
• Smart logistics label
• Degradable and bio-based adhesives
For enterprises engaged in label materials, hot melt adhesives, coating equipment, die-cutting equipment, and label printing, linerless labels have become a segmented market worthy of significant attention and strategic planning.
Post time: Aug-19-2026