White, holographic or matte vinyl: the difference
The finish isn't a final detail: it changes how colour reads and decides what stands out on the shelf. Here are the three options and when each one fits.
White vinyl
The standard, and for good reason: the white base makes colour print solid and faithful, just like on screen. It's what you want when the illustration leads — realistic food, fruit, textures, photography. If the design has to look exactly as approved, it goes on white.
Matte
Same solid colour, no glare. It reads clean under any light, you feel it in the hand, and it's the finish buyers associate with a considered product: natural cosmetics, olive oil, spirits, specialty coffee. It also works beautifully in combination — a matte label with gloss varnish only on the name is a contrast you can see and touch.
Selective holographic — what nobody else does
Ordinary holographic vinyl shines all over, and the result is usually illegible: the rainbow swallows the illustration.
Our technique plays with the white base. Where white sits underneath, colour prints solid and opaque, like on normal vinyl. Where the white is omitted, the ink stays translucent and the substrate's holographic layer comes through.
Applied to our working rule — the product name is drawn as the matter it evokes — it goes like this: white base under the whole illustration, none under the lettering. Result: the illustration reads sharp and solid, and the letters are genuinely holographic, not an effect faked in Photoshop. Turn the jar and only the name shifts colour.
We have not identified another studio in Europe delivering it this way.
How to choose
A quick rule that works almost every time:
- Is the illustration the lead, and does it have to be faithful? → white
- Do you want it to feel restrained and premium? → matte
- Is the name the lead, and should it stop the buyer? → selective holographic
- Not sure? → order the physical sample before committing to the run
Extras you can add
On top of any of the three: selective gloss varnish (shines only where you decide), tactile relief, and a custom die cut instead of a rectangle. You pick them in the configurator and see them in the price immediately.
Frequently asked
- Does holographic add much to the cost?
- It carries a per-unit surcharge on the container and a multiplier on the design, because the white layer has to be prepared by hand, letter by letter. The configurator works it out on screen for your quantity.
- Can I see a sample first?
- Yes, and we recommend it with holographic: how it behaves with your colours can't be judged on screen. Order a physical sample before committing to the run.
- Do they survive damp and cold?
- Laminated vinyl handles a fridge and normal handling. If the product will be in water or a freezer continuously, say so when you ask for a quote and we adjust the material.