As part of the custom label printing process, roll finishing refers to the specific direction your label will be removed from the roll. Another phrase we use for this is a "rewind position". For some, this option has to do with preference; for others, it is a very important requirement of their label applicator machine! 

Industry standards for Roll Finishing come in four different options, Top First (1), Bottom First (2), Right Side First (3), or Left Side First (4). This designates which direction your label will unwind from the roll when looking at your design straight on.

If you are not using a label application machine, and have no preference for your roll finishing, your labels or stickers will skip the finishing step altogether and make it to you lickety-split! Any time required in our finishing department may add additional time to your turnaround, so please keep that in mind when placing your order and selecting a rewind position! 

If you have not selected a specific direction, your order can arrive to you in different positions. Our handy prepress team hand-builds each roll of material going to our presses and pays extra close attention to the layout of each sticker and label to make sure we are most efficiently and effectively printing our labels! This can mean your label could arrive left side first on one order, and top first on a reorder. If you would like consistency between orders, always select a specific position during the ordering process! 

If you are using a label applicator machine and aren't sure what your rewind position should be, the best way to test this would be to place a roll of labels on your machine and run it for a single product. What direction does that label lay on your product? That will help you determine which rewind position you will want to use to place your order!