A can or a jar looks like the easy container to label, until the line runs it wet, tapered, ribbed or with a handle on it.
A commercial can labeler has to hold a round container steady, wrap a label onto it without a wrinkle or a skew, and keep doing that at line speed for a full shift. This page is for plants that fill cans and jars of food, beverage, paint or chemical product and need a labeling machine that stays on the line. It is not for desktop or hobby labeling.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, and we specify, supply, install and service labeling and coding equipment for packaging lines anywhere in the US. Want a person to look at your container and your line speed before anything is quoted? Book an equipment audit.
What does a can labeler have to handle on a commercial line?
A can labeling machine has to hold a round container square to the label, apply the label at the speed of the line, and cope with what the container does to it: moisture, ribs and seams, tapered sides, lids and handles. Most failed installs come from the container, not the label head.
Moisture. A can off a filler or chiller is often wet or fogged, which makes label stock and application point as important as the machine.
Ribs, seams and tapers. A beaded food can is not a flat wrap surface, and a tapered paint can or tub changes diameter along its height. Both change how the label tracks.
Handles and lids. A paint can with a bail handle needs a hold that lets the handle pass. A lid is a possible second label point, a top application rather than a wrap.
Clear jars and clear labels. A clear label on a clear jar defeats an ordinary gap sensor and needs a sensor built for transparent product.
Presentation. Containers arrive in surges and out of position, so spacing, orienting and a firm hold decide placement accuracy.
Which labeling method fits cans and jars?
Wrap labeling suits most cans and jars: the label goes around the body, held by powered rollers or belts. Front and back suits a container needing two separate labels. Top and bottom suits a lid or base. Print and apply suits a label whose content changes during the run.
Wrap around, for the body
The standard answer for a round container. The label is applied while the container rotates or is held against a belt, so it lays down flat. Our wrap around labeling machines page covers the stations, the hold and the sensing in detail, including transparent containers.
Front and back, for two panels
A jar with a front panel and a separate back panel, or a can carrying a brand label and a regulatory label, can take two heads on one conveyor. The shape and the options are on our front and back labeling machines page.
Top and bottom, for lids and bases
A label across a lid, a tamper strip, or a base label on a jar is a top or underside application. Our top and bottom labeling machines page explains how the underside is reached through a gap between two belts.
Semi automatic, for low volume
For a short run or a mixed product, the Altech ALmatic C is a semi automatic kit for cylindrical products from 12 to 110 mm in diameter, with powered rollers carrying the container while the label is applied. It sits at the low volume end of the range; see our semi automatic labeler page.
Which Marapack and Altech equipment fits which job?
The labeling head applies the label; the conveyor, handling and sensing around it decide whether it lands correctly. We supply the Altech heads, conveyors and handling for cans and jars, and the print and apply heads where the label carries variable data.
- Preprinted wrap or panel label on a conveyed container: an Altech ALstep or ALritma head on an ALbelt conveyor or an ALline linear machine. Heads are published for label widths up to 100 or 200 mm (ALstep) and up to 100, 200 or 300 mm (ALritma). The range is on our label applicators page.
- Variable lot code or barcode on the label: an ALcode print and apply head, covered on our print and apply labeling systems page.
- Container handling: spacers, timing screws, orienting units, stabilizing belts and infeed and outfeed rotary tables, quoted with the machine.
- Parts and service for what is already on the floor: labeling machine repair and service covers Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It machines.
How do you put a date or lot code on a can or jar?
There are three practical routes: print the date and lot on the label as it is applied, preprint the label and code the variable part onto the applied label in line, or code the shipping case instead. Direct marking onto a metal can end or base is a different job, and a technology we do not sell.
Our coding range is thermal inkjet, with thermal transfer and hot foil coders available through the Altech price list. Thermal inkjet on a non porous surface needs solvent based ink, and it should always be tested on your actual container. We do not make a claim here about printing directly onto the ends or bases of metal cans. Bring the can, and we will say whether a code on the label or on the case is the better answer. Our coding and marking page sets out each technology and where we stand on it.
What do we not sell for can and jar lines?
We do not sell fillers, seamers, cappers, closers, case packers or any other packaging machinery, and we do not sell continuous inkjet or laser marking. We sell labeling and coding equipment and the service for it, and we say so plainly so you can plan the rest of the line.
If your search was for a complete can line, the filling and seaming side comes from a packaging machinery builder. We specify the labeling station to sit beside it and commission it on your containers.
Also not our market: the single container desktop labeler for a home business or a craft run. Those machines are sold by consumer and office suppliers. Brewery can labeling has its own page on this site.
Do cans and jars carry retailer or traceability requirements?
For food, yes, if you sell to a large retailer. Walmart states that all food suppliers must put an SSCC-18 barcode on the pallet, linked to an advance ship notice, and use case labels with barcodes such as GS1-128 that carry traceability data. Paint and chemical buyers set their own rules.
The source is Walmart's food traceability requirements, which also asks suppliers to share lot or batch codes and date codes. A label on each case and a label on the pallet is print and apply work. Our GS1-128 and SSCC pallet label guide explains the labels themselves, and the pallet equipment is on our pallet labeling systems page. Always check your own buyer's current specification: it governs.
Should you automate can and jar labeling or keep labeling by hand?
Automate when labeling is a bottleneck, when label position or skew is causing rework, or when a customer needs a consistent lot code. Stay manual or semi automatic when volume is low and the product mix changes daily. A line walk settles it in an hour.
High volume with few changeovers points to an automatic wrap head. Many changeovers with small runs point to a semi automatic kit or a head with stored formats. We will say when the simplest machine is the answer.
Frequently asked questions
Can one machine label both cans and jars? Often, if the diameters fall in the same range and the label size is the same. Changing container diameter changes the hold and the roller or belt setup, so we confirm both containers on the actual machine before specifying one.
Can you label a paint can with a handle? It is a standard design question for a labeling machine: the hold has to let the bail handle pass. Bring a sample can and the label, and we will tell you which configuration suits it.
What label width can the heads apply? Altech publishes label widths up to 100 or 200 mm for the ALstep and up to 100, 200 or 300 mm for the ALritma. Which you need depends on the container and label.
Can you put a date code on the can itself? We can code the label, the case or a printed label applied to the can. We make no claim about marking metal can ends or bases, which is a technology we do not sell.
How much does a can labeling machine cost? It depends on the head, the conveyor and handling, whether it prints variable data, and the number of label points. We quote itemized after walking the line, because a price given before the container and speed are known is a price for a different line.
Can you service the labeler we already have? Yes, for Altech, Label-Aire 3100 and 5100, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment. We also stock parts for Altech, PackLeader, some Label-Aire and Tach-It.
Bring us the can or the jar
The cheapest hour you will spend is the one where someone looks at your actual container, label and line speed before a machine is ordered. We walk the line, tell you which labeling method and handling fit, and tell you plainly when the answer is a simpler machine. Call 253-709-5566 or request a line assessment.