Label registration and where it was stuck
Whether the ink layers on the bottle label are in register, and whether the label sits square to the seams.
The reading sequence
3 steps, starting at structural defects and running to check the label against the bottle's own moulding. Evidence on this point is read at E1, and 1 of the 3 steps carries a condition that ends the assessment outright.
Shoot the label square on, with the bottle standing
Get a straight-on photo of the label so that registration and placement can both be measured against fixed features of the bottle rather than against the frame.
Evidence: E1 — one photo with the lens level with the label centre, the whole bottle in frame, the label filling at least a third of the width, background plain and uncluttered
- The label's top and bottom edges run parallel to the frame edges, within about a degree.
- Both bottle shoulders are visible, so the bottle's vertical axis can be found in the photo.
- The photo is taken from slightly above, so the label's bottom edge reads curved.
- The label fills the frame with no bottle shoulder visible in the shot.
- Only a three-quarter shot is supplied, where the label's left and right margins cannot both be read.
- The photo is cropped at the label edges, removing the evidence of where the label sits.
Measure the ink layers against each other
Decide whether the separate ink layers of the label are in register, by reading the coloured edges where two layers meet.
Evidence: E1 — one macro photo of the label's densest area, 10 cm from the lens, diffuse light at 45 degrees and no flash
- Where a coloured element sits on a light background, the gap between layers stays under half a millimetre all the way round.
- Letter edges stay single, with no coloured ghost offset to one side.
- A coloured halo of about one millimetre on one side of the type, and only at the label's outer edge.
- Registration reads correctly in the centre of the label and wanders slightly near one corner.
- The ghost layer is offset in different directions on different parts of the same label.
- Type smaller than 7 pt fills in, so counters close and the word cannot be read at all.
Check the label against the bottle's own moulding
Judge placement from the bottle rather than from the frame, using the moulded seam and the base as fixed references.
Evidence: E1 — one photo of the bottle from directly behind, so the back seam and the label's left and right margins are visible in the same frame
- The label's left and right margins are equal within 1 mm, measured to the moulded shoulder lines.
- The label's top edge sits at the same height all the way round the bottle when viewed from the front and from behind.
- A tilt of 2 to 3 degrees with both margins still parallel to each other.
- The label sits high on the body but square, which also happens when a label is applied to a shorter bottle.
- The label crosses the bottle's moulded seam, so it steps up or down as it passes over it.
- The label is wrinkled, lifted at a corner, or applied over a second label underneath.
Why the thresholds sit where they do
Registration is the structural check that separates a production print run from a short-run reprint, because drift is a property of the press rather than of the design file: a reprint pulled on a small machine wanders in different directions across one sheet, while a main-run label stays within half a millimetre of itself everywhere. Placement is judged against the bottle's moulded features rather than against the photo frame, since a phone held a few degrees off level makes a square label read as tilted and a tilted label read as square. The half-millimetre and one-millimetre tolerances are the smallest distances a mid-range phone camera resolves at 10 cm, so two readers working from the same photo reach the same verdict rather than the same impression. Re-sticking decides the point on its own: adhesive that has been lifted once leaves a visible ridge for the life of the unit.
Common misreads
2 pairs recorded for this point. Each runs in both directions: 1 finding that looks worse than it is, and 1 that looks better.
- looks like Return actually Pass
Type that looks heavy and slightly blurred at the label's edge. Labels on curved glass are printed on a flat sheet and then wrapped, so the outer millimetres compress. Registration is judged at the label centre, where the surface is flattest.
- looks like Pass actually Query
A label that reads clean in a three-quarter shot with bright reflections across it. Specular highlights cover exactly the thin coloured edges where misregistration shows.
Check this point against what you were sent
Insufficient evidence
Nothing decided on label print registration yet: 0 of 3 steps have been read.
0 of 3 steps judged
| Step | Reading | Evidence | Stop met |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shoot the label square on, with the bottle standingneeds E1 | — | ||
| 2. Measure the ink layers against each otherneeds E1 | — | ||
| 3. Check the label against the bottle's own mouldingneeds E1 | The label is applied over a second label or has been lifted and re-stuck. The original print can no longer be read, and no later photo recovers a label that has been removed once. |
Sources and checks
- Public community thread — Reports where label print was the disputed detail on arrivaln=41
- Editor analysis — Half-millimetre registration band set from repeat reads of one photo by three editorsno sample
Last checked · next review due · status current.
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