Label stickers have long been considered cost-effective way for brands and wholesalers to promote their brands; however, over time these can easily get damaged and fall off. With the rise and development of more high-end brands, companies are now more inclined to print logos and patterns directly on glass bottles and jars. This method looks more premium, doesn’t peel off, and if ordered in large quantities, can even be cheaper than label stickers. Common bottle decoration techniques include silk screen printing, hot foil stamping, laser engraving, decals, spray painting, bottle frosting, and electroplating. Please see below bottle decoration video and I will provide a detailed introduction to these different bottle decoration techniques.
Table of Contents
Silk Screen Printing
Silk screen printing is a technique that applies ink onto glass bottle surfaces by use stencils. In this process, pre-designed text or patterns are placed on a screen while bottles rotate underneath it. As the bottles turn, ink passes through the stencil, imprinting the designs onto the bottles. Silk printing is one of the most cost-effective and widely used decoration methods. Unlike label stickers that can peel off and leave excess blank paper area, silk printing creates clear text that merges seamlessly with the bottle, making the logo look integrated into the glass containers. Whether you need custom printing on any bottle shape, such as round, square, or conical, we all can meet your requirements.
Tips: Generally, silk screen printing is ideal for simple designs and logos with 2-3 colors. If you have a complex design or need multiple colors, we recommend choosing decals process.
However, we also have 6-color and 8-color silk screen printing machines that can handle more intricate designs and logos, but it is only more cost-effective than decals for larger orders, because the 8-color silk screen printing machine is fully automatic, it requires higher moq for machine running.
Hot Foil Stamping
Hot foil stamping on glass bottles is a premium printing technique that significantly enhances the luxury appearance of the bottles. The most common methods used in this process are gold stamping and silver stamping. The process involves applying a metal or colored foil to the surface of the glass bottles using heat and pressure, giving the bottles a luxurious look. The main procedure does not require screen printing; instead, the bottles are placed in a stamping machine where they are aligned with a mold. Once heated, the foil positioned between the mold and the bottle adheres to the glass surface. This technique is frequently used on glass dropper bottles, perfume bottles, and liquor bottles, making them stand out elegantly.
Decals on Glass Bottle
Applying decals to glass bottles is an increasingly popular means of decorating and personalizing glass containers, offering complicated and colorful designs on glass surface. Decals offer more versatility in design creation compared to silk screen printing – often producing intricate details more efficiently than screen prints do. Prep for decals typically involves special transfer paper that features three layers: backing paper, design layer and protective film over design layer in order to prevent dust accumulation before it’s attached directly onto a bottle’s surface.
Start off the process by immersing the transfer paper in water to loosen its protective film and allow the design layer to come free from its backing paper. Our skilled artisans then carefully position this layer at their predetermined spot on a glass bottle using a squeegee; smooth out any air bubbles using this squeegee until complete adhesion occurs between glass surface and decal surface is ensured before leaving to dry thoroughly.
If the bottles require high-temperature sterilization, they’re placed into oven for further heat treatment to secure their decals permanently. High temperature decals firing can slightly darken colors relative to their original designs; as an alternative for customers who do not require high temperature sterilization low temperature firing may preserve more vibrant hues while being more cost effective.
Spray Painting on Glass Bottle
Spray painting is a process that allows for applying paint to the surface of glass bottles, giving them various colors, textures, and effects.
At Ameri Glass Bottle, we can customize any color for you, from solid colors with matte or glossy finishes to gradient colors and metallic textures. Simply provide us with the Pantone color code, and we will spray paint the corresponding color onto your glass bottles. Typically, after the spray painting is completed, customers add other decorations such as screen printing or hot stamping to make the glass bottles look even more perfect.
Bottle Frosting
Glass frosting involves applying a solution made up of glass frosting powder to uniformly chemically etch the surface of glass to increase its added value.
This process creates an aesthetic, semi-transparent frosted layer on its surface using reactive substances such as (NH4)2SO4, NH4F, HF and HCl; these chemicals give bottles their signature hazy appearance while simultaneously increasing adhesion strength for subsequent treatments such as spray painting or electroplating treatments.
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving technology employs laser beams to etch patterns and text onto workpiece surfaces as part of manufacturing processes, producing desired patterns or text in specified designs and depths. Heating glass surfaces with this high energy beam alters its atomic structure, leaving behind tiny pits which eventually give way to engraving designs or text on glass surfaces.
Laser technology has proven particularly popular when applied to glass engraving; by altering parameters like energy usage, focus point and scanning speed; one can produce engravings in various colors and depths and even intricate landscapes on glass containers made out of this technology!
Electroplating
Electroplating glass bottles involves applying electrolysis’s principle of coating a surface of glass bottles with metal or alloy layers through electroplating technology, thus coating its outer surfaces in protective metal films to provide protection from oxidation (such as rust), while increasing durability, reflectivity, corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal. Coins often also feature electroplated outer coatings.
Electroplating glass bottles is an effective way of both beautifying their beauty and increasing corrosion resistance; additionally it also increases their abrasion resistance to some degree. By selecting different metals and plating thicknesses for customization purposes more creative and customized options can be introduced into product design. Electroplating on glass bottles has long been used by cosmetic companies, perfumeries, alcohol producers, food packaging firms and high-end food suppliers, creating unique product appearances with its distinctive yet luxurious appearances.
Ameri Glass Bottle manufacturing facility is equipped with fully automated machinery and has extensive experience exporting to European and American countries. We offer a full range of bottle decoration customization services including silk screen printing, hot foil stamping, laser engraving, decals, spray painting, bottle frosting, and electroplating, among others. Contact us now for a customized quote!