Multicomp Pro® Wrap-Around Cable Labels: Self-Laminating Labels for Any Laser Printer

For engineers who need professional cable identification but do not have access to a dedicated thermal transfer printer, wrap-around cable labels offer a practical route to consistent, legible marking. The Multicomp Pro® range - manufactured in Great Britain by Silver Fox® and distributed through Farnell, Newark, and element14 - is designed specifically for this situation: print from any standard office laser printer, apply directly to the cable, and have a label that will hold up in demanding installed environments.

The self-laminating construction is the defining feature. Each label has a highly opaque printable area for sharp, clear text, and a clear polyester tail that wraps around the cable and over the printed section once the label is applied. That tail acts as a protective overlay, shielding the print from abrasion, moisture, and handling. The result is a label that looks and performs like a purpose-made cable marker, produced on equipment that most offices and workshops already own.

This guide covers the material and construction in detail, the testing the labels are subjected to, how to select the right size for your cable diameter, and how to get up and running with the free Multicomp Pro® software.

Multicomp Pro® wrap-around cable labels are produced on a 25-micron self-adhesive polyester (PET) substrate. Polyester is chosen for its dimensional stability - it does not stretch or shrink in response to temperature changes - and for its resistance to moisture, oils, and solvents that cable labels commonly encounter in electrical installation and industrial environments.

The adhesive is a strong acrylic formulation. Acrylic adhesives are pressure-sensitive and bond well to the range of cable jacket materials used in practice, including PVC, LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen), and polyurethane. Unlike rubber-based adhesives, acrylic adhesives maintain their bond across a wide temperature range and do not yellow or become brittle over time.

One of the common concerns about laser-printed cable labels is whether they will hold up in environments that go beyond the office. The Multicomp Pro® wrap-around range addresses this directly: the labels are subjected to a structured programme of environmental testing before being approved for use.

The test programme covers the conditions that cable labels are most commonly exposed to during their service life: low and elevated temperatures, corrosive gas atmospheres, ultraviolet exposure, and salt mist. Testing is carried out against recognised military and international standards, giving engineers a defensible basis for specifying these labels on projects where performance claims need to be substantiated.

The elevated temperature programme is worth noting specifically. Rather than a single fixed-temperature test, samples were subjected to 500 hours at 70°C, followed by 500 hours at 85°C, and a final 1,000 hours at 100°C. This stepped approach reflects the real-world behaviour of installed cables, where temperatures are not static and can increase progressively over the lifetime of an installation. Labels that pass this programme have demonstrated resistance to conditions well beyond ambient room temperature.

The sour gas test is similarly relevant for industrial and oil and gas applications, where hydrogen sulphide can be present in the atmosphere. Labels used in these environments need to resist both the chemical attack of the gas and any resulting adhesion degradation.

The Multicomp Pro® wrap-around range covers cable outer diameters from 5 mm up to 13 mm across eight standard sizes. Selecting the correct size is important: a label sized for a smaller cable will not wrap fully on a larger diameter, while one sized for a larger cable will have excess tail that does not lie flat. Both reduce legibility and adhesion performance.

The table below maps each label size to its corresponding cable diameter range. Where a cable falls between sizes, use the larger option - this gives more laminate coverage over the printed area, which improves protection.

Larger cable diameters up to 36 mm OD can also be accommodated - contact [email protected] for details on extended-range options.

If you are working from a cable schedule, the Wire Diameter Calculator on the Silver Fox® website can help confirm outer diameters from conductor size and insulation specifications, reducing the risk of selecting the wrong label size for mixed cable populations on a project.

Self-laminating wrap-around labels follow a straightforward application process, but getting each step right makes a difference to the finished result - particularly on projects where labels will face environmental exposure.

Before you print

Select the correct label size for your cable OD and load the appropriate sheet into your laser printer. Check the printer orientation settings in the Multicomp Pro® software for the label type you are using - the software will present the correct layout template automatically when you select from the supported label range.

After printing

Allow the sheet to cool for a minute after printing before peeling labels, as the laser fusing process heats the sheet. Remove each label cleanly from the carrier to avoid tearing the pre-cut edges, which can reduce the amount of laminate tail available to wrap over the printed area.

Applying to the cable

Position the adhesive section of the label onto the cable, aligning it so the printed text is centred and readable from the intended viewing angle. Apply firm pressure along the adhesive section to ensure full contact with the cable jacket. Then wrap the clear laminate tail around the cable and over the top of the printed area, smoothing it flat as you go. The tail should overlap the print fully for maximum protection.

For best adhesion, ensure the cable surface is clean and dry before application. Cables with residual cable pulling lubricant, dust, or moisture on the jacket surface will show reduced adhesion performance over time.

Multicomp Pro® wrap-around cable labels are designed to be used with the Multicomp Pro® cable labelling software, which is available as a free Lite download or as a paid Advanced or Professional licence. The software handles all label layout, sizing, and print formatting automatically - there is no need to set up custom page sizes or margins in a general-purpose application.

At the Lite level, you can paste cable IDs directly from a spreadsheet, apply sequential numbering, and print using the automatic Size to Fit font function, which scales text to fill the available printable area cleanly. This covers the majority of straightforward labelling tasks without any additional cost.

For larger projects, the Advanced level adds CSV import from cable schedules and multi-column label options, while the Professional level supports native .xls and .xlsx import, barcode and QR code generation, and variable quantity printing - so cables that need labels at both ends can be handled in a single print job without duplicating entries in the schedule.

A colour laser printer will also allow you to produce labels in different colours and fonts using the same Multicomp Pro® wrap-around sheets, which can be useful for colour-coding cable types or phases without maintaining a separate inventory of pre-printed coloured labels.

Can I use these labels with any laser printer?

Yes. The labels are designed to print on any standard office laser printer. No proprietary printer driver or hardware configuration is required. The Multicomp Pro® software handles the label layout, so all you need to do in the printer settings is confirm the correct paper size (A4) and paper type (labels or plain paper, depending on your printer model).

Can I use a colour laser printer with these labels?

Yes. Used with a colour laser printer, you can print coloured text and backgrounds on the Multicomp Pro® wrap-around labels. This allows colour-coding of cable groups, phases, or service types from a single label stock, rather than maintaining separate inventories of pre-coloured labels.

How do the Multicomp Pro® wrap-around labels compare to thermal transfer labels?

Thermal transfer cable labels - printed by a dedicated thermal transfer printer using a specialised ribbon - typically offer a wider material range, including LSZH and specialist substrates for very high temperature or chemical environments. Multicomp Pro® wrap-around labels use polyester on a laser printer and are suited to projects where a dedicated thermal printer is not available or where procurement through Farnell, Newark, or element14 is the preferred route. Both approaches produce professional, durable labels; the right choice depends on your printing infrastructure and the material requirements of the installation environment.

What cable diameter range is covered?

The standard range covers cable outer diameters from 5 mm to 13 mm across eight label sizes. If you need to label cables with an OD larger than 13 mm and up to 36 mm, extended-range options are available - contact [email protected] for details.

Are the labels RoHS compliant?

Yes. All Multicomp Pro® wrap-around cable labels are RoHS compliant. Full product compliance documentation, including the RoHS compliance certificate, is available from the Farnell product page.

Where are Multicomp Pro® wrap-around labels manufactured?

The labels are manufactured in Great Britain by Silver Fox®, who have been developing own-brand labelling solutions for Farnell, Newark, and element14 for over ten years. Silver Fox® is a UK-based manufacturer established in 1979 and certified to ISO 9001 by NQA (UKAS accredited, certificate number 91517).