Where synthetic paper sits between paper and film, and the one-line differences between PP, PE and PET for labeling decisions.
Synthetic paper confuses people because it looks like paper and behaves like film. The clean way to think about the four faces is two axes: how paper-like the surface is, and how the plastic behind it behaves.A PP-based sheet with a paper-like, white, printable surface. It takes fine print and looks like coated paper, while surviving water, tearing and folding. Use it when the print look must stay paper-like but the environment cannot allow paper. Signal you chose right: a tear-resistant tag that still reads like a brochure.
Biaxially oriented PP is stiff, clear or white, dimensionally stable, and the volume face for bottles across beverage, detergent and cosmetics. It resists squeeze poorly on soft bottles — that is PE's job. Signal of a fit: rigid bottle, slightly curved, high print quality.
Soft, conformable, moves with the bottle. It is the face for squeezable tubes and soft containers, and for anything that must not crease. It is less stiff and prints well but not the sharpest. Signal of a fit: the container changes shape in your hand.
Dimensionally the most stable of the three films, tolerant of higher temperatures, the default for asset tags, electronics and anything that faces heat. Clear PET also underpins no-label-look liners. Signal of a fit: heat source nearby, or print that must stay registered for years.
The catalogue keeps these as separate classes so the trade-offs stay visible: synthetic paper, PP film, PE film and PET film.
No — it is plastic that prints like paper. It belongs with film streams, not paper streams. Treat recycling claims by material class, not by appearance.
PET, then BOPP, then PE. Stiffness helps small die-cuts stay flat but hurts conformability on curved bottles — the same trade as everywhere else.