NAStar

What NAStar does

NAStar Inc. is a privately held, US-based specialty pressure-sensitive products manufacturer founded in 1988 and headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. The company designs and produces adhesive-coated papers, films, and multi-ply constructions — including its patented TwoFer® dual-faced linerless labeling systems, T1055 temporary/repositionable dispersion adhesives, T2 microsphere adhesives, DOT pattern-coated adhesives, Print'N Stick linerless thermal receipt media, and MailNotes® USPS-approved repositionable notes — using 7 distinct coating processes and exclusively water-based emulsion adhesive chemistries. Underlying technology is protected by three US patents (8,163,365 B2; 9,613,547 B2; 10,217,385 B2) and three registered trademarks (TwoFer®, MailNotes®, Temporary Adhesive™).

NAStar serves B2B customers across five primary verticals: e-commerce and package delivery, direct mail and advertising, retail and consumer products, food service and food safety, and label converters/printers. Revenue is generated by manufacturing and selling pressure-sensitive materials to label converters and end-users, priced via quote-based direct sales (phone and email), with some products available in small minimum quantities (as low as 500 msi). The company operates a sales-led GTM motion through an in-house sales department and regional representatives, supplemented by trade-show presence at Labelexpo and a modest digital footprint on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Operationally, NAStar runs a single domestic manufacturing facility at 2348 Pinehurst Drive in Middleton, Wisconsin, employs 11-50 people, and is led by President Gary Weiner with Vice Presidents John Short and Deb Carpenter (the latter promoted to a newly created VP-Internal Operations role in March 2023). The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or international operations, and no AI/ML capabilities are part of its stated technology profile.

Name

NAStar

Legal name

NAStar Inc.

Website

https://nastar-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAStar Inc. is a privately held Middleton, Wisconsin manufacturer founded in 1988 that designs specialty pressure-sensitive papers, films, and patented linerless and dual-faced label constructions (TwoFer®, T1055, T2, MailNotes®), selling directly to US label converters, e-commerce shippers, direct-mail advertisers, retailers, and food-service operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Materials

NAICS

Adhesive Manufacturing (32552)

SIC

Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Labels & Pressure-Sensitive Materials (labelstock, PSA labels, liners) (IMAMAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pressure-Sensitive Labels (PSL) (IMALAKAA), Tapes, Labels & Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives (IMAEAGAJ), Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply) (IMALAKAL), Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ), Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA)

Keywords

• Pressure sensitive labels
• Adhesive materials manufacturing
• Linerless label solutions
• Temporary adhesive products
• Direct mail adhesives

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pressure Sensitive Materials Manufacturing: Manufacturing and selling pressure sensitive adhesive materials including papers, films, and specialty constructions. Products sold to label converters and end-users in various industries including retail, e-commerce, food service, and direct mail.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NAStar manufactures and sells specialty pressure sensitive adhesive materials including laser and inkjet printable papers and films, linerless and multi-ply constructions (TwoFer, PiggyBack, PiggyFace, PiggyLiner), T1055 and T2 microsphere temporary adhesives, and MailNotes repositionable notes. Products are sold to label converters, printers, and end-user companies in e-commerce, food service, direct mail, retail, and packaging industries, with available quantities as low as 500 msi.

Product overview

NAStar Inc. is a manufacturer of specialty pressure sensitive products since 1988, headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of pressure sensitive materials organized into core product lines: Laser Products (paper, film, and inkjet materials), Temporary Adhesive (T1055 Dispersion and T2 Microsphere technologies), Linerless Selfwound products, Multi-Ply Constructions (PiggyBack, PiggyFace, PiggyLiner), TwoFer® dual-faced labeling systems, MailNotes® repositionable notes, and Custom Engineered Products. NAStar operates with 7 different coating processes and uses only environmentally friendly water-based emulsion adhesives ranging from super-aggressive to ultra-removable. The company serves the label conversion, thermal printing, and packaging industries with products compatible with various printing technologies including laser, inkjet, flexo, UV Inkjet, and HP Indigo systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TwoFer®: Dual-faced labeling system with two face sheets and no liner, patented under US 9,613,547 B2 and US 10,217,385 B2. Provides labels on both sides of one structure with pattern adhesive and release areas.
• MailNotes®
• Print'N Stick
• T1055 Temporary Adhesive™
• T2 Microsphere

Products and services

• Laser Products Pressure sensitive laser-printable materials available in paper and film substrates including vinyl, polyester, tags, blockout materials, and piggybacks, offered in 9" x 5,000' stocked RediRoll inventory for label converters and printers.
• Temporary Adhesive Family Proprietary T1055 Dispersion and T2 Microsphere adhesive technologies that function as permanent, removable, or repositionable adhesives, repulpable and environmentally friendly for industrial label and direct mail applications.
• Linerless Selfwound Products
• Multi-Ply Constructions
• TwoFer Dual-Faced Labeling Products
• MailNotes Repositionable Notes
• Custom Engineered Products
• Print'N Stick Linerless Direct Thermal Receipts
• Inkjet Products
• TwoFer Ecommerce Labels Home package delivery solution with shipping and return label on same sheet that eliminates silicone release liner while providing labels on both sides for e-commerce and package delivery companies.
• TwoFer Charity Labels High-impact graphics and labels on both sides using half the materials, providing a novel approach for fund solicitation market enabling same number of labels per sheet in smaller format.
• TwoFer Shelf Tags
• TwoFer Twin Signage and Graphics
• HotSafe Direct Thermal Film Heat, chemical, and UV resistant ribbonless film safe up to 266°F without imaging, used with T1055 adhesive for food contact applications requiring high thermal tolerance.
• SynEster PET Synthetic Paper Eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to traditional polyester film that is thermal transfer printable, made from recycled PET resin and compatible with flexo, UV Inkjet, and HP Indigo systems.
• Hinge Labels Bonding Solution
• Floor Graphics, Mousepads & Pseudo Magnets Embossed Overlam
• Wall and Window Graphics

Quantifiable outcome

• Increases response rate by over 45% when using Repositionable notes (USPS survey)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UPM Raflatac: Major global pressure-sensitive label and packaging materials supplier with extensive linerless and sustainable product lines. Competes with NAStar's Linerless and TwoFer product families, especially in sustainable labelstock and e-commerce/parcel applications.
• Avery Dennison: Global leader in pressure-sensitive label materials and specialty adhesives across virtually every NAStar end market. Compares as a broad incumbent that competes with NAStar's labelstock/linerless offerings while operating at vastly greater scale across multiple product categories.
• CCL Industries: World's largest specialty label converter with rapidly expanding label materials and consumer products operations. Competes indirectly with NAStar through converter-owned material supply and is a frequent acquirer in the pressure-sensitive materials space.
• 3M (Industrial Adhesives & Tapes): Diversified industrial giant with a substantial Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSA) division covering tapes, labels, and specialty liners. Broad incumbent that overlaps with NAStar in adhesive chemistry and coated constructions, though not label-converter-channel focused.

Direct peers

• Lintec Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of adhesive papers and films including specialty labelstocks, window films, and removable adhesives. Comparable in specialty construction capability and serves overlapping end-uses with removable/temporary adhesive technology.
• Brady Corporation: Specialty label and identification products manufacturer serving industrial, electronics, and safety markets with proprietary print-and-apply label materials. Comparable in application-specific labelstock design and direct-to-customer technical sales motion.
• Scapa Group: Specialty manufacturer of pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes and films for industrial, healthcare, and consumer markets. Comparable in custom-engineered adhesive constructions and in development of water-based / removable adhesive systems.
• Mactac (Lintec Americas): Manufacturer of pressure-sensitive adhesive labelstocks including removable/repositionable and specialty constructions. Direct peer — overlapping product portfolio (laser-printable, removable adhesives, custom constructions) sold into the same label converter channel.
• Herma GmbH: German pressure-sensitive label specialist producing self-adhesive labels, removable adhesives, and multi-ply constructions for label converters and brand owners across food/retail/logistics. Closely comparable in product/market overlap and in custom-engineering emphasis.

Others

• Teslin (PPG Industries): Producer of Teslin synthetic printing substrate that NAStar combines with Inkjet-printable facestocks in its product line. Functions as a key enabling material supplier rather than a direct labelstock competitor, and an example of how substrate partners feed into specialty label constructions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubem.youtube.com/channel/UCI_j-GvMoZE6hmfjcPYKFKQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nastar-inc.

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NAStar