Label imaging and cutting

A label printing and cutting apparatus suitable for use with a strip of label substrate, the strip of label substrate comprising a colour change layer in which a printed image may be formed, the label printing and cutting apparatus comprising:

• the strip of label substrate;
• an imaging area;
• and
• laser illumination means operable to selectively illuminate the strip of label substrate in the imaging area so as to induce colour change in the colour change layer thereby forming the printed image, the laser illumination means further operable to cut the label substrate and characterised in that the laser illumination means comprises laser spot size adjustment means operable to vary the spot size of the laser for imaging and for cutting, wherein the laser spot adjustment means comprises an image focusing means and at least one anamorphic lens, the at least anamorphic lens being placed between the image focusing means and the label substrate and the laser spot size adjustment means comprise a cutting beam deflector operable to deflect the beam from a scanning unit through a cut focussing means.