The invention relates to a method for applying a label to an article travelling along an article path, the label being received on a movable surface at an input location to be retained against the surface whilst being glued and advanced, through motion of the surface, to an output location, at which the label is transferred to the article; the article being rotated with a tangential speed about an axis whilst travelling at a speed along the path; the method comprising: - providing at least three portions of surface with independent and controllable vacuum means for retaining the label; - retaining, accordingly, a leading edge of the label at a first one of the three portions and a trailing edge of the label at a second one of the portions, at least whilst the label is advanced at a label process speed between input location and output location; a mid-section of the label facing a third one of the portions; - transferring the label onto the article; characterized in that transferring the label onto article comprises : - curtailing the application of vacuum means at the first portion of the surface upon the first portion reaching the output location; and - interrupting the application of vacuum means at the third portion of the surface; the trailing edge of the label being retained at the second portion of the surface; the process speed being greater than the speed resulting from the combination of the tangential speed and of the travelling speed.