Shields Up!

To coat or not to coat

There are differing opinions as to whether most package printers are bringing coating and laminating operations into their shops. “Outsourcing is becoming a thing of the past,” says Ruenzel. “One of the significant trends in flexible packaging is the integration of various processes (printing, lamination, converting, extrusion) under one roof.” This allows greater flexibility, faster turnaround, and more control over the process, he says. “I believe that there is now a level of expectation on the part of their customers for a printer/converter to offer the complete range of manufacturing processes,” he adds.