Win When it Counts

In the past, coatings were not noticeable to a consumer—they just added important durability to the packaging. They helped protect whatever was inside the packaging and sometimes added a nice gloss, but their primary job went undetected. That’s changing.

Bob Waddington, general manager, UVitec Printing Ink, has noticed that coatings which add a new feel to the packaging have become quite popular with his customers over the past few years. When special coatings, like dome coatings, cure up to a raised surface, many design possibilities open up, offering greater benefits to the printer and the packaging itself. “Some of our UV dome coatings are very resilient and can even be used for switch covers as they can withstand repeated cycles of movement,” he said. In the last year alone, UVitec introduced three different dome/Braille coatings, he added.