Paper Rests its Case
Suppliers report on the most sought-after paper materials, and the high-profile, high-demand label jobs they're landing.
By Jessica Millward, Associate Editor
Though it is the big daddy of label production substrates, paper's capacity for surprises is sometimes overlooked. Films and foils may generate more headlines, but, as the development of smart labels alone illustrates (see below), paper materials certainly have a few tricks up the sleeve.
Case #1: Disappearing act
Avery Dennison, through its Fasson Roll North America division, set out to construct a label specifically meant not to last. Business Manager, Specialty Division John Mehrige says the company recognized the virtue in combining its dissolvable paper with the Fasson-brand dissolvable adhesive, S2600, to form a fully dissolvable label.
The new construction is primarily used for food rotational labeling. Fresh food is prepared and put in a container. The dissolvable paper label, with an expiration date or other variable information, is then applied to the containers. When the containers are put through dish washing machines, or under a faucet, the label dissolves and disperses within 30 seconds or less. An additional benefit is the label's ability to dissolve in water of any temperature.
Mehrige reports converters have found no difficulties in promoting the dissolvable labels to customers. "Because the product dissolves, there is no build-up of sticky adhesive and label residue. This reduces the chances of capturing bacteria, and shortens clean-up time."
Case #2: OTC-optimum
Addressing the specific application and printing concerns of pharmaceutical products, FLEXcon designed its PHARMcal® paper to meet requirements of ethical and over-the-counter (OTC) labels.
As Scott Dalton, marketing communications manager, points out, one of the biggest advantages of a PHARMcal label comes with the liner. "The polyester release liner allows operators to convert, print, and dispense the labels at high speeds," he affirms. This speed capacity occurs, in part, because the durable polyester liner reduces the possibility of web breaks, especially when compared to paper liners. When backed with a permanent, solvent-based acrylic adhesive, Dalton maintains PHARMcal paper efficiently bonds to low-energy and textured surfaces, such as the plastic medication bottles favored by the OTC market.
The high smoothness of the paper also enables clear printing of the extremely fine text that accompanies medications, vitamins, etc. Dalton notes, "This has proven to be a critical consideration for medical applications, which require a high degree of readability."
Case #3: Laser-friendly
When a health insurance company found itself unable to provide durable, paper-based insurance cards to its customers, it began to experiment with BOPP, vinyl, and numerous other synthetic substrates. Unfortunately, these materials did not master the requisite laser-print quality, or provide adequate tear resistance.
Dunsirn Industries soon stepped in with its Dura-laz® specialty paper material, which is outdoor-resistant, desktop laser-printable, and tear resistant. The insurance company's former cards were produced with a laser-printable index card material, resulting in multiple repeat cards being produced because originals were so easily damaged through physical handling. "With the Dura-laz material, the insurance company will only have to print new cards for existing clients once every three years," states Pat Bowser, marketing communications manager.
Dunsirn worked with a local flexo printer, along with the insurance company, to custom-print fixed copy and diecut sheets for the roll-to-sheet process application. The Dura-laz cards are then printed with variable member information by the insurance company's in-house print shop's laser printer, and turned around to members within 48 hours.
Case #4: Weight gains
To meet the demands of printers with multi-product configurations, Russell-Field Paper Co. offers its C1S Eclipse label stock through the RF XPress Roll program. Marketing Manager Maryellen O'Keefe remarks the paper's exceptional finish and lay-flat properties permit printers to give their customers an affordable, multi-purpose stock. She says additional benefits of C1S Eclipse are its reverse-side printing ease, and its lay-flat treatment, ensuring the label's integrity through high-speed label applications. It is available in 60#, 70#, and 80# varieties.
O'Keefe has witnessed the paper being used for a variety of purposes: "[Printers] tend to use the different weights to meet the needs of a particular application. For instance, the lightest weight may be used in a multi-fold application, or in combination with an adhesive or laminate."
Case #5: Seaworthy
Polyart®, a clay-coated, synthetic paper from Arjobex constructed of both paper and plastic, has consistently demonstrated its durability in the face of weather, chemicals, grease, and water. Additionally, because of its high UV-resistance and weathering characteristics, Polyart will not shrink or become brittle. David Hoag, converting sales manager, asserts the Polyart propensity for outdoor work led it to be considered for one very high-demand application.
Working with MACtac, a Polyart industrial drum label was created to adhere to the United Kingdom's marine labeling standard, BS 5609:1986 (part 2). The standard establishes the level of durability of print and adhesive strength for hazardous substances. Under it, labels must be able to withstand a minimum of three months continuous immersion in salt water. With a precise configuration of substrate, liner, and adhesive, the Polyart/MACtac labels are now BS-certified to set sail.
Packaging IQ bolstered with smart labels
Product and image-secure packaging has been loading up on the "brain food" recently. So-called smart labels, which employ a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mechanism to carry product and purchase information, seem poised for a not-so-subtle attack on traditional bar code territory.
While RFID technology itself is nothing new, the economics of today's smart label systems are constantly evolving. Like traditional information carriers, Motorola's BiStatix system contains a silicon chip with an antenna guiding the reader energy to the chip. For a dramatic price redux, however, BiStatix forgoes the usual copper cable or etched metal antenna and instead employs a conductive-ink surface to absorb reader energy. Motorola's design thereby allows silicon memory chips to be affixed to virtually any non-conductive paper-based carrier imaginable.
With such potential mobility, the benefits of the smart label keep adding up. Unlike bar codes, the smart label can be read without clear line of sight, and are not rendered unreadable by the effects of moisture, dirt, dust, or paint. In addition, while bar codes are currently "read-only," RFID is both read- and write-capable, meaning the data it stores can be updated or locked. It's no surprise that label printers and converters are eager to jump on the smart label bandwagon. DAI Nippon Printing Co. inked a deal to jointly develop and market the BiStatix smart label early last year; CCL Label entered into a similar partnership with Motorola in September 2000.
Rafsec, a division of UPM Raflatac based in Tampere, Finland, currently specializes in the entire production process of the smart label. The company now produces tens of thousands of smart labels per month, and though the majority of them are at a very narrow web width, Rafsec has begun manufacturing labels on webs up to 19˝ wide.
