The Armadillo of Package Printing

While carrying the title "durable like film, printable like paper," synthetic materials with these two base resins have varying characteristics. Brian Verkuilen, sales representative, Contract Converting LLC (Greenville, Wis.), said, "The basic differences of [PEs] and [PPs] are in the melt index, tensile strength, and cold temperature performance." Verkuilen explained that PE will begin melting at 210°F, has low tensile but high tear-resistance, and maintains its cold strength down to -65°F. PP has a melt index of 230°F, has high tensile but low tear-resistance, and becomes brittle in freezing temperatures. Depending on the end-use application requirements, both PP and PE are good choices for converters and end users.