Business Management - Industry Trends

packagePRINTING went straight to its readers to explore trends in specialty, application-specific, and hybrid ink usage. by Kate Tomlinson, Assistant Editor THIS YEAR, packagePRINTING's annual ink survey spread its wings to cover more emerging usage trends. Among the findings: hybrid ink systems, while fairly new to the scene, are beginning to carve a niche for themselves. And, as printers expand their substrate capabilities, the use of application-specific inks is becoming commonplace. In addition, the tried-and-true specialty ink market continues to grow and release new products. Despite online purchasing's growth in many segments, the numbers show package printers are still fairly hesitant about this buying

packagePRINTING's annual ranking balances converters' conservative business outlook with clear evidence of growth. by Susan Friedman, Editor Here's the financial low-down: Of the nearly $12 billion in collective sales reported for 2000 by the flexible packaging converters listed below, 75 percent is concentrated in the top ten companies' revenues. Overall, 2000 profit margins for the segment averaged 7.75 percent, with a high of 20 percent and a low of zero percent reported. Annual growth rates for the past year averaged 12.5 percent. Though packagePRINTING's State of the Industry report (see pP March 2001) portrayed a heavily conservative flexible packaging business climate for 2001, at

Package printers still put metallic inks to work more often than other specialty formulations, but printing with custom-blended colors is even more commonplace. By Kate Tomlinson, Assistant Editor TWO YEARS AGO, packagePRINTING's annual ink usage survey asked tag and label, flexible packaging, and folding carton converters to identify their top specialty inks choices. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of metallic inks—83 percent of respondents had put metallics to work during 1998. pP's 2001 survey revisited this topic to find not much has changed. Due to some new options in specialty ink, usage percentages are spread over a wider spectrum, but metallics are still

Package printers share their picks and pans of specialty inks vital to on-the-shelf package differentiation. By Susan Friedman This time last year, packagePRINTING's ink survey revealed that more of its readers were using water-based inks than any other. At the same time, despite a slight usage decline, a solid number of converters planned to stay loyal to solvents. And excitement bubbled over UV quality and makeready benefits, particularly for narrow-web flexo. pP's 1999 ink survey deviates from the mainstream of solvent, water, UV and soy to take a closer look at the specifics of the specialty inks market: preferences, prices, press issues and more.

Black thermal transfer ribbon's popularity suggests a steady industrial applications stronghold, although the color spectrum is widening. by Susan Friedman With a bar code or other variable data as a calling card, thermal transfer printed packaging commonly carries identification, shipping or tracking information. Thermal transfer's sharp, crisp output has made it the on-demand printing method of choice for newer bar codes that can be read from a distance, and improved compliance labeling, states René Gallet, thermal products manager at Printronix, Irvine, CA. A similar following in higher-end package printing remains to be seen. Thermal transfer speeds of six to eight inches per minute remain