Flexographic Printing - Narrow Web

Necessity is the mother of invention.” Plato gets credit for coining this phrase. While this is unquestionably true, it’s the forces of “necessity” that are relative. For example, necessity reared its head somewhat earlier in the offset world than in the world of flexographic package printing, where the migration from analog (film-based) to digital platemaking still lags the adoption of computer-to-plate (CTP) in other segments of the industry. There are signs that this is poised to change. As consumer product companies and big box retailers look to drive sales through innovative, high-quality packaging—delivered faster and at lower cost than ever before—their printing providers

The pressure-sensitive label market continues to stretch itself in pursuit of increased market opportunities. Could it do more to extend its reach? On top of the lingering challenges of overcapacity and maturity in the narrow-web industry, the pressure-sensitive label market is having to weather a persistent price squeeze and steady inroads by alternative label and package structures. How are pressure-sensitive converters and suppliers staying strong in the face of these market forces? Statistics have long favored this label segment, and for good reason. "Pressure-sensitive has the widest application base of any label decorating method," says Jennifer Dochstader, managing director at Label and Packaging Communications