Chesnut Engineering

President Obama signed into law a $787 billion stimulus bill on Feb. 17, 2009. Formally called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), this bill has enough money to provide $2,570 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. (Do the math and you’ll find it’s based on a population of about 306 million.)

Shrink labeling is a dynamic product decoration segment that is drawing renewed interest from consumer products companies and therefore, from package printers. Shrink labeling draws the attention of consumers with its unique ability to provide 360° product decoration and encompass today’s ergonomically shaped products. Extraordinary looking packages are incorporating shrink labels for a wide range of sizes and novel configurations. Because of the shelf appeal this labeling method can provide, shrink labeling has begun to grab attention away from other, more traditional labeling technologies. While many printers are considering or attempting entry into the shrink label market, anyone looking to get into this end

Flexible packaging represents a dynamic market for growth. Substantial opportunities exist in many of its sub-categories, with pouches ranking right up there at the top of the mix. While many package printers are positioning themselves to get a piece of this action, there are any number of companies that are already well established in this arena. CLP, an Israel-based company that does business in 26 countries around the world, happens to be one of them. Rooted in plastic CLP was founded in 1971 in Kibbutz Negba, Israel in a regional effort to diversify the area’s economic base by getting into the plastics industry. The

Shrink sleeve label printing requires a lot of work, but the rewards can make it all worth while. SHRINK SLEEVE LABELING has taken aim at the product decoration market in a big way. It's not doing this with a single-shot sniper's rifle, either. It's blasting away at market opportunities and market share with both barrels. Shrink labels represent a high-growth segment in product decoration, and those package printers with the technical savvy to make it work are reaping the benefits of its market appeal. Technical savvy is the key, because a shrink label is a moving target—it starts out in one shape and

Divide and conquer may be the key to success in some endeavors, but for package printers, combining processes is a clearer way to winning. COMBINATION PRINTING MEANS different things to different people, but that's the nature of the beast. It includes different printing processes, along with various other processes, to accomplish one thing—add value to the printed product. That is the game—adding value to the product to meet customer needs. By combining a number of processes, printers can use the strengths of each particular process to provide the best possible look for a product. There are several requirements driving

The gravure industry spent years just watching flexo improve and promote itself as the printing process of choice. Now, gravure printers and suppliers are preparing to market their process back into the spotlight. GRAVURE'S GOT IT all: unsurpassed quality, affordability, and a committed and passionate industry. So, why is it such an unsung process? There are several theories, but flexo leads the list of culprits. For the past few decades, flexo has successfully worked to upgrade its quality and reliability, and the industry hasn't kept its advances secret. Flexo suppliers dominate the advertising in trade magazines, some of which focus solely on

Fiscal anxiety may lead converters to delay press investments and additions. See below for a guide to narrow-web press series and their respective levels of investment. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THE "WAIT AND SEE" mentality has descended upon the narrow-web print set and its purse strings. While press manufacturers continued to heighten the graphic sophistication level of narrow-web presses in 2001 with improved press models, many converters may not consider capitalizing on those technology gains until the economic picture comes into focus. Relatively, the narrow-web market is in a much better boat than many other printer segments. Printing Industries of America's (PIA)

Gravure industry insiders tackle key issues for optimum ink transfer and reveal equipment developments aiding the cause. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor Blade basics Though gravure printing's consistency and dependability as a printing process are well-publicized, press operators should keep a close eye on doctor blade configuration. Max Daetwyler Product Sales Manager Marty Cansler affirms, "What is often crucial for consistent print quality is the ability of the doctor blade to provide clean and even ink application during the entire print run." As he elaborates, maintaining the blade contact area is integral to controlling such print defects as hazing and color variation. Contact area

Developments in presses and ancillary equipment have made gravure's consistency and vibrancy viable for short runs. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor Call it the "me" generation of packaging. Individualized, shorter runs are on the it-list of customers across the gamut of package printing processes. Fifteen years ago, this wasn't particularly good news for gravure, the king of long-runs. The larger set-up costs and longer pre-production time involved in printing with cylinders rendered "short-run gravure" a near-oxymoron. The evolution of quicker-change presses and innovative ways of engraving, however, has introduced gravure into the shorter-run arena. And with set-up costs on a steady decline,

Narrow-web letterpress, screen, and gravure pressmakers and printers show off their specialties and gauge the competition. by Susan Friedman Letterpress: quality still rules Letterpress hasn't lost its high-end lustre, but its marketshare may be vulnerable to claims of improved quality at less cost by other processes—particularly flexo. "For years we've been rotary letterpress, and flexo has been 10 paces behind," says George Noah, V.P. at Lewis Label Products. "Now flexo is one pace behind, and nine out of 10 buyers can't tell the difference." Noah estimates Lewis Label now prints 50 percent of its work with rotary letterpress—a level that was formerly as high