UVitec Printing Ink

Adhesives have a thankless job. Unlike specialty inks or innovative packaging, adhesives tend to go unnoticed by consumers. But, they discreetly carry an enormous amount of responsibility to reliably bond a wide range of substrates. Because adhesives have to work with such a diverse spectrum of materials, many times they are tailored to specific applications. For instance, adhesive trends have been influenced by the use of package decoration materials that originate from sustainable resources, says Philip Emery, director, applied surface technologies, FLEXcon. “PLA film, which is created from corn rather than petrochemicals, as a packaging-grade plastic, is a notable example,” he says. “Adhesives are

Specialty inks are the cherry on top. Just like cherries add a little something extra to a gooey hot fudge sundae, specialty inks give consumers a special treat that enhances an already attention-grabbing package. “Packaging converters in today’s marketplace are routinely looking for innovative ways to attract consumers to the shelves,” says Joe Schlinkert, technical director, Color Resolutions International. “Increasingly the converters are asking their ink suppliers to develop inks that truly stand out and grab the consumer’s attention.” He explains that some approaches being used include phosphorescent inks that glow in the dark, high luster metallic inks, pearlescent inks that change color based

Coatings are somewhat unsung heroes in the package-printing world. They provide many important functions, yet most people don’t even know they’re there. These people don’t care either—except that if the coatings weren’t there, they might not like the label or package as much, might even complain about it, or worse yet, might not buy the product. Whoa, Nellie! “Houston, We’ve got a problem.” “Iceberg dead ahead!” Now, we’ve got somebody’s heart pumpin’. Coatings to the rescue No, coatings can’t help much when it comes to world calamities, but if the heart that’s “pumpin’” happens to be a product manager, now we’re playing in

Package printing is not for the faint of heart. One needs to look no further than packaging ink systems to get an understanding of the complex nature of printed products for the packaging market. Inks can be water-based, solvent-based, or radiation-cured systems; they can be developed for specific processes such as offset, flexo, gravure, or screen; and can be compatible (or not compatible) with different coating, lamination, or adhesive systems. Some are designed for use with specific substrates, while others are applicable for a wide range of substrates. These are just the basic, top-level considerations. Beyond these, there are a multitude of functional,

UV inks are commonly used in package-printing applications. So much so that Don Duncan, director of R&D, Wikoff Color Corp., thinks it’s about time to rephrase how we reference ink categories. In referring to water-based and solvent-based inks, he says, “I use the phrase ‘so-called conventional’ because UV inks are now so common that they are no longer ‘unconventional.’ We need a new word for the mixture of oil-based, water-based, or solvent-based inks that UV is replacing. How about ‘old-technology.’” The term “old technology” might not fly (Duncan admits that it’s “a little over-the-top”), but the point is well made. UV inks are firmly

With the use of shrink-sleeve labeling for product decoration growing at a double-digit rate, suppliers of shrink film inks are developing a steady stream of products to carve out a piece of the action. But in addition to the normal adhesion issues that are common with non-porous film applications, shrink inks have several other factors to contend with that make their development more challenging. Some of these issues include distortion (cracking, delamination, etc.), blocking, coefficient of friction (COF), and in food and beverage applications, low odor. Demanding applications Shrink labeling is growing in popularity because it offers brand managers at least two advantages. It

As a unanimous vote among packagePRINTING’s 2006 Excellence Award judges, Hayward, Calif.-based Rotocolor’s “Marilyn Merlot” wine label is this year’s Best of Show honoree for its superior flexographic printing. “It really shows where flexo can go,” said Roy Webb, national sales manager, Mark Andy. “It has fantastic quality and could sit side-by-side with the lithographic print.” “The piece is exceptional and shows how far along flexo has come,” said Bob Waddington, general manager, UVitec Printing Ink. “The skin tones are amazing.” And the skin tones are important on this piece, because this is a wine label which garners a famous photo of Marilyn

Download the 2007 packagePRINTING Excellence Awards nomination form. As a unanimous vote among packagePRINTING’s 2006 Excellence Awards judges, Hayward, Calif.-based Rotocolor’s “Marilyn Merlot” wine label is this year’s Best of Show honoree for its superior flexographic printing. “It really shows where flexo can go,” said Roy Webb, national sales manager, Mark Andy. “It has fantastic quality and could sit side-by-side with the lithographic print.” This entry was also a first place winner in the Wine Labels - Flexo (Process) category. “The piece is exceptional and shows how far along flexo has come,” said Bob Waddington, general manager, UVitec Printing Ink. “The skin tones are

Adhesives are by no means a component of packaging selected on a whim. The sticky substances are an integral element in packaging projects, and differ depending on a variety of factors that are important to the structural integrity of the packaging and, ultimately, to a consumer’s experience with a product. Even still, adhesives aren’t exactly big headline newsmakers and they beg the question, “What’s new?” According suppliers of adhesive materials, that’s a question with good answers. The last five years have seen innovations in the raw material components that constitute adhesives. The result of these advancements has been the development of adhesives with refined

Coating technologies sometimes seem like they can do it all, from the mundane to the smart technology applications that are opening up creative opportunities for package printers and consumer products companies alike. Whether it’s water-based, solvent-based, or UV/EB curing, coatings are helping companies save money and sell product—in anyone’s book, a pretty good combination of benefits. Each of the coating technologies has an important role to play in package printing. INX International manufactures all three primary types—water, solvent, and energy cured—but Davant Davis, INX national accounts manager, aqueous solutions, throws his hat in the ring for water-based systems offering the best growth potential. His