February 2005 Issue
Choosing the Right Equipment
Focusing on your customers' application parameters—while keeping cost, safety, and simplicity in mind—are important factors in choosing the right slitter for the job. ACCORDING TO "Slitting Techniques, Choosing the Best Method," produced by Tidland Corporation, it may be safe to say there are not many manufacturing industries that handle such a wide array of processed materials as package printing. Most of these materials need to be slit—cleanly, easily, and safely—in most converters' operations. There are three main slitting methods in use and Tidland has come up with a formula to best match the correct slitting method to the application. Easy as 1, 2, 3
Flexo Plate Sleeves
The world of flexo plating moves from flat to round. THOUGH IT MIGHT be tough to remember, it was only a few years ago that computer-to-plate (CTP) for flexo was considered a speculative technology. Today, with many hundreds of digital flexo imaging machines installed around the world, it's fair to say that flexo CTP technology is here to stay. And, as is typical of our ever-changing industry, when one technology matures, another is bound to emerge. The new kid on the flexo platemaking block is in-the-round, or ITR imaging. ITR differs from standard digital flexo imaging in that the photopolymer plate material is actually
Keeping It in Line
A look at today's cost-cutting web-handling technologies. TODAY'S PRESS OPERATORS don't have to be the fiddling wizards of yesteryear's press rooms. As technology continues to improve, operators have less tinkering to do in order to keep the web in register and maintain the appropriate tension control than compared to even a few years ago. Automatically adjusting edge detectors and rolls designed to mitigate web-troubling deflection, to name just a couple, make an operator's job that much easier. But even with the most advanced technology available, do all printers and converters need top-of-the-line web handling equipment? "If you define top-of-the-line equipment as expensive or
Shrink Label Savvy
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
The Best Choice?
Are synthetic label materials really the best choice for converters to use for their products? Some manufacturers seem to think so. YOU CAN'T JUDGE a book by its cover, and in some instances that old adage is true. Consumers are bombarded with products on the grocery store shelves everyday and typically, they have to make up their minds within just a few seconds. So to get them to even look under the cover, the label has to convey the quality of the packaged product—and synthetic labels can do just that, if used properly. Key factors when choosing synthetic There are many pros and
Thinking Outside the Plain Jane Box
Arkay Packaging, over the past 80-plus years, has become known for quality and innovation with folding carton manufacturing. ARKAY PACKAGING IS a company on the cutting edge of the package printing industry. After 83 years of business, the folding carton printer continues to think outside the box, creating and producing unique packages for its customers. The company began as a printing and label printshop by a Russian immigrant, Max Kaneff, in downtown New York. It has grown into a third-generation, family-owed industry leader, serving some of the largest and most respected names in the cosmetic, and health and beauty aid markets. From structural design
