January 2003 Issue
Airing Out the Options
There is a large selection of air-drying equipment available; which to choose depends greatly on the application. by Kate Tomlinson, Associate Editor NO MATTER WHAT you are printing, be it tags and labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons, or corrugated, a dry web is a basic essential. Drying technologies are plentiful, but choosing the right method for your application plays a crucial part in the end product’s success. Unfortunately, air-drying equipment comes with a bit of fine print. And as long as you can answer a couple quick questions (types of inks/coatings/adhesives and typical substrates), suppliers are more than willing to spell out the pros
Digital Photography Goes Mainstream
In just a few short years, the use of digital cameras has moved to the forefront in commercial and creative photography. by Terri McConnell, Prepress Editor OKAY, WHO DIDN'T get a digital camera for Christmas? In a report released last June, market analysts at Dataquest, Inc. stated that U.S. digital camera shipments were on track to reach 8.3 million units by the end of the holiday season, a 30 percent increase from 2001. By 2006, the company predicts that every other American family will be recording their future memories and marking their milestones with a digital camera. Datacomm Research Co., who also tracks, analyzes,
Hot Products 2004
WITH WINTER WEATHER firmly in place, warmth is something that is on everyone's mind. Here's something that is sure to add some heat to 2004. packagePrinting has put together a collection of the hot products of 2004. In categories including prepress, presses, press accessories, substrates, and inks/adhesives, converters can get a glimpse of the latest package-printing products. Prepress Creo Creo's HyperFlex™ screening is new technology aiding in the formation of smaller dots on a photopolymer flexo plate. It provides a thicker foundation of photopolymer material that allows a smaller minimum dot size to be formed and held throughout the print process. DuPont
The More Inks, the Merrier
Package printers are looking for as many different ink options as possible, according to this year's ink usage survey. by Sean Riley, Associate Editor If package printers decided one thing last year in terms of ink use, it is that there is no such thing as too many options. More so than in any other year, converters who responded to packagePrinting's annual ink usage survey are looking for more ink options and ink suppliers in an allout effort to create unique applications that jump out at consumers. Last year, 60 percent of respondents said they use a single supplier for all of
When There's No Cure
The ability to measure the UV energy output from your lamps can provide valuable information when dealing with curing problems. by Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief UV FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING is well established in the package printing industry and its impact has been significant. The use of UV inks is at the top of many lists when discussing the reasons for the significant quality improvements of flexo printing over the past several years. Many converters are multi-year veterans in the application of UV technologies, but many others have recently made the jump into this new technology arena. Routine processing problems come with the territory, but
