November 2003 Issue
A Vision for Managing and Moving Digital Assets
The story of Networked Graphic Production, an industry initiative to improve digital asset management and workflow. As this column has suggested numerous times in the past three years, the packaging industry often models the commercial printing industry in technology adoption—if not in development. We've been predictably just behind the commercial world at employing PostScript, CTP, color management, and PDF. If the trend follows, we could be glimpsing our own future again by looking at the work being done by the Networked Graphic Production™ Partners. This group, just 2 years old, is an industry trade initiative aggressively aimed at the adoption of the JDF file
Combination Rotary Screen Printing
Converters looking to differentiate their capabilities with exciting and innovative imagery are making combination rotary screen printing their top choice. Next time you're playing bartender, look behind (literally) the dashing graphics on that bottle of margarita mix. Chances are you'll see a brilliant white or colored background printed with rotary screen. From food and beverage to health and beauty, rotary screen is laying the foundation for some of today's most exciting and innovative imagery. Since the 1980s, when it was first commercialized, rotary screen technology has found increasing favor in the label and package printing world. The main feature of screen printing—its ability to
Lighting A Path
Clint Medlock continues to illuminate positive steps forward for the diecutting/diemaking industry, even amidst persistent economic challenges. CLINT MEDLOCK FIRST entered the diecutting/diemaking industry on the simple promise of stability—a steady job to go to each day. More than 25 years later, he is a seasoned shop owner and enthusiastic visionary whose selfless approach to leadership has inspired countless colleagues in the field and in the International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD). It is this flair for lifting up those around him for the betterment of the industry—particularly during the extreme economic challenges of the past two years--which has earned Clint Medlock the
Optimal Options
A wide array of quality unwinds, rewinds, and splicers provides converters with endless choices. HENRY FORD'S MODEL T made the automobile a permanent fixture in American society. It was mass produced and the working man could afford it. For all its virtues, however, the Model T had one downfall: there were no color options. "The customer can have any color he wants, so long as it's black," Ford said. Up until about two decades ago, converters dealt with a similar situation, though not as simple as color, when looking to invest in winding and splicing equipment. At the time, manufacturers mostly supplied shafted
Push-Pull Strategies
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
Revved Up to Retrofit
Narrow-web label converters looking to expand into flexible packaging may want to consider press retrofitting as a first step—but there are tradeoffs. Imagine this: your first car is a '92 Ford Mustang, two-door with an obnoxious red interior. While it met your initial driving needs, you are ready for something better—a little extra power, a CD player, and maybe a sun roof. While right now purchasing a new car would be a real stretch, you know you can get some, but not all, of what you want by upgrading what you have. Converters running narrow-web presses designed for pressure-sensitive labels are facing a similar
Shocking Fact of Life
Static control and web cleaning go hand-in-hand with safety, productivity, and quality in the package printing industry. STATIC ELECTRICITY IS a fact of life for most printers and converters. So are the productivity, quality, and safety issues that accompany static and its resultant web contamination. Static is a naturally occurring nuisance on many packaging substrates, building up as a result of the general processes of converting and printing, and aggravated by seasonal changes. The problem arises "once the material is out in the open, going from roller to roller, it becomes highly charged and pulls particles from the manufacturing environment to the film," explains
