October 2007 Issue
A Familiar Hurdle
What can’t UV and EB (electron beam) inks do? They cure fast. They allow for high print quality. They’re nice to look at. And, they’re kind to Mother Nature. No wonder they are becoming common in the package-printing industry. According to Don Duncan, director of research, Wikoff Color Corporation, more than 90 percent of all EB inks and at least half of all UV inks are used in packaging. “As it relates to UV offset inks, the newer ink technologies have a wider operating window, which allows UV offset printers to print using very high screens without having issues relative to water-balance. New UV
Automating the Human Equation
The concept of workflow is probably easier to understand than it is to define. Workflow incorporates the many step-by-step decisions and deliverables that are required from the original concept stage through production—in the case of printing, the printed product. Workflow automation is somewhat easier to define. It incorporates a variety of tools—within each workflow segment—that are available to help users maximize efficiencies, drive down costs, and reduce the impact of human error, leading to faster time to market. Most commercial prepress workflows account for basic production steps that include trapping, screening, and imposition, along with color management, proofing, and platemaking. Packaging workflows differ from
Cal Poly supports the graphic arts, and industry leaders reciprocate
California Polytechnic (Cal Poly) State University’s Graphic Communication Department is no stranger to industry partnerships. The San Luis Obispo-based school has enjoyed equipment donations from Heidelberg and Kodak for decades. The department currently runs a four-color Speedmaster CD74 and uses two Kodak platesetters. And, Cal Poly does not take these donations and other forms of industry support lightly. Because of these types of partnerships, “[students] are immediately productive upon entering the industry and require less training than the average new person entering the industry,” said Harvey Levenson, department head of the Graphic Communication Department. “In fact we have encountered situations where our graduates enter
Class Act
Today’s leaders in the label industry are a diverse group. Some are entrepreneurs seeking opportunities in a dynamic, yet highly competitive market. Others are second-, third-, or even fourth-generation leaders of family-run businesses. Still others have worked their way up the ladder, having started with no preconceived notion that the tag-and-label industry was where they would make their marks. John Pedroli, president, North America for CCL Label, Inc., falls into the latter category. Although he didn’t start his career in the tag-and-label industry, today he manages the North American operations for CCL Label, a company John Hickey—TLMI chairman of the board and CEO/owner
More Than Just RFID
The RFID star isn’t shining quite as brightly as it was when Wal-Mart mandated that crates and pallets from its top 100 suppliers carry RFID tags. Once heralded as the next big thing in packaging, RFID usage still has not made it all the way down to the item level on a widespread basis. Still, it incorporates one of the first implementations of printed electronics and comes to mind for many when printed electronics is mentioned. However, printed electronics does not just mean RFID, and package printers may want to educate themselves now about it to become experts before their competition does. While the
Nani, It’s Hawaiian for Beautiful
The culmination of the Label Awards competition is one of the highlights of the TLMI Annual Meeting each year. And this year’s award winners will have the perfect backdrop, with the natural beauty of The Kohala Coast on The Big Island of Hawaii. The Label Awards competition capped off another successful year. A total of 50 companies (44 North American, six international) submitted 317 entries (260 North American, 57 international), up notably from 2006. A total of 81 awards was presented, including 56 first-place honors, along with Innovator and Best of Show awards. Steve Lee, vice president of RotoMetrics, again served as chair
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated
In today’s competitive marketplace, brand owners are looking for an edge—any edge that will catch a consumer’s eye or provide them with a certain tactile feel as a consumer selects a package from a shelf. Last month, packagePRINTING explored foil decorating as one effect brand owners employ to attract consumers. While a viable way to enhance the eye appeal of the package, there are other effects package printers can employ to ensure that once a customer’s eye is turned toward a product, he or she will hold on to the product once they select it from the shelf. Screen printing offers package printers an
On Stage — Tom Polischuk
The Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) has had the bright lights of the stage shining on it for these last two months. In September, the association held its 2007 Technical Conference. Following close behind (especially for the TLMI staff who perform yeomen’s work in pulling these events off), the Annual Meeting takes center stage on the beautiful Kohala Coast of Hawaii. TLMI’s Technical Conferences always provide a wealth of information on important topics impacting the industry. This year’s conference, co-chaired by Art Yerecic of Yerecic Label and Mike Buystedt of XSYS Print Solutions, again hit the mark. It included a variety of sessions
React and Adapt
What do you do when you have established tried-and-true converting methods and along comes a new innovation? You react and adapt. Some suppliers of folding and gluing equipment have already done so with their product offerings. In light of new European standards requiring Braille application on every pharmaceutical carton, companies like Bobst Group North America and American International Machinery (A.I.M.) have incorporated this technology in their product offerings. “A.I.M. is expecting this European trend to move here to the U.S. very soon, and has uncovered a low-cost, high-speed process that will apply Braille to the product as it is being produced on the folder-gluer,”
The Rise and Rise of Print Finishing
By Dr. Horst-Dieter Branser In the years since drupa 2004, demand for paper and finishing techniques has expanded worldwide, and nowhere more than in commercial and packaging printing. This expansion has gone hand-in-hand with mostly small run sizes and rising demand for increasingly diverse finishing work and combination solutions. Along with this, the trends towards greater use of color and a general demand for higher quality products have gained momentum. Equipment suppliers to the print and media industry are responding to these new demands by offering not just machines for multi-color production, but also the option of inline finishing with additional printing units. In
