Labelling Blog

ComQi, the global leader in multichannel message management in the digital signage and out-of-home markets, announced today that they have won the AV Technology Award for the Best Digital Signage Product for their innovative ScreenGate™ IP Streaming solution . The AV Technology Awards allow end users to share their best practices by evaluating different products’ ease of use, reliability, overall network impact and ROI. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the AV industry.     Commenting on the award, the AVT judge stated: “The ScreenGate product family provides a complete line of well packaged, well-engineered, cost effective solutions to meet the needs of the digital signage market."   Ronni Guggenheim, President of ComQi, says: “We are honored to receive this award that underlines the fact that we are the market’s leading media distribution solution provider as part of an overall ecosystem. With a clear vision of where the media

Kodak is again sponsoring the annual Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) cover contest. Kodak’s sponsorship follows the success of the 2010 contest, which drew more entries than any previous GDUSA cover competition. This year, the contest rules have widened to include all KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions , from dimensional printing and gloss coating to red fluorescing and extended color gamut. The contest begins on June 13, entries are due by August 3, and the winning entry will be announced in the September issue of GDUSA with the winning image featured on the cover.     “Our readers are always looking for a competitive edge, and being able to do something really unique with digital print is a great opportunity to get noticed,” said Gordon Kaye, Publisher, GDUSA . “The fact that so many of our readers entered last year’s contest tells us that designing for digital is a hot-button issue. We’re excited to expand beyond dimensional printing this year and can’t wait to see

PRATI is to showcase a raft of its innovative finishing machines at the biennial trade show, Labelexpo 2011. Visitors to the company’s stand will discover the latest finishing technologies shaping the label market. Labelexpo is the world's largest event for the label, product decoration, web printing and converting industry. This year’s show takes place in Brussels between September 28 and October 1. PRATI can be found in Hall 5 at Stand C60 with the largest booth demonstrating finishing machines. Eight PRATI machines that have proved very popular and successful  in the pharmaceutical and booklet market will be on display at the event: four slitter rewinder inspection machines, two VEGAplus converting platforms, the Pharmacheck and the VEGAplus Booklet Maker. In addition, three other slitter rewinder machines (Type Saturn), equipped with digital inspection cameras, will be demonstrated at the booths of the camera manufacturers AVT, NIKKA and BST.  NIKKA and BST will

Consolidated Label, Inc., one of the leading pressure sensitive and flexible packaging manufacturers in the country, today announced the launch of Shrink Sleeve product packaging capabilities to its already vast array of core offerings.     The Company, known for providing affordable labeling solutions to small and large businesses, is now making it a top priority to deliver quality shrink sleeves to middle market customers as an alternative to labels alone. Unlike adhesive labels, shrink sleeves showcase the bottle or package with vibrant colors in 360 degrees with full graphic impact.     "While there's a great deal of challenges with the printing and production processes of shrink sleeves, we adopted it into our business because of the numerous benefits it had to our customers," said Joel Carmany, president of Consolidated Label, Inc. "In fact, one of the biggest benefits is the entire package and label can be recycled as no adhesives are used withi

SK 38/15 FB DS was successfully introduced to various markets Since its development the BERICAP closure SK 38/15 FB DS was successfully introduced to various markets such as natural juices, teas, etc.   Recently, together with SOLAN DE CABRAS - one of the most well known premium water brands in Spain -, BERICAP has successfully introduced the SK 38/15 FB DS into the still water market.       The Bericap 38mm closure is equipped with a slit and folded safety band (flexband) for efficient tamper evidence performance, providing good anti-counterfeiting feature at the same time, reliable and forgiving application also on high-speed lines. The sealing system has been designed for maximum tightness.     SOLAN DE CABRAS developed a new PET range of bottles (0,5l, 0,75l and 1,5l), with a 38mm neck finish, to honor the icon of the brand: the iconic 1l glass bottle previously inspired by the old Balnary (SPA) bottle, used more than 100 years ago by this company, that was e

Gallus is demonstrating its ongoing commitment to innovation with the world's first configurator for a label press. The configurator for the Gallus ECS 340 makes it quick and easy for potential and existing Gallus customers to get an idea of their future “dream label press”. Click this link to configure your very own Gallus ECS 340!     Harnessing innovation to meet growing quality demands and improve customer focus The configurator for the Gallus ECS 340 is a response to ever higher expectations with regard to both quality and customer focus. Gallus has developed this innovation specifically to meet these expectations. The configurator offers an insight into the modular world of the Gallus ECS 340 and gives users a realistic idea of the configuration options. This makes it extremely simple for potential and existing customers to create their dream Gallus label press and visualise the required final configuration.   A “dream label press” in three simple steps It i

FLEXcon, a leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive films, today announced the expansion of its DigiPRO topcoated HP Indigo compatible films, with the addition of 12 new products. With these new offerings, converters and print service providers will eliminate a step in the printing process and realize significant cost savings, by purchasing FLEXcon’s already topcoated products.   The 12 new HP Indigo printable products, which utilize FLEXcon’s DigiPRO topcoats, bring the total HP Indigo printable products offering to 42, to meet application requirements for primary labels, durable goods labeling, and graphics applications. The DigiPRO topcoats provide consistent printing and ensure excellent ink receptivity for sharp vibrant image quality. The DigiPRO topcoated products are competitively priced and are performance leaders based on high-quality printability and availability. This product line allows converters to offer additional capabilities to their clients, including promo

South Africa has a high-tech graphics industry capable of responding to the needs of both its export and its domestic markets.     The printing of food packaging is already facing the challenge of the new European regulations which require the use of “LOLM” (low odour, low migration) inks.   Lead by Stéphane Atoumo, International Development Director, a BRANCHER team spend 4 days working alongside Mike Lourens and Ian Trethowan of IMVUSA, the distributor of BRANCHER inks in the Eastern Cape province. Their shared goal was to present the new Photon LOLM range to the EH WALTON PACKAGING (Pty) Ltd. printing company, located in Port Elizabeth, with whom a three-way technical development partnership has been formed. EH WALTON’s ambition is to be the first in South Africa to develop expertise in printing food packaging in accordance with the new European regulations. Thierry Perrot, BRANCHER’s head of UV R&D, was present for industrial trials of the new Photon LOLM. After 48

Production data 2010 published today from the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) (1) show a general recovery from the drop of the previous year. In 2010, the industry produced 20.7 million tonnes of glass compared to 20.1 million tonnes in 2009 marking an increase of 3.5%.   The biggest increase in production was recorded in Turkey (27%) and United Kingdom (9.5%). In Italy (5.2%), Poland (5.7%) the increases were more important than in Portugal (1.9%), Spain (2.7%) and North  &  Central  countries  (1.7%).  In  Germany  the  situation  was  quite  stable  (0.2%)  as  well  as  in France where a slight decrease was recorded (‐0.1%). “The industry was able to react firmly to the impact of the previous year’s financial crisis – says FEVE President  Niall  Wall – and  to  maintain  its  place  as  a  key  player  in  the  packaging  market notwithstanding  the  harsh  competition (2).  This  is  important  if  we  are  to  offer  consumers  choice because  glass 

    OMET's technology is the benchmark for the label and converting market in Italy more and more.   Since the beginning of the year, OMET print lines sold on the Italian market have been 5: four among them are X-Flex 430, three of which have 10 colours and one 8 colours. The configurations are completed by units such as cold foil, delamination-relamination, back print, peel&seal, etc.   "It is a further proof of the reference position acquired by OMET on the Italian market, thanks to the flexographic and mixed-technology line - states Angelo Bartesaghi, OMET's president. The mission and the passion for research and innovation, which have always been featuring our company, marry with the attention to the customer and set-up of solutions in the forefront, able to fulfil specific needs. We thank all the customers who trust us, sure that their investments will be rewarded by the benefits they will obtain with groundbreaking machines. This is the demon

Based on a creative pitch SABMiller/Royal Grolsch has decided to select CARTILS as their design partner for both Grolsch International and Grolsch the Netherlands. The selection process included several other international design agencies. CARTILS was favored based on its capabilities of translating a brand strategy into a coherent design strategy and the resulting strong creative solutions for the iconic Grolsch brand. The new design concept will be implemented in all markets worldwide and will include new primary and secondary packaging as well as a visual identity which will form the fundament for the brand’s look and feel.     The brand design agency is honored to support Grolsch, a brand whose current iconic brand logo was developed by CARTILS more than a decade ago. SABMiller/Royal Grolsch and CARTILS are confident in reinforcing Grolsch as a true global brand.   Source:  www.cartils.com

AJS Labels are delighted to have won the much coveted Company of the Year at last week’s 2011 BPIF Excellence Awards.  The BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation) is one of the UK’s leading trade associations, supporting the print, printed packaging and graphic communication industry.         Directors Andrew & Jayne Scrimgeour received the trophy at a spectacular awards ceremony held in the stunning and exotic surroundings of London’s Café de Paris. The Awards were introduced by BPIF CEO Kathy Woodward, who described this year’s Finalists as “ the cream of the industry”. AJS Labels received the judges’ plaudits for their simple ‘back to basics approach’ to reconnect with customers and engage staff to deliver a service focussed on continual improvement.   “The BPIF Excellence Awards hold great esteem in the print industry and we are thrilled to have been recognised in this way” , said Managing Director Andrew. “ Our success is down to outstanding com

Once again Pago presented innovations and high lights of its product portfolio at Interpack 2011. As like others years Pago could note a great interest of numerous visitors. Many existing customers wanted to see the latest developments from Pago and talk about new customised projects. A lot of new interested visitors from all over the world came to convince themselves of the high performance and quality standard of Pago and to establish new projects with us. The applications included the areas Self-adhesive labels Pagomedia multipage labels Pago Sleeves Functional labels Labelling technology with new concepts for linear and rotary systems, Pagomat labellers, hardware and software solutions for labelling and identification Pago presented the following innovations at Interpack 2011: Printing department Effective label designs with holo-impressions and elements of rainbow design  Decorative shrink sleeves with haptic tactile finishing characteris

KBR Graphics Canada, a major supplier of printing equipment throughout Ontario and Quebec, has installed a new MGI Meteor DP60 Pro digital press at Flash Reproductions, an award-winning full-service print shop in Toronto. The new press, which was installed in June 2011, is the first-of-its-kind in the province of Ontario.     “It’s exciting to be the first in our area to have a new digital press that offers so much,” says Flash Reproductions President Rich Pauptit. “The Meteor DP60 Pro has a much better image quality than its competitors, is much more versatile with a larger sheet size, is much more favorable in its pricing than its competitors, and has no on-going click charges. It’s pretty rare when you can offer your customers a ‘cheaper, faster, better’ alternative but the Meteor DP60 Pro allows us to do just that.” The Meteor DP60 Pro, the most versatile digital press in the global graphics market, allows users to produce CMYK jobs at 2,400 dpi on the widest range of subst

AR Metallizing, producer of metallized paper for labels, packaging and specialty applications, is pleased to announce that they have received FSC certification for Forest Stewardship Council Chain-of-Custody.   Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC, is an independent, non-profit organization that has established a certification system to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. Chain of Custody certification provides the assurance that AR Metallizing is maintaining a control system that tracks the material it sources from the forest to the end consumer, through all stages of transportation, manufacturing, and final distribution.   The AR Metallizing application process consisted of audits, site tours and interviews at its Genk facility. FSC labelled products are available on request. The label certifies that the wood fiber used to make this paper comes from sustainable FSC-certified forests.   " AR Metallizing has always been extremely consc

AB Graphic International has announced the sale of an Omega Digicon Lite finishing line to The Label Makers, Bradford. The system will join a range of existing label converting and finishing lines supplied by AB Graphic International over recent years and will be used to take simple jobs from the company's recently installed, high performance, Omega Digicon Series 2 machine.   "The high specification Omega Digicon Series 2 is equipped with flat bed hot foiling, cold foiling, embossing, screen module and two UV flexo units. These enable the production of a wide range of decorative labels, but make basic jobs less practical. The Digcon Lite will be used to convert simple label jobs for food, food supplements, toiletries and drinks such as those used by micro breweries and free up the high specification model for more sophisticated work.     "The Omega Digicon Series II line is highly specified and this is fantastic for high embellishment drinks and cosmetics

Check out the amazing new look of Sunsweet's Premium Line of “good for you” plum and prune juices. This new family of “Easy-to-Pour” bottles was created exclusively for Sunsweet by Graham's award winning design and development teams. Sunsweet challenged Graham to design a new family of bottles that would strengthen the brand and make it easier for consumers to pour the product.     This was especially complex because Graham needed to create a shape that could accommodate a full shrink sleeve in a shape as large as 64 oz. A new patent pending structural design was developed to take on the challenge of this simple clean look for a new hot fill juice package that was easy to hold. Available in stores Summer 2011.   Source:  http://www.grahampackaging.com/

OEC Graphics, a leading flexographic prepress supplier to converters and consumer packaging companies, is diverting business from gravure and offset following the January 2010 installation of its EskoArtwork CDI Advance 1750 with EskoArtwork HD Flexo version 2.0 and inline UV capability     Nine months after the installation, OEC combined two revolutionary technologies: EskoArtwork HD Flexo paired with in-the-round (ITR) sleeve production for with high-definition flexo imaging and screening of sleeves.     The first solution of its kind in North America, the use of HD Flexo and ITR is the result of combing two leading edge technologies: EskoArtwork’s HD Flexo version 2.0 with Seamex®, OEC’s proprietary seamless photopolymer sleeve solution.     Being on the cutting-edge is nothing new for OEC, which has continually sought out innovative prepress solutions for its customers. Now closing in on 100 years of operation, OEC’s 220 employees provide digital platemaking, pre

Meech International will highlight its innovative solutions for web cleaning and static control on stand 6G120 at Labelexpo in Brussels (28th September — 1st October 2011).     Tornado Meech’s comprehensive web cleaning portfolio includes both contact and non-contact technologies. Labelexpo will see the debut of an enhanced version of Meech’s successful Tornado contact system. Aimed at label, digital and carton printers, the Tornado is available in two versions — the F4 and F5 — featuring compact extraction or vacuum fan extraction respectively. The F4 is capable of single-sided cleaning of webs up to 1,650 mm wide and double-sided cleaning of webs up to 750 mm wide. The F5 will clean single- and double-sided webs up to 3,900 mm. Both utilise highly-polished stainless steel faceplates, twin ionising bars to neutralise static on entry and exit, and brushes to aid break up of the boundary layer.   “We are delighted to have a new version of the Tornado on stand,” comments Adam

By purchasing a Gallus EM 260 press, Shanghai Railway Printing Co., Ltd. is expanding its market offering and thus creating additional business opportunities. Shanghai Railway Printing Co., Ltd., founded in 1938, intends to use the press, which is equipped with five flexographic printing units, for printing high-speed train tickets.   According to the company, it was first and foremost the label press's high quality and stability and the company's excellent previous experience with the Gallus Group that were the key factors in its decision to purchase the Gallus EM 260. Installation is planned for September this year. Shanghai Railway Printing Co., Ltd. has a workforce of over 200 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China.   Source: www.gallus-group.com/

FAST growing label printer Acorn Labels, whose turnover has recently rocketed to £4 million, has re-invested in equipment from long time supplier Daco Solutions with the purchase of a 300m/min (984 ft/min) DTR330 label rewinder.     The sale is a landmark achievement for Daco, being the two hundredth machine sold by the UK based, Yorkshire company, and coincides with the ambitious Acorn Labels’ purchase of a tape manufacturing operation. “We have now sold six machines to Acorn Labels,” says Daco sales director Mark Laurence,  “including three other DTR300′s, a 330mm wide Combi turret and a D250 rotary die cutter.”     The growth pattern of Daco Solutions is mirrored by many of its customers, including Acorn Labels, and its year-on-year machine sales pattern follows a similar path with a high percentage of sales made to repeat customers.     “When I joined founder David Beynon at Daco we agreed a simple philosophy in the face of extensive competition and a huge diver

Hammer Packaging, a high-quality, multi-color packaging printer, received a second place Web Offset Association (WOA) Print Award from Printing Industries of America. Hammer received the award in the Packaging/Specialty Products category for Coca-Cola’s Nestea Shrink Sleeve label.     The piece was printed on Hammer’s state-of-the-art Variable Sleeve Offset Printing (VSOP) presses. “We are honored to have received this recognition from the Web Offset Association which highlights Hammer’s expertise in this new, innovative technology. It is reassuring to see that our adoption of this technology has been validated by the market”, said James E. Hammer, President and CEO, Hammer Packaging.     This year marks the 27 th year of the Web Offset competition, known as the industry’s most prestigious awards programs, and honoring excellence in the web offset print arena. Of the more than 400 entries received, Hammer’s was chosen as exemplifying the highest standard in the web prin

AWA Conferences & Events is hosting its established annual industry conference addressing the dynamic South African market for packaging, labels and other product decoration in South Africa, 27-28 June 2011.     DecTec TM 2011 Africa this year takes place at a new location, Johannesburg, but continues the tradition of focussing on market developments, trends, and technology innovations.   DecTec Africa 2011 provides an opportunity for participants across the entire value chain to gain insights and updates on this fast-moving sector;  and a special feature of this year's program will be an evaluation of sustainable packaging and product decoration.   Confirmed speakers so far include Avery Dennison, Collotype Labels, Enviropack, Paragon Inks, and Spear, as well as market experts from AWA Alexander Watson Associates.   Complemented by a tabletop exhibition,  DecTec Africa 2011 represents a prime opportunity for networking during conference breaks and the cocktail

i1Display Pro: user-defined professional color control for power users ColorMunki Display: professional color accuracy made easy   X-Rite , Incorporated (NASDAQ: XRIT), the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies, today announces the immediate availability of i1Display Pro and ColorMunki Display, two all-new technologically advanced hardware and software solutions for color calibration and profiling of displays, laptops and projectors.   The i1Display Pro is the ultimate choice for discerning photographers, designers or any imaging professionals looking for the highest on screen color accuracy. i1Display Pro offers power users ‘Advanced’ user-defined settings and in-depth quality assurance tools for precise color control, as well as predefined ‘Basic’ settings to provide them with the perfect balance of speed and options to suit their individual workflow and changing needs. The ColorMunki Display is the id   eal color solution

Ferroprint is one of South Africa's top printing and converter of self-adhesive material in Southern Africa     ROTOCONTROL today announced the receipt of a purchase order from Ferroprint, one of South Africa's top printing and converter of self-adhesive material in Southern Africa. Ordered was a RSC Slitter/Rewinder finishing machine with 540mm web width. Consultation and continued support for the machine is led by Pascal Aengenvoort, Director from ROTOTEC, and the local Agent for ROTOCONTROL throughout South Africa.     Jeremy Ferrow, Ferroprint Managing Director, commented "Delivery of quality and commitment to service are key principles for Ferroprint. ROTOTEC has proven both as our supplier of Dies and I am certain the same quality and service will be delivered with the ROTOCONTROL RSC finishing machine. ROTOTEC is our official supplier for both Dies and ROTOCONTROL Finishing Machines."     Headquartered in Durban with offices across South Afric