Labelling Blog

Breit Technologies and Sterling Toggle/Foiltone have installed a table top Cast and Cure™ unit exclusively at the Inwork Inc. Innovation Center located in Garnerville, NY. This one-of-a-kind production system provides Inwork with the unique capability of creating one-off comprehensives or several hundred packaging samples that truly represent the production quality of Cast and Cure™ effects.     Cast and Cure™ is a decorative coating process that enhances the traditional varnishing process by “casting” a holographic image into the surface of the varnish. This micro embossing technique allows for the use of holographic images in packaging at a significantly reduced cost compared to traditional holographic materials. Cast and Cure™ is also a fully sustainable process providing designers a broad pallet of decorating options while maintaining the environmental consciousness needed in today’s world.     According to Tim Cain, President, Breit Technologies, “This allows desig

X-Rite color calibration technology selected as perfect match for Eizo ColorEdge(R) professional customers     X-Rite, Incorporated , the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies, announces today that Eizo Nanao Technologies Inc. (EIZO) offers ColorEdge calibration monitor support via its proprietary ColorNavigator software for X-Rite’s innovative i1Display Pro colorimeter product. Under a special license agreement, Eizo now offers unparalleled color measurement technology to a broad range of users including photography, pre-press, graphic design, post production, and broadcasting professionals. "Color accuracy is the foundation upon which all serious professionals rely,” said Tom Gadbois, Eizo Nanao’s Color Graphics Specialist. "To that end, Eizo is delighted to now provide access for our customers to X-Rite’s i1Display Pro color management technology in combination with our ColorNavigator software.”   "The i1Disp

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced that UK company The Printed Word has installed a Presstek 34DI digital offset press. Established more than 20 years ago, the Billingshurst company’s business model is gradually shifting from its litho roots to an all-digital operation. The ability of the Presstek 34DI to produce affordable high quality printing in short runs is the primary reason The Printed Word added the press to its production platform, explains David Pryer, who runs the firm with his brother Rob. “We were being hard hit by the shift to shorter runs, particularly with runs of 5,000 or less, and we needed to respond to that,” he says. The Printed Word replaced an A1 conventional sheetfed litho press with the 34DI. A B2 press handles the decreasing number of long runs, while a number of colour and black & white digital toner-based presses are used for ultra

Certwood Ltd, based in Luton, UK, and distributing technical plastic injection moulding solutions worldwide, has recently invested in two Meech to help provide quality moulded automotive parts to customers. These comprise a Meech 994 IML static generator and accompanying Hydra pinning head fitted to 6 axis robots. Specialising in the injection moulding of a range of automotive plastic components, the Meech systems will allow Certwood to accurately pin labels within these moulds replacing the hand applied adhesive labels previously used. In addition, Certwood moulds and assembles stadium seating for major events, as well as producing its own ‘Storsystem’ range which includes moulded trays and wooden or metal furniture foreducational, medical and industrial applications.   “This is the first time we have worked with Meech and the support provided so far has been excellent. Through the introduction of the Meech ‘In Mould’ labelling system, we can establish an automated meth

This year's Label Awards run by the North American industry association TLMI (Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute) once again confirmed that long-time Gallus customer ASL Print FX is among the “best of the best”. Each year, label printers from throughout the world come together to showcase some of the best printing and finishing techniques in the industry. A total of 78 awards were handed out this year. And ASL Print FX from Vaughan, Ontario, repeated last year's success to clinch the “Best of Show” award for the second year running thanks to its outstanding results. The exceptionally high-end “Red Tile Chardonnay” label was printed on a Gallus RCS using 11 stations and numerous printing processes including screen printing, hot foil embossing, UVC treatment and several coatings.     ASL Print FX won the “Best of Show” award at the TLMI Label Awards with its Red Tile Chardonnay label. Source: www.gallus-group.com

New 24 oz Hot Fill Container Replaces Glass and Delivers Unprecedented Consumer Benefits     Amcor Rigid Plastics, the world’s leading producer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging, is ready to unseat glass as the dominant material in 24 oz wide mouth food containers. The industry leader in hot fill technology sees major market opportunities for its newly introduced 24 oz round, wide mouth PET jar for the food industry. The stock hot fill container is a lightweight replacement for glass for pasta sauces, apple sauce, salsas, jams and jellies, and other food products filled at temperatures up to 205 F.   Conversion from glass to PET not only improves a brand owner’s environmental stance but its market position with consumers as well. Users, particularly families with children, will now be able to enjoy the consumer-friendly benefits of PET including lightweight, easy opening, and much improved product evacuation. Also high on the list of key features is the unbr

Rotoflex, a leader in rewind and finishing equipment, attracted buyers with its sophisticated Genesis advanced control and web handling system at Labelexpo Europe 2011.   This control system, available on every Rotoflex machine, offers a variety of features appealing to converters including 100% matrix and missing label detection (MMLD), optimized label counting and job recall functionality.  Labelexpo provided a platform to build and reinforce these latest advancements to the leading line of inspection rewinders.   Sales of Rotoflex models had already been strong since the launch of Genesis in 2010, but the numbers have nearly doubled since Labelexpo.  Several machines, comprised of VSI, VLI, DSI and DLI, have already been sold as a result of the show.  Some of these machines are being installed throughout Europe, including Wikingraf and KDS in Poland, Oktawest in Georgia, and SATO, a multinational business enterprise headquartered in Japan.   Visitors and machine buyers g

Flint Group is introducing their new UV offset ink called Lithokett™ in North America. This new generation UV offset system offers outstanding print and press performance and is suitable for most label substrates for narrow web applications.   Flint Group Europe and Asia recently introduced Lithocure Premium™, a printer friendly UV Offset ink for the narrow web market.  Now, to support the North American region, Flint Group introduces the Lithokett™ series of UV Offset inks. Jennifer Joyce, Global Product Director Narrow Web explains, “Our intent with both ink systems is to offer a next generation UV offset technology that is truly enhanced – providing narrow web offset printers with a wider operating window to increase uptime, while also considering regional specifications and requirements.”   Offset printing is a balance of several parameters – with Lithokett™, Flint Group has perfected the key parameters necessary in a successful UV Offset ink.  Using Lithokett™ will resul

EskoArtwork ( www.esko.com ) recently introduced ArtiosCAD Enterprise, a new release of the world’s most popular structural packaging design software, and customers are already reporting internal cost savings from using the product. With the new release carton converters set up their own private cloud to deploy a process-driven workflow, connecting all stakeholders in a project. All assets are centralized in a corporate private cloud, a secure web-accessible database enabling dynamic on-line collaboration between design groups, CAD and graphic designers, suppliers, brand owners and production. Easy to use on-line dashboards deliver users and management real-time feedback on project status, task lists and other parameters. Cloud Concepts The paperboard packaging industry, the majority of the ArtiosCAD installed base, has always followed their brand owner customers to provide packaging services at the location where the consumer product is manufactured. This has led to a landscap

Phoenix Publishing and Media Group (PPMG) has selected a KODAK PROSPER 1000 Press to help grow its short-run book printing operations. The PROSPER 1000 Press enables the company to better manage its book inventory and provide book titles as needed in a much more efficient operation. The China Daheng (Group) Co. Ltd., a long-time distributor of KODAK Products in China, consulted with PPMG and recommended the PROSPER 1000 Press for its quality, productivity, and low cost of ownership. Competitive solutions were considered, but the strength of Kodak’s technology and extensive product portfolio led PPMG to invest in the PROSPER 1000 Press . “Book publishing and consumer habits have changed dramatically during the past few years, so a new approach is needed,” said Xue Qiang, Vice President of China Daheng (Group). “The PROSPER 1000 Press gives us the ability to improve our supply chain and drive new business opportunities. High-quality, high-speed digital printing clearly is the fut

AWA Label Release Liner Industry Seminar identifies challenges and opportunities.   Sustainability, raw material costs, and the relative use of paper- and film-based liners were the topics which characterized the industry forum that is the annual AWA Label Release Liner Industry Seminar. Held alternately in Europe and USA prior to the Labelexpo exhibition, this year’s event took place in Brussels, and attracted over 80 participants from the full breadth of the label release liner supply chain – from end users and label converters to raw material suppliers, laminators, equipment manufacturers, and recyclers.     Opening the proceedings, Corey M Reardon, President and CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, reviewed the current market for release liner on pressure- sensitive labelstock – a market which, he said, continues to dominate global release liner demand, with a 51% share of total usage.       ‘Growth is slowing worldwide, however, to about 4%’, says Mr Rear

Wuhan JinGang, the largest commercial printing company in Hubei Province, China, recently installed a KODAK TRENDSETTER 800 Platesetter, marking a significant milestone for Kodak as it the company’s 15,000 th Thermal Computer-To-Plate (CTP) device installation to date.        Kodak was the first company to commercialize thermal CTP in 1995, and has since continued to develop new technologies that make these devices faster, more automated, and more sustainable. Thermal CTP devices enable printers to image press-ready thermal printing plates directly from computer files. Thermal imaging technology provides the stability printers need to produce high-quality printing. Wuhan JinGang installed the 34 plate-per-hour,V-speed KODAK TRENDSETTER 800 Platesetter with autoloader, which is a thermal 8-Page CTP device offering outstanding image quality, stability, and maximum efficiency with advanced automation. In addition, Wuhan JinGang is also contracted to purchase KODAK Thermal Plates

Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials announced today Fasson® Direct-Thermal 200HD label facestock with S490 adhesive has been approved by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) for the recycling of PET thermoform containers. The new protocol helps identify a pressure-sensitive laminate that satisfies both the need to adhere and to be removed prior to recycling, thereby allowing PET thermoformed packaging to be recycled in an efficient manner.   The Fasson Direct-Thermal 200HD label facestock is a smooth, white paper with a medium sensitivity thermal coating. A special coating provides protection for the thermal layer and maximizes life of the print head. This product is suitable in a wide variety of direct-thermal printers, especially those typically used in grocery weigh-scale applications. Fasson Direct-Thermal 200HD is resistant to blood, fats, oils, plasticizers found in PVC, alcohols, solvents and vinegar.   Fasson’s S490 proprietary adhesive is an

Pressure sensitive labels, highly transparent with ultimate premium effect supports brand development and attract consumers. Heineken, one of the first global beer brand has successfully introduced PS labels for one way and returnable glass-bottles developed and produced by CCL Label.     The brand with its visual appearance meanwhile succeeded to reach iconic status throughout the globe and ensures continuous growth thanks to identical labeling for one-way and returnable bottles. Impressive presented in the TV-Spot 'The Entrance'  Heineken triumphs at the Cannes Lions Festival of creativity with seven awards. The film’s hero demonstrates his legendary-ness by making the ultimate party entrance. ‘The Entrance’ sees the introduction of Heineken’s new universal tag line ‘Open Your World’, conveying the brand’s worldly, open-minded and confident personality. CCL Label is delivering the labels which are part of successful brand development.   Source: www.ccl

Carlsberg are ready to launch a beer with an international face. The Danes will be the first to taste Copen*Hagen, but the rest of the Carlsberg world will get its chance next year. Copen*Hagen is the name of Carlsberg’s new beer and the first innovative offering for the new generation of beer drinkers who delight in the full package of design, taste and quality.The beer has a light, refreshing taste, while the design is rooted in Copenhagen as an international city of fashion and design. Copen*Hagen is intended for modern women and men, who appreciate a refreshing taste delivered in a stylish design.       CCL Label produces label with paper appearance. The target was to produce a PSL label with paper appearance. For that reason 3 times white is printed as well as a matt varnish which covers the label. In order to receive nice design effects, some elements have not been covered by matt varnish (COPEN*HAGEN / 56°N / Carlsberg), which means they stand out from the rest

Daycon Distributors are trade label manufacturing specialists based on the Gold Coast, Australia.  The long-time user of Daco Solution products, Troy Connolly orders a Daco SR410 at Labelexpo Europe.   Troy ‘as a trade printer we need reliable equipment with quick and easy setups, I am glad to say that we have found a perfect partner in Daco Solutions.  Their products are not only reliable and easy to use but are a very cost effective when compared to some of the better known manufacturers such as Rotoflex, Arpeco and AB Graphic’   Mark Laurence, Sales Manager for Daco Solutions ‘Troy over the last few years has grown significantly and has invested in a Daco Combi turret rewinder with rotary die cutting,  a Daco SI inspection / slitter rewinder and the latest order for a Daco SR410 . Troy initially purchased a Daco Combi turret rewinder from us to become more competitive in the production of small rolls for thermal transfer printers as he was under pressure to produce in volu

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today reported that a Presstek 52DI digital offset press will be shown for the first time in China at the All in Print China show, scheduled for November 14-17, 2011, in Shanghai. The Presstek 52DI will be demonstrated in Shanghai Electric Printing & Packaging Machinery Group booth number E3A107. “Our presence at All in Print China demonstrates our continued pursuit of our geographic expansion strategy,” said Jeff Jacobson, Presstek’s Chairman, President & CEO. “China experienced more than 10% in GDP growth in 2010 along with growth in print volume, and it is unquestionably a large market.” Jacobson added, “The Presstek 52DI should resonate well with Chinese printers who want to deliver high quality short run color printing at an affordable cost and without the need to purchase and maintain a computer-to-plate system.” The Presstek 52DI

The Mark Andy P3 was awarded the Technical Innovation honor at the 2011 FlexoTech Awards held 19th October in London, England.  This is the second innovation award for the Mark Andy Performance Series press line in 2011.   The ground-breaking design and technology integrated into the Performance Series has proven itself with printers and converters worldwide; more than 110 machines have been sold and installed into 24 countries.  Recognizing the significant impact to productivity and consistently high quality output, several buyers have invested in more than one, replacing multiple older style presses with Performance Series technology.   Criteria for the award included special and successful use of new techniques and environmental benefits using machinery, equipment and materials for the advancement of flexography. The P3, with its revolutionary load-and-lock inking system, simple drop-and-lock setup to load print cylinders, and the open architecture allowing for a significant

PL Labels, the East Kilbride based label printer, ordered an 8 colour Gallus press on the last day of Labelexpo Europe (1st October, 2011). The firm will install the Gallus ECS 340 press in January 2012 as part of an on-going major investment programme that will aid the company in its expansion plans within the industrial, automotive, healthcare, food and drink markets.   The new Gallus press will join this family-owned business’s existing range of flexo presses and will add a significant increase in capacity for the production of labels and short-run flexible packaging such as filmic wrappers and small cartons. The company will also be adding digital printing to its existing processes shortly.   The Gallus ECS 340 is a short web path, fully servo-driven, multi-pass flexo and cold foiling machine with front loading dies, print and anilox sleeves.   Source:  http://www.gallus-group.com

Labelexpo 2011 once again brought together the who's who of the international label printing industry. The focus for Gallus Screen Printing at this year's show was rotary screen printing and innovative solutions, with the centrepiece being the new Gallus Screeny Digital product category.   Stable basis – Gallus Screeny S-Line Gallus has for some time been setting new standards in rotary screen printing for label printers with the Gallus Screeny S-Line. Customers are impressed by its outstanding quality and the benefits this offers. The innovative fabric structure boasts high strength and excellent resilience, with the ink also separating from the printing plate faster, thus enabling higher printing speeds while maintaining robustness. These features also make it possible to clean and store the screen and to reuse it for repeat jobs.   Gallus Screeny Digital – enhanced development for the future The Gallus Screeny S-Line has been further developed to ensure integrati

Mark Andy Inc. continues to be recognized as a forerunner in narrow-web flexo innovation.  At Labelexpo Europe this year, Mark Andy was the first in-line flexo press manufacturer to receive full HD Flexo certification from EskoArtwork.  HD Flexo is a new process for making digital flexo plates. According to Esko, the improved plate making process delivers higher dot quality and prints more consistently than standard digital flexo plates. To achieve certification, presses are print tested and qualified to ensure that HD process is adhered to with a high level of repeatability.   Alexander Schmidt, print demonstrator for Mark Andy Europe, successfully completed the strenuous set of requirements for HD Flexo certification of the P7 in late August.  He and Mark Andy were presented the credential during the exhibition by Jan Buchwietz, senior product manager digital flexo, from EskoArtwork.   "Mark Andy is excited to have completed the HD Flexo certification program," says

With new XFlex X4, that debuted at Labelexpo 2011, OMET sets new standards for the label market, meanwhile reaffirming its role of innovation-oriented company and forerunner. Labelexpo Europe 2011 has been really satisfying for Omet, a lot of crowds visited its booth and watched at all demonstrations of the 3 presses on display. Interest of visitors has been very high for all Omet news: “We had great expectations from this year’s Labelexpo after such an amount of innovation we presented - comments Marco Calcagni, Omet Sales Director - the launch of the XFlex X4 press, the new offset group with sleeves in the XFlex range, a breakthrough matrix removal unit available on our whole machine range. Not to speak of the release 2 of our Register control system VISION and the “Transparent Factory” Machine Management System that creates a bridge between the press and any customer’s informative system”. Though, presses and related systems were not the only news OMET reserved to customer

The leader of engine lubrication mineral oil in Saudi Arabia has chosen the quality of P.E. group to improve its two production lines with NON STOP self-adhesive labellers.     The rotary one with pressurization system and special bells for neck out of center, supplied by P.E. for a production speed of 24.000 bph on 1 lt. container and the linear one, supplied by Packlab, 6.000 bph speed for the line 4 lt. and 5 lt., both for the application of NON STOP front and back labels on empty containers.       Source:   http://www.pelabellers.it

Multi-Color Corporation has completed its previously announced acquisition of privately held York Label Group.   The purchase price for York Label Group is $356 million, with approximately $266 million payable in debt assumed, $64 million payable in 2.7 million shares of Multi-Color stock and $26 million in cash, subject to certain post-closing adjustments.   York Label Group is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and provides label solutions primarily in the pressure-sensitive label markets for Home & Personal Care, Food & Beverage, Wine & Spirit and Healthcare through long-standing relationships with blue chip national and multi-national customers. York has 12 plants across the U.S., Canada and Chile with approximately 1,200 employees.   Source: http://www.yorklabel.com

Excessive total area coverage (TAC) for deep blacks could be costing the global print industry hundreds of million of Euros, according to the results of a study by the Flemish Innovation Centre for Graphic Communication (VIGC). The long-held belief in the industry is that the TAC should be between 320% and 360%, but the VIGC investigation revealed that 260%, or even 220%, is more than adequate, as long as the conversion is carried out with the correct profiles. Eddy Hagen, director of the VIGC, comments on the study: "We wanted to find out how low you can go in terms of maximum ink coverage before you see an unacceptable difference. The final result was amazing. The old truth – that you need between 320% and 360% TAC – is not borne out, provided you convert colours correctly."   According to Hagen, the possible savings are huge: "The cost of ink represents around 2% to 5% of the cost of the printed material. So imagine that if on the basis of this investiga

Dr. Dinesh Tyagi, Kodak’s Senior Research Associate of Advanced Development, Electrophotographic Printing Solutions, has been honored by the Society of Imaging Science and Technology with the 2011 Chester F. Carlson Award. The prestigious award recognizes Dr. Tyagi for his remarkable contributions to the field of electrophotographic research.   The Chester F. Carlson Award is awarded annually to one individual whose work advances the state of technology in electrophotographic printing. Dr. Tyagi performs cutting-edge polymer chemistry research to develop and commercialize improved toners for electrophotographic printers.   Dr. Tyagi is an internationally renowned scientist, with over 90 patents worldwide, and is highly respected by industry colleagues and academia. Dr. Tyagi has been working with Kodak research since 1987 and is a Kodak Distinguished Inventor.   “Throughout his career, Dr. Tyagi has made key contributions to Kodak and to the graphic arts industry as a who

Edale, the UK manufacturer of narrow web printing presses and converting equipment..., are pleased to have signed Rotary Technology Partnership to promote their range of equipment throughout Thailand.   Rotary Technology sealed this partnership with a sale of a five colour Edale Alpha compact flexo press with UV drying, cold foil and video inspection – the fastest sale by an Edale distributor so far! The press was sold to EVA Enterprise Co. Ltd in Bangkok, who will be using their Alpha to produce a variety of products including cosmetic and pharmaceutical labels.   EVA chose the Alpha due to their limited factory space and the benefits of the short web path and clean, easy set up.   Since the success of their first sale and after receiving in-depth product knowledge during a trip to Edale’s Head Office, Rotary Technology promoted Edale at the Print Pack International Show held in Bangkok.     Tony Law   Tony Law, Sales Manager, of Rotary Technology Partnership