Labelling Blog

Videojet Technologies Inc., a world-leading manufacturer of coding, printing and laser mar king products, fluids and accessories for the product identification industry, today introduced the new Videojet 3020 laser coder, which is ideal for simple marking and coding applications in the consumer packaged goods and industrial products markets. The 10-Watt CO2 laser coder applies high quality codes at low to medium speeds and with minimal operating costs. The affordable and compact single-box design allows for maximum ease-of-use, simple application set-up, quick installation and uncomplicated line changes. “The Videojet 3020 laser coder meets the needs of customers with simple code requirements such as serial numbers, time and date and other codes in the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and cosmetic, and industrial products industries,” says Markus Vetter, product manager for CO2 laser systems at Videojet. “The new laser coder has been designed for the most cost-sensitive package

XEIKON announced today that it will be showing the Xeikon 8800 in a roll to roll configuration at Graph Expo. This will be the first demonstration of one of its Xeikon 8000 Series presses at a major industry event in North America. The Xeikon 8000 Series consists of the Xeikon 8500, the Xeikon 8600 and the Xeikon 8800. It supports the whole range of document and commercial printing applications, including transactional printing, book printing, short run commercial print, point of sales and wallpaper production, making it the most versatile digital press available. The Series features high precision LED-array imaging technology, which combines true 1200 dpi resolution and 4-bit per spot (bps) depth to deliver the finest commercial print quality on the market today. All presses in the series retain the full format flexibility of Xeikon technology and are able to handle substrate widths of up to 20.15 inches. In addition, due to their unique full rotary imaging process, the Xeikon 800

The new recycled labels produced by HERMA make it especially easy for resellers to bid for and win contracts. Not only do they carry the Blue Angel (German certification for eco-friendly products and services), which is being demanded by more and more public authorities and institutions. But their exceptional whiteness and outstanding purity give them great prominence too. ISO whiteness of 97% (CIE 133) gives the paper a very distinctive look alongside regular grey and greyish recycled products. This outcome is achieved through careful selection of the waste paper before production and special processing entirely without chlorine bleach. The surface, moreover, is extremely consistent, which is one of the fundamental requirements for obtaining the best print quality with practically any machine, from laser and inkjet printers to copiers – black-and-white and colour. At the same time, the label paper is very opaque. The Blue Angel, which is thought to be the oldest eco-certificate worldw

Polyonics release of two new families of high performance label products was a huge success at Label Expo Chicago 2012.  Thank you for stopping by and learning firsthand about all of Polyonics materials Our new, ultra-thick polyester label material was heavily promoted and well received by all visitors looking for identification labels for the automotive industry.  The XF-456, a 4 mil PET with a 3 mil aggressive acrylic PSA is designed to adhere to low surface energy, smooth and textured plastics such as Polypropylene & Polyethylene. Polyonics nylon label materials peaked the interest of many visitors for cold storage applications. The XF-302 is a new low cost nylon cloth label material designed to survive in cryogenic environments at a temperature as low as -196C. This material is flexible and contours to rounded surface and can also be used as a flag label in electrical applications. High temperature printed circuit board labels based on our Thermogard technolog

The label on perishable food pre-packs may be extremely transient but, despite its short life, it is still required to perform the key roles of providing both decoration for retail shelf ‘stand out’, as well as a considerable amount of product data. Achieving these twin goals can be challenging on small containers – but Harmony Fruit and Yoghurt Desserts, developed by leading quality Swiss bakery and foods manufacturers Jowa AG for major Swiss retail chain Migros, certainly prove that it can be done. The challenge Harmony Fruit and Yoghurt Desserts are premium-quality, single-service fresh products, with a shelf life of just four days, packed in clear lidded PET pyramidical containers. They are offered in combinations featuring four fresh fruits – apricot, pineapple, strawberry and raspberry – and provide a delicious and healthy end to a meal. On the retail shelf, for such products, the consumer needs to be able to view the contents; to verify – via the label – the flavour offered;

WS Packaging Group, Inc. has acquired Business Graphics Printing Inc., which specializes in offset printing and production of instructional booklets and inserts. Business Graphics Printing is an industry leading offset printer of product literature booklets, which are a critical component in end-use applications that have strict regulatory requirements for product information, such as in the pharmaceutical industry. It also produces technical literature for major appliance and outdoor equipment markets. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Knoxville, Tenn. “Under the leadership of Charles Gaut, president, and Randy England, vice president, Business Graphics Printing has established itself in a leadership position on the basis of its overall technical competence and capabilities in offset printing of booklets and multi-fold inserts,” said Rex Lane, chief executive officer of WS Packaging. “They have a partnership mentality that has allowed them to continue to grow and del

At FachPack Atlantic Zeiser is presenting its most flexible end-to-end solution to date under the slogan 'Beyond Printing'. The new DIGILINE Versa is ideal for complex yet secure printing of folding cartons and 3D products tackling fast job changes and minimal makeready times. It enables small batches to be labelled cost-effectively with variable data and in various formats – while providing verification and a waste gate for zero-error production. At FachPack 2012, the Atlantic Zeiser Group - a leading developer and supplier of modules and integrated end-to-end solutions for industrial digital and security printing - will be focusing on versatile, industry-specific digital printing solutions for coding, serialisation, customisation and printing in variable packaging formats. Atlantic Zeiser will also show how to maximise the profitability of small print jobs with flexible labelling solutions. The technology highlight is the show debut of the DIGILINE Versa, based on a new mod

Grey market codes combat brand erosion and parallel trading in unlabelled cosmetics and deliver real-time checks for pharmaceutical products. The PMP (Production Management Platform) from Atlantic Zeiser is a new scalable software solution for controlling modern production and shipping processes for pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging. Being exhibited at FachPack 2012 it is based on comprehensive product tracking (Track & Trace) and measures to combat counterfeiting (Anti-Counterfeiting) and the grey market (Anti-Diversion) to successfully counteract product piracy.   Checking, reporting and comparing: these are the basic steps involved in verifying cosmetic and pharmaceutical products and tracking them throughout the logistics chain. PMP (Production Management Platform), the new software to be presented by the Atlantic Zeiser Group at FachPack 2012, combines brand and consumer security, offering complete product tracking and protection against counterfeiting and diversion. P

Newspaper publishers and distributors can discover how to generate new revenue from remote newspaper production by visiting the Kodak booth at Distripress Congress 2012. The Distripress Congress 2012 takes place October 1 – 4 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Kodak can be found at Booth 9, Expo Hall..     Publisher-approved quality When it comes to print quality, publishers have exacting standards. Kodak has already helped several publishers and distributors in Europe set up profitable installations using the KODAK VERSAMARK VL4200 Printing System – including at distributors with no in-house print expertise. The VERSAMARK VL4200 System is currently used to print more than 70 newspapers across Europe. And the VL4200 System’s outstanding quality not only delivers the high-end print and colour picture results that publishers and advertisers demand – it also allows distributors to expand into the commercial sector and generate new revenue

Esko ( www.esko.com ), a global supplier of integrated solutions for packaging, sign and display finishing, commercial printing and professional publishing, will integrate the online editing technology of CHILI Publish, the Belgian developer of the 'hottest online editor', into its WebCenter web-based packaging platform. Esko will also develop a new plug-in for Adobe® Illustrator®, enabling users to open packaging designs in WebCenter to create, edit and modify the packaging content. With this new integration, a designer or artwork creator will be able to publish an Adobe® Illustrator®document to a WebCenter project. Content like barcodes, nutrition facts, regulatory compliance data and other can then be provided by the brand owner simply by going online, opening and editing the document using the CHILI Editor within the WebCenter browser window.   Bjorn Willems, Product Manager Interactive Applications at Esko, explains: ”There is a trend in the packaging industry for

Variable coding at the latest possible stage: Atlantic Zeiser responds to smaller batch sizes for coding and printing pharmaceutical packaging with LSC-friendly integration solutions. Wherever frequently changing information needs to be printed on packaging or products, Late-Stage Customization (LSC®) is the solution of the future for the cost-efficient coding and labeling of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. At FachPack in Nuremberg (25 - 27 September 2012), at Stand 117 in Hall 4, Atlantic Zeiser will be demonstrating the results of the integration of the OMEGA 210 DoD UV inkjet printer, in combination with the right SMARTCURE UV-LED dryers, in existing production lines to allow variable coding and marking at the latest possible stage in the production process. This technology is particularly advantageous when it comes to small batches.   Blister printing with specific codes and data   Complex and capital-intensive packaging lines, when operated cost-efficiently, are a

EFI ™ (Nasdaq:EFII), a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today announced that Benny Landa, industry pioneer and Chairman and CEO of the Landa Group, will participate in a "fireside chat" Q&A session with EFI CEO Guy Gecht at the company's 14th annual EFI Connect Users Conference, being held from January 15-18, 2013 at The Wynn Las Vegas. Landa made headlines this spring at drupa 2012, where he unveiled Nanography™ and six Landa Nanographic Printing™ Presses, the culmination of a decade of research into nanotechnology. "We are excited that Benny will be joining us at Connect this January," said EFI CEO Guy Gecht. "As we are preparing for an outstanding Connect, which will be focused on the growth opportunities for our industry, I'm personally very much looking forward to hearing Benny's insights and unique industry vision." "EFI is an industry leader and I look forward to sharing our vision with EFI

Labelexpo Americas 2012 attracted a record attendance of 14,335 label and package printing professionals as it returned to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois near Chicago, between 11-13 September. Up by over 12% on 2010’s edition, it was a new record for America’s largest label converting show since first being held in 1989. Featuring well over 100 new product launches including presses, inks and substrates, the exhibition and conference program occupied 185,000sqf which was up 8.5% on the previous edition’s size. It also boasted 400 local and international exhibitors including 94 companies which were participating for the first time. By the time the exhibition closed, the show organizers reported that 81.44% of stand space for the 2014 edition had already been booked. As well as being a valuable platform for demonstrating the latest working machinery where attendees can see, learn about and source products in one place, Labelexpo Americas also provi

With the introduction of a new major release of ArtiosCAD, version 12, Esko ( www.esko.com/ArtiosCAD ) offers a paradigm shift in packaging design from 2D to 3D. Providing tools for 3D design, editing, rendering and visualization, ArtiosCAD 12 assures that the viability of a package is discovered further upstream in the supply chain. It also provides new tools for packaging design and process integration to help users gain productivity and increase efficiency. ArtiosCAD is the flagship structural packaging design editor in Esko's software suite with over 13.000 licenses sold worldwide. “It all starts with structure. The structural design determines the placement of the graphics. The package converting is determined by the structure. Structure and graphics, as well as structure and logistics, are brought together with the use of ArtiosCAD. Only ArtiosCAD offers end-to-end communication for the entire packaging supply chain,” says Richard Deroo, Esko Product Manager, Structural Des

The BPIF and NAPM have joined forces to organise a unique print and paper supply chain event this September that will bring print customers, print manufacturers and paper suppliers together for the first time. Unfolding the future – the changing market for print and paper will be held on 27 September 2012 at the Guoman Tower Hotel in London. An optional dinner will be held at the Hotel on the evening before the forum for delegates who wish to stay overnight. The speaker line-up includes high profile leaders from all parts of the supply chain. From the paper sector PaperlinX  Marketing Director Philippa Charlton  will be speaking, together with UPM-Kymmene Anu Ahola and  Confederation of European Paper Industries Energy & Environment Director Marco Mensink. A print perspective will be provided by Northend Print Solutions CEO Nigel Stubley, with customer insights coming from Tesco Marketing Director David Williams with Katleen Pelsmakers and BSkyB Head of Print Management Mark

Xeikon, an innovator in digital color printing, announced today that this year’s Labelexpo Americas proved to be an extremely successful event for the company. At the laser die-cutting workshop , Xeikon’s Vectorizor stole the show. Vectorizor (patent pending) is an automatic die-cut generator that defines a new standard in communication with laser die-cutting devices. Vectorizor’s unique functionalities create new opportunities to further automate label production and increase productivity. This was illustrated with the “Web2LabelProduction” solution showed at the Xeikon booth, which was designed to produce a great variety of short run labels economically. The final result is an automated, web-enabled solution that produces finished labels, without any human intervention.   Another Xeikon innovation that was applauded by the attendees was the Durable Clear Toner. It acts as a digital spot varnish for folding cartons and enables inline production of short run folding carton pla

Esko reports that Colognia Press is the first Czech Republic label converter and the latest to join more than 500 printing operations around the world, to recognize the importance of achieving Esko’s HD Flexo Certification . This prestigious accreditation was presented to Colognia‘s joint owner Pavel Kubac by Milos Uzel, CEO of Czech Republic system integrator Macron Systems, who represents Esko’s extensive portfolio of solutions in the region. Colognia, an innovative printer of self-adhesive labels, tags, tickets and packaging materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, household and electronic industries, was founded in 1996. The company serves customers such as Fresenius Hemo Care, DHL, HP, Glaxo Smith Kline and Greiner Packaging. With turnover expectations this year of €12 million, the 24/7 operation prides itself on its extreme flexibility and creativity to solve non-standard requirements with its highly knowledgeable 80-strong team. Colognia also holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

At Graph Expo 2012, MLP U.S.A. will present integrated digital technologies to help printing operations profitability deliver eye-catching quality while reducing their work’s impact on the environment. The company will expand on themes discussed at the successful drupa exposition last May in Germany tailored to the needs of print service providers doing business closer to home. “Our goal is for there never to be any doubt when the ink dries that the sheets were printed on a Mitsubishi press,” said Marke Baker, senior vice president, printing machinery. “Mitsubishi continues to develop cutting-edge systems to manage production, maintain consistent color and simplify operation. Visitors to Graph Expo 2012 will discover how the advanced functions that constitute the Mitsubishi digital network maximize press production time, minimize press downtime and enable high value-added printed products.” As a press manufacturer, Mitsubishi has championed productivity-enhancing print solutions an