İlketap, who offers solutions and innovations to its customers in labels with its 38 years of experience, became the pioneer of the firsts with its investments in the packaging sector too. Let’s listen the innovations in the packaging sector and the latest trends in the various label application that differentiate the product and make it stand out from İlketap Etiket ve Ambalaj San.Tic.A.Ş. General Manager Gökhan Öztel…
Glass bottle packaging has been around for a long time. Yet switching from plastic containers to glass is becoming more popular in recent years, as consumers become more aware of environmentally-friendly packaging, and companies rediscover the benefits of glass. Here, we’ll explore the growing popularity and benefits of glass bottle packaging, including safety, hygiene, sustainability and image.
Decorative Labelling Techniques
Differentiation is the buzz word brand owners use today to describe how the labelling of their products needs to appear in the store shelves. It needs to draw the attention of shoppers so that the products stand out on the shelf. To achieve that standout, brand owners are pushing for a variety of new inks and coatings technologies to enhance the decoration on their packaging. Labels are a unique type of flexible packaging that brand owners are especially targeting. The label printing technologies we use nowadays include multiple printing technologies to make the products offered to the consumers in markets different and thus it is ensured that decorative products show up.
If we need to give examples of different decorative printing technologies we have; Offset, HD Flexo, Gravure, Screen Printing, Hot foil, Hologram, Embossing, Coating, Lamination, Bright-matt varnish, silvery Effect pigments, thermochromic inks that change color in the heat and cold, photochromic inks that change color in day and night.
note: In our label production machine, which is compatible with today’s 4.0 new industrial revolution and incorporates all new technologies, each process is produced with 100% - 8K camera control system in a single pass.
Each of these printing techniques to be used by their nature can attract and influence the customers of brand owners, they can increase sales and can open to new markets.
As İlketap Label company, we step in the point of creating an awareness in label printing which have sales appeal in the rapidly changing and developing world market.
Since 2008, we have always been a pioneer in the field of decorative printing technologies by realizing the firsts on the labels I have mentioned above, and we have developed and carried ourselves forward in this field and we will be in this rapid change by following the new technologies closely as we always do.
New Opportunities
Changes in ink and coating products and technologies that leverage these printing application techniques to provide further enhanced effects and performance provide new and improved opportunities for differentiation.
Special-effect coatings can enhance the decoration techniques on a package.
Visual effects include color shifting coatings and a matte/gloss effect, coatings that appeal to touch (i.e. reticulating texture effect) and laminations that transfer the effect of embossing.
Body Sleeve Label Applications
Body Sleeve labels / Packaging sleeve labels, which retract with heat and which can wrap the product 360 degrees and attract the customers on the shelves, have grown significantly in recent years and offer special branding and consumer experience opportunities.
This application allows for high-end graphic reproduction that can cover nearly all of the package as compared to printing and decorating approaches previously and most commonly utilized, which were limited in both graphic area capabilities and wrapping the whole packaging in just one application.
Sleeve labels also allow for unique package design opportunities for brand owners to be able to use on various contoured packages that are both attractive and ergonomic for consumer use.
No Label Look Effects
One of the most attractive values of label applications is that the label can be pasted onto the primary transparent packaging and combined to provide the label-free appearance effect.
This is most often employed in applications where the actual product is desired to be shown through the transparent packaging. However, we generally add opaque white inks so that the graphic part of the label can stand out.
We have the chance to print opaque white inks according to the characteristics of the job and the expectations of our customers in various ink technologies (for example; they are inks printed in screen printing, flexo, and gravure technique). This continued to increase the retention strength as well as the hiding power, shine of the whites; and most importantly, they ensure featuring the effects of the graphics applied on them.
Using Special Effect Inks and Coatings
One technique that can utilize to differentiate the product packaging of its customers includes special-effect inks and coatings, which offer a variety of visual special effects, including high-luster metallic, fluorescent, glitter, frosted, and gloss.
Until today, the use of metallic inks has been limited, and therefore they are not widely seen on market shelves, but we cannot ignore the remarkable attractiveness of special metallic colors on eye-catching shelves. For example, the use of pastel silver colors, gold and silver coating effects can distinguish a package from its competitors on shelves and increase sales.
Hot foil and Hologram foil coatings also may help products to stand out on the shelf; it is another special-effect coating; it may be preferred so that products are safer.
Such foil lamination applications may give an effect that changes color with the angle of view.
This is very enticing to customers since the product seems to morph as they pass by the shelf. These types of coatings can come in a variety of colors from blue to green or yellow to orange shifting.
Label applications in sparkly colors are applied by transferring small pieces of silver into the label to produce different attractive visual effects. The best application is done with the application of the screen printing technique, the effect of this coating is mostly on dark colors and this silver application shines like pearls in all color options. Other coatings can be designed to produce a pearlescent effect when applied over or under an ink or on a material. These coatings can elasticize an image when applied over ink.
There are glittering coatings similar to those with pearlescent effect coatings. There are rather flat and weakly colored when viewed at one angle, but take on the metallic sheen of another color when the viewing angle is changed. While not the best choice for small detailed work, this effect can be used to simulate metallic effects, depending on the thickness of the coating used.
In addition to grabbing the attention of consumers, some inks can take a package to a whole different level with interaction.
They are special matte and glossy varnish application that we commonly apply on other labels.
This application can also be preferred for the label on the package to match one of the colors and visuals. Applications such as soft touch varnish, 3D varnish, embossed lacquers and blind alphabet embossing lacquers can be made available to consumers to embrace the product by touching it by hand.
Other popular new trend applications of our days, thermocolor inks change color according to the temperature. A beverage can could turn blue when cold and remain silver when warm. Colors can match common heat and cold sources such as refrigerators, microwaves, and multiple color transitions can be provided on the product.
Thermochromics will also impress consumers with the color changes where a unique graphic appears when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. Thermochromic applications can be used for hidden messages, interactive games for children on packages and other sweepstakes and promotional gimmicks. In addition, photochromic coatings can cause different colors to appear on a package when exposed to UV light or sunlight.
Consumers can also interact with packaging that glows in the dark. A logo on the beverage could glow at night, for example, or these applications may be preferred for special promotions or seasonal products.
When a consumer touches a packaging on a shelf, there is a 70 percent chance it will end up in the shopping cart. By enhancing the package with simple coatings that provide a textured effect, the odds of that package going in the cart increase pretty much.
Designed as a high coating, these types of coatings give a tactile feel of an embossed product when spot-applied.
Tactile coatings can come in a range of different effects and offer gloss, matte or satin finishes, allowing for very rough to soft and silky feel options. Suitable for flexo applications, these coatings can be surface-printed on paper or film.
Conclusion
Brand owners want their labels to stand out on the shelf. There are many decorative techniques that can be used to achieve this differentiation. These include special effects ink and coatings, HD Flexo Printing Technology, Gravure Printing Technology, Silk Screen Printing Technology, Offset Printing Technology, Brand Protection Solutions to match colors.
The options brand owners can take to achieve differentiation are virtually limitless.