Taurus Packaging

Popular Printing Technologies for Packaging

02 Mar
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When it comes to finding the best printing method for your brand, there are plenty of choices available.

 Let’s look at the most popular technologies in use today:

OFFSET PRINTING: Metal plates transfer or off-set the design onto a rubber roller and then to the printing material.

SCREEN PRINTING: Suitable for bulk printing, mesh screens press the inks and transfer the image on the desired material such as fabric.

DIGITAL PRINTING: Giving a quick turnaround time, digital printing deals with digital designs rather than printing plates. Ink is transferred through inkjets.

ROTOGRAVURE PRINTING: It’s an Intaglio Printing technique in which a copper-plated Steel cylinder is laser-engraved with the intended design. It involves engraving the image onto the cylinder and then transferred it to the substrate through pressure.

FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING: Quite like letterpress printing, the printing plates get attached to raised rotating cylinders. It is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. And fast-drying inks are transferred onto the material to print the desired images.

 

The popularity of Gravure & Flexographic Technologies in Flexible Printing

Rotogravure and Flexographic Printing are the two most prevalent techniques used to meet versatile packaging requirements.

And they are commonly used in the food, beverage, and personal care industry where they use flexible (lightweight, malleable, or non-rigid) packaging materials. These include plastic films, paper, or foil that take the desired shape with ease.

 

Rotogravure Vs Flexo Printing

Rotogravure Printing offers exceptional-quality and accurate prints, preferred for printing labels, shrink sleeves, laminates, and pouches.

Wide Web Flexographic Printing is ideal for long runs, and when the desired printing speed is super-fast. Since it offers excellent print text clarity, it gets used for printing labels and films.

Narrow Web Flexographic Printing is good for self-adhesive labels, pressure-sensitive labels, and short runs of shrink sleeves.

 

Key Differences:

CHOICE OF INKS: Though Gravure printing supports many inks, a broader range of inks are available in Flexo printing.

PRINT QUALITY: Flexo offers higher clarity when the design has fine detailing and written text. However, if the artwork is detail-heavy and intricate, Gravure gives more consistency and vibrancy in print quality.

EXPENSES: Flexo is a more cost-efficient technique than Gravure when you compare the printing plate costs. However, cylinders used in Gravure generally last longer across multiple print runs than the Flexo plates.

 

Which is Better?

Since both Rotogravure and Flexographic printing techniques have pros and cons, we cannot replace one with the other. So before choosing a printing method, you must consider the best technique for the task you wish to accomplish.

Do you need an expert’s opinion to select the right printing method? Feel free to book a discovery call with me at www.chetan-jain.com, and I will be happy to assist you.

 

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23 Sep
Shrink Sleeves, Taurus Packaging

The Importance of Colour-Matching in Printed Packaging And How To Do It?

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Colours form the heart and soul of print designs. So it is no wonder that brands spend a lot of time and attention selecting the correct colour scheme for their product’s packaging. However, the work does not stop here as it’s equally important to bring the design to life, exactly, the way it looks on the computer. Any mismatch and the printed design may appear far different from the intention, leading to unavoidable delays and unnecessary panic. It is here that the concept of color-matching comes in.

What is Colour Matching?

Simply put, colour matching refers to making sure that the colours in your packaging design, visible on screen, look the same once the design gets printed and takes its place on the final product. Hence, color-matching is crucial in printed packaging. It not only helps to maintain colour accuracy in terms of its hue, brightness, and saturation but avoids last-minute surprises and deviations from the intended result.

Ways to Achieve Colour Correctness in Printed Packaging

 

1.  Start Designing in the Most Appropriate Colour Space

Colours get represented differently in different colour spaces. Hence, to get desired results, it is recommended to work in the correct colour space right from the beginning. It means that you may have to go beyond the default colour profiles on your system, such as sRGB, and install the one most appropriate for your projects like Adobe RGB or CMYK.

2. Use Proofing Tools to Generate a Soft-Proof of Your Designs

Before you spend time and money printing the hard-proof of your design and being disappointed with the results, go in for soft-proofing using a calibrated monitor. An electronic-screen soft-proof is a highly beneficial alternative to get a sense of what the design and colours will look like upon printing and whether or not you’re on the right track.

3. Don’t Forget the Physical Print Proofs

After checking the artwork on your monitor, it’s time to get a digitally-printed physical proof of the design. Though it may seem unimportant, it is, in fact, the hard printed proof that helps to spot problem areas and possibly foretell inconsistencies that may crop up in the final version the printing press sends you and avoid them beforehand.

 4. Communicate Your Expectations to The Printer

It is always good practice to brief your printer about your expectations correctly, especially when they’re about to tackle large runs, tricky print jobs and complex reprints. So do provide them with colour matching samples, reference prints, and colour mixing references to maintain colour accuracy & reduce time wastages in corrections.

5. Ask for Cylinder Proofs

Most printers and consumers depend on cylinder proofs for print approval since they give the right colours up to a certain extent. However, cylinder proof does have its limitations.

  • The cylinder manufacturer must be using the same film and inks to match the proof, or there will be a deviation.
  • Proofing is done with high viscosity inks, whereas in printing, viscosity is lower, which can produce variations between the proof and the actual print run.
  • Proofing happens at a much slower speed than the actual commercial speed of printing. Slow speed would mean there would be a difference in dot transfer, thereby affecting the colours.

Though cylinder proof is a sensible parameter to check the print job, it can differ from the actual result. Hence, do keep a certain tolerance for colour shades in mind when relying on cylinder proofs.

6. Opt for a Colour Library

If you need special or uncommon colour profiles for your print packaging, you might want to consider working with a colour library such as Pantone or CMYK equivalents. For one, you will have access to a full gamut of colour references. And two, maintaining colour accuracy and representing your brand correctly will no longer be challenging.

7. Use Extended Colour Gamut Printing (ECG)

Extended Colour Gamut Printing is the methodology of introducing three additional inks, Orange, Green & Violet (OGV), to the CMYK Process Colours, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black during printing. Adding the extra colours extends or expands the range of colour printing and helps to reduce the overall dependence on spot colours. The resultant printed images are a lot more vivid with negligible colour difference.

8. Pay Attention to the Lighting

Whether you’re approving proofs or colour matching, it is crucial to have the correct lighting since even the slightest variation in your light source can change how visual is perceived. So try to maintain standard lighting conditions as that goes a long way in avoiding faulty approvals and perception-related glitches.

According to the International Standards Organisation ISO 3664, you should view and approve prints under a D50 equivalent light source.

 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

A little planning and forward-thinking goes a long way to complete the printing project without delays, rework, and glitches. And ensuring that you get your printed colours right and in perfect sync with the intended results.

 

Do you need an expert’s opinion on how you can improve your printing procedures and get consistent results, every time? Then feel free to book a discovery call with me at www.chetan-jain.com.

 

22 Jul
Taurus Packaging

FSSAI Guidelines For The Labelling, and Packaging Industry

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Any talk about food safety in India is incomplete without mentioning the FSSAI.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) https://fssai.gov.in/ is an autonomous body established in 2008. It comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

The main role of FSSAI is to ensure that consumers have access to safe and nutritious food manufactured, stored, distributed, sold, and imported under a set of clearly defined standards supported by science. So, in a way, FSSAI takes away any ambiguity from the production, sales, and distribution of wholesome food articles to the consumer.

FSSAI Guidelines For Labelling, and Packaging

The right kind of packaging is crucial for maintaining the quality of food items and delivering them safely to the consumer. Just as important is the right kind of labelling since it provides important product information and helps consumers make informed buying decisions by reading the label and knowing what they are getting.

The FSSAI has set unified standards and stringent requirements for the safe packaging and accurate labelling of pre-packaged food items. The aim is to make certain that any packaged food item that hits the market and reaches the consumer is 100% fit for human consumption.

And that it is labelled correctly and truthfully, displaying all the vital information about its contents such as the health benefits, nutritional value, and special dietary uses, etc.

Every company that sells pre-packed food must adhere to FSSAI labelling guidelines and comply with them before putting their products on the market. The information printed on the labels should be 100% accurate and clear and precise, with absolutely no falsehood.

The information must be in either English or the Devanagri script and additional use of other languages is also allowed.

Let’s look at the most important information to mention on food labels:

• Name of the product/trade name
• Net quantity or product weight
• Batch, Lot or Code No.
• FSSAI logo and license number
• Packaging or manufacturing date
• Best Before and Use-by Date
• Names of all the ingredients used to make the food item.
• Vegetarian or non-vegetarian (green or red colored circular signs inside a square).
• Full declaration of the calories and nutritional information. Such as the amount of fats, dietary fibre, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, sodium, sugar, etc.
• Use of food additives, if any (to enhance the look, color, or taste of the food item).
• Name & the full address of the manufacturer (the factory where the product is manufactured)
• If the product was imported, then the name of the country.
• Proper instructions for using the product

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Indian consumers are now more conscious of what they are buying than ever before. They read the packaging and labels to know more about the contents and only then make an informed purchase for the entire family.

It makes the role of correct labelling and packaging very important. Hence, it is best practice to follow and comply with the FSSAI packaging and labelling guidelines and present yourself as a responsible company that cares for its customers.

Would you like an expert opinion on the best packaging and labelling guidelines for your food products? Then feel free to book a discovery call with me at www.chetan-jain.com.

22 Apr
Taurus Packaging

Expensive or Cheap – How to Determine the Right Price of Shrink Sleeves?

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One question that buyers frequently ask me is: Why are your shrink sleeve prices high? Also, why some manufacturers sell their shrink sleeves at unimaginably lower prices than the market price?

So this article is particularly important if you want to understand what makes shrink sleeves expensive or cheap. Hopefully, by the end of this read, you’ll be able to get the optimum price for your shrink sleeves.

Shrink sleeve price differences can occur due to various reasons, such as the use of blown PVC instead of cast PVC &PETG. Owing to their different manufacturing techniques, Blown PVC has a lot less clarity as compared to Cast PVC.

Some suppliers provide sleeves in blown PVCinstead of using the ideal CAST PVC.

While in certain designs or scenarios, the buyer may not notice the difference in blown PVC or CAST PVC (which prompts these printers to use the cheaper blown version), in the long run, it can create problems for the brand.

So this is how manufacturers manage to get their sleeve prices lower when they use blown PVC.

 

Problems With Blown Pvc

  • Thickness variations
  • Lesser gloss
  • Machine process scratch lines
  • Gel particles
  • Uneven shrinkage
  • Printability issue due to thickness variations
  • Lower shrinkage percentage
  • High natural shrinkage in room temperature

Other than the use of CAST PVC, there are some other ways printers use to reduce costs by compromising on specifications.

 

These include:

  • Lowering the thickness of the film
  • Reduction of ink GSM of white but compromising on opacity
  • Using non-shrink inks which may cause the ink to bleed or create mottling.

 

REALITY BITES

Packaging is the most important aspect of a product. And even though the consumer may use the product, later on, the buying decision still depends on the packaging.

  • Bad printing can lower your brand value, irrespective of whether you are an FMCG giant or an SME brand.
  • Poor packaging may even prompt a consumer to think the product is fake or duplicate.

That is why I recommend never compromise on the quality of your product’s packaging.

Since the cheapest packaging is not necessarily the right choice, it is better to aim for the right price for the quality of shrink sleeves you want for your products.

How to Know the Right Price Of SHRINK SLEEVES?

 

Here’s the correct approach:

  • See what should be the optimum pricing of the sleeves for your specs, and then negotiate in the tolerance of the costing.
  • Ask for a price break-up or cost-sheet. Judge the correct pricing, instead of going for the cheapest.

 

Here are some easy tips to get the best shrink sleeve pricing:

Low Quantities: If the quantities are low, choose the right printing technology to keep costs under control. For example, for smaller quantities, you can avoid investing in expensive cylinder costs.

Thickness: Always choose the right thickness of shrink film. Don’t buy higher thickness if it is not affecting the regulations or product.

PVC Vs PET-G: Right now, PVC prices are at an all-time high. So, switch to cheaper PETG and save costs. Also, ask your supplier whether they have the know-how to help you shift from PVC to PETG.

Innovation: Check if your sleeve buyer uses the H.I.P. framework or its equivalent so they can give you the lowest price possible as per the order quantity. You can avoid high inventory costs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The packaging of your products can make or break the shopper’s buying experience. So before buying the cheapest shrink packaging that can jeopardize your sales, look for a manufacturer who will offer you an optimum price for the right specification decided by your team.

If you need an expert opinion on which shrink film or printing technology to use for your products, feel free to book a discovery call with me at www.chetan-jain.com, and I will be happy to assist you.

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