premium markets. “Th e fact that the
ink is sitting on a brilliant white substrate
gives the resulting colors more
vibrancy and pop,” she says.
To capitalize, try using this time to get
a sense for the full range of stocks that
work well on your presses. Test, test, and
test some more. It might also be time
to invest in white ink to create pop on
clear substrates if you have not already
done so.
“Take vitamin waters, sports drink
and juices,” notes Frydrychowski.
“Many beverage companies are using
clear labels to showcase the product,
so you have to back images and type in
white to get the visual eff ect the brand
is looking for. Designers should work
with the pre-press /art department at
the label manufacturer to ensure the
desired eff ect carries through the way it
was envisioned.”
Menegon notes that designers should
be cautious when specing substrates
simply for their beauty and aesthetics.
“When it comes to labels, the substrate
still needs to have the necessary
mechanical properties such as UV resistance,
scratch, moisture, and adhesion,”
he says.
Unique Elements
Label designers are also moving toward
the truly unique, they are creating their
own fonts, mimicking hand-lettering,
and bringing back vintage and nostalgic
looks to tap into mood and create
diff erentiation.
Along these lines, you are seeing a lot
of new “earthy” feeling and environmentally
friendly label stocks, even
in areas you wouldn’t expect. Lecta,
for example, has introduced Metalvac,
a high-vacuum 100% recyclable
metallized paper, and Monadock has
introduced Kona, a line of label stock
made from reclaimed coff ee bean bags.
To produce Kona, Monadock is working
with partners to reclaim burlap
bags from roasters around the country
(millions of them), shredding the bags,
and putting them into label stocks.
“Th e sustainability component is a
design element,” notes Berghaus. “Th is
paper has been of particular interest
to brands of beverages using caff eine
or coff ee.”
To tap into consumers’ affi nity for
doing good, Resource Label’s Ray Press
in Alabama has developed a patented
label stock with embedded seeds for
consumers to plant the label and watch
the seeds grow. Seed labels consist of a
top ply of paper, seeds, and ink that are
affi xed to a clear fi lm base. Th e labels
can be applied by hand or automatically
in a high-speed application.
While not recyclable, the stock helps
marketers promote environmental
responsibility. “It can used as part of
a ‘plant your garden’ campaign, for
example,” notes Frydrychowski. “Or to
promote a company’s focus on green or
environmental issues.”
But you don’t need real seeds to create
a similar look. HP Indigo owners can use
soft ware called Mosaic, which generates
randomly millions of graphical fi les
from a seed pattern.
Cut It Out!
Part of the trend toward the unique
is growth in die cutting. While many
people think of die-cuts in terms of
shapes cut out from the label, there is
also growing interest in shaping the
labels themselves.
Naples Print Source in Naples,
FL, just invested in a Trotec Speedy
360, laser die cutting machine to do
just this. After spending 18 months
developing a business plan, Blase
Ciabaton, owner of Naples Print
Source, purchased the Trotec to meet
the needs of the competitive highend
invitations market his company
serves, but he is discovering its use
in labeling, as well.
“We purchased the Trotec for its ability
to cut unusual shapes and patterns,”
says Ciabaton, “but then asked, how
else can we delight our customers? So I
bought some label stock, tested it, and it
opened a whole new market we hadn’t
even conceived of.”
His fi rst in-house project was cutting
out a label in the shape of a client’s
logo — a skeleton key. “Th at was a test
to show them what it looks like,” he
says. “It’s not something people would
naturally think of.”
Resource Label Group sees growth
in die cutting, as well. It maintains
thousands of dies within its system,
ranging from standard shapes to
the truly unique. “In a category like
this, you see some very interesting
designs,” says Frydrychowski. “We
had a die created for one customer
that allowed the label to spiral up the
length of the bottle.”
But designers should consult with
their printers before coming up with
something totally outside the norm
since the label must be easily detachable
from the liner and correctly applied to
the container.
Expansion of Digital into
Heat Transfer
As digital production of labels continues
to grow, there is a push to see digital
make greater in-roads in markets
such as heat transfer and in-mold. Th is
has become a real focus for Xeikon
North America.
“We don’t normally think of these as
digital markets, but all of the value propositions
of digital translate here, too,”
says Covannon. She notes that Xeikon
is putting a lot of eff ort into developing
the prototype market, in particular. “We
also see its value for short-run branded
products,” she says. “For example, a paint
company might want to have unique
messaging on fi ve-gallon paint buckets
for a trade show.”
One of Xeikon’s customers, CDigital in
Baltimore, MD, recently won an award
for doing a heat transfer label on a fi shing
lure. Th e job was printed on the Xeikon
3030. By printing and colorizing the
holographic foil with diff erent images
and getting the transferring and application
chemistry right, the customer was
simply able to hot stamp the foil onto the
shape and add the fi nishing spray. Th is
process replaces the time-consuming
process of pad printing, followed by
manual spray painting the shape.
“How else could they have done that
but digitally?”, Covannon asks.
If you are a designer, HP Indigo’s
Menegon emphasizes that you should be
choosing your print partners carefully, especially
if you will be printing on digital.
“Digital printing is intended for fl at
surfaces, so heat transfer to round surfaces
requires an applicator (such as a
blanket) that can be made to a shape and
pass the heat on,” he explains. “Th ere
is a solution used by some HP Indigo
press owners, but they keep their magic
recipe for themselves. Th e same goes for
in-mold labeling, where some HP Indigo
users are fully dedicated to this application,
but keep the process confi dential.”
In all, whether it’s color or embellishments
or pioneering for digital labels in
markets like heat transfer or in-mold
labeling, this is a great time to be in
the label market. Set your customers’
creativity free. Set your expectations
high. See where the combination of your
craft smanship and their ingenuity will
take you.
14 Printing News August 2018 PrintingNewscom
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