Brand new look with flawless finish
As packaging’s importance in making a brand stand out increases, Tom Kerchiss of RK Print Coat Instruments explains how the right equipment makes all the difference
The sparkle and shine of metallised papers, foils and holographic material is particularly popular for seasonal gift packaging. For mid and mass market products, holographic foils and micro embossing can produce very fine and complex patterns.
In the case of products with a perceived cache such as top end cosmetics there’s a relationship between lines and individual items that is shown through the use of readily identifiable colours and logos across all packaging formats. In these instances, iridescent attention grabbing images would be regarded as unsuitable.
Perhaps more than any other packaging product sector the brand owner, marketer and printer/converter are united in a desire to produce a consistent product. For the printer the objective is to turn out a flawless product. This is one product sector where ‘looks really do count.’
Communicating colour
Communicating colour has evolved from purely subjective descriptions by the viewer to mathematical theories used to create colour matching and control functions that produce repeatable standards.
To help producers and suppliers standardise the basically non-standard art of coloration various techniques have been bought into play and new systems developed that ensures print/colour integrity is maintained. RK Print Coat Instruments produces instruments and systems that handle varying materials along with techniques to offset the variables of the manufacturing process. The K Printing
Proofer compact benchtop machine is able to handle any flexible substrate including films, boards, alu-foils and PVC which may be printed or laminated.
Featuring electronically engraved printing plates and offering variable print speeds of up to 40 m/min, high quality proofs using not only gravure but gravure-offset or flexo inks may be obtained very quickly. Excellent printability is assured with fine micrometer control (0.01mm) of impression and doctoring settings.
Multi-tasking, if the user wants to print flexo, a flexo head is fitted and ink is transferred from the printing plate to a plain or patterned stereo roller and then onto the substrate. Plain or step wedge plates can be supplied that correspond to the various densities required for the process.
For gravure-offset, the flexo head is used in conjunction with a plain rubber covered offset roller. A K Printing Proofer can therefore be used for both techniques with the possible addition of an alternative stereo/offset roller and printing plate. The K Printing Proofer can undertake a variety of laminating tasks – both wet and dry laminating samples can be obtained using the gravure print head in conjunction with RK’s K-Lam laminating accessories.
High quality gift packaging
Gravure has a role to play in many print applications including high quality gift packaging where photorealistic quality may be desired. RK Print’s GP100 compact benchtop device produces high quality proofs using gravure inks of press viscosity. Any flexible substrate can be printed.
Incorporating a microprocessor controlled servo drive, it offers a high degree of controllability with variable printing speeds of 1 to 100 metres/minute.
In operation, ink is transferred from an electronically engraved printing plate directly onto the substrate which is attached to a rubber impression roller.
Doctor blade and roller adjustments are made pneumatically, allowing for repeatable settings to be made very easily as and when required.
RK Print Coat Instruments
T: +44 (0)1763 852187