April 2011 — Design is one of the most important elements in the package and label product development process requiring careful thought and consideration not only at the concept stage, but also up too and right through the realisation stage, when the product is printed and/or converted. Packaging design plays a pivotal role in ensuring a customer’s perception of the brand is ‘positive’ in a meaningful way for research shows that shoppers ignore more than one third of store brands due to shelf clutter and individual lack of ‘stand out’ or product differentiation. Therefore the designer, marketer, brand owner and print/converting provider must make a good and lasting first impression through a combination of signatory colours, clear imagery and identity.
Just as a well-wrapped present is pleasing to the eye and raises expectations, so too can a well presented and colourfully printed package, this is especially true for product sectors such as cosmetics and toiletries. In sectors such as these there are a confusing array of products on the shelf, some of which, to add to the selection confusion are also heavily promoted in the media, which can put the consumer in a quandary as to which one to buy. Because there are so many make-up products, skin care, body care, hair care and perfumery products a customers final purchasing point decision may in the end depend upon the impression a colourful design makes on a printed carton.
In recent years, technology – driven by customer requirements has opened the door to innovations in print processes such as flexography, gravure and others.
More demanding commercial considerations however have placed a greater emphasis on controlling processing variables, to ensure a more consistent manufactured and printed product. The variables and potentials of flexography for example, sometimes make it seem difficult to hit a target consistently. From plate calliper to compressible mounting tape and substrate to proof, many factors can in essence restrict the ability to produce high quality print on a repeatable basis, hence the need for devices that enable process variables and inconsistencies to be bought quickly under control.
Colour communication devices developed by RK Print Coat Instruments such as the FlexiProof 100 and FlexiProof UV ensure product feasibility and print quality consistency. As RK Print Coat Instruments Managing Director Tom Kerchiss affirms: “ The sample/proof generated by a device such as the FlexiProof is regarded as a true visualisation of the reproduction process. The FlexiProof for flexo or our latest innovation, the GP100 for gravure processes aids printers and converters in their endeavour to consistently hit colour targets and maintain colour fidelity, even taking into account substrate changes, etc.”
The gravure printing process is known for its wide tonal range, ability to print on a broad range of substrates, and its high colour stability favours it for applications where print quality and design presentation needs to be of the highest quality, such as cosmetic and high value luxury items. Gravure has a well-deserved reputation for being perhaps the best printing method available and the new GP100 from RK Print Coat instruments is complimentary to the process.
The GP100 is a compact bench top device that enables users of press viscosity gravure ink to generate high quality proofs on any flexible substrate instantly. The device incorporates a microprocessor- controlled servo-drive and employs the same electronically engraved printing plates that are used to great effect on the company’s revenue generating Printing Proofer system.
In operation ink is transferred from an electronically engraved plate directly onto the substrate, which is attached to the rubber impression roller. Doctor blade and roller adjustments are made pneumatically and repeatable settings can be made for future tests. Variable printing speeds from 1 metre on upwards to a maximum of 100 metres per minute ensure optimum printability and controllability for those involved in the manufacture or use of liquid inks.
Tom Kerchiss says that the GP100 can be used for research and development purposes; for computer colour matching and data comparison; for quality control and for the production of customer presentation samples.
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Concluding, Tom Kerchiss states” “Design and colour in cosmetic and other high value sectors helps build brand image; for products designed to engender a ‘feel-good’ emotion colour fidelity and design presentation are critical. Colour communication devices such as the GP100 for gravure and the FlexiProof UV for users and producers of UV flexo inks help ensure that these goals are met.
For further information email sales@rkprint.com, www.rkprint.com
Source: RK Print Press Release
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