FAIRFIELD, Ohio—Color Resolutions International (CRI) announced the expansion of its narrow web ink blending to its La Verne, Calif., facility. This expansion will permit new and existing narrow-web converters and printers same-day or next-day delivery or pick up.
There’s nothing easy about manufacturing—no matter what the product. It requires a finely tuned confluence of equipment, materials, and people, along with a host of additional factors that can make the difference between success and failure. In package printing, inks play a key role in the manufacturing process—to say the least. There’s plenty of other peripheral processes required to get printed materials out the door, but inks and their “kissin’ cousins” such as coatings and adhesives, are what makes these materials a printed product. Today there is a lot of activity within the ink world. As a material category, inks have been hit
Specialty inks are the cherry on top. Just like cherries add a little something extra to a gooey hot fudge sundae, specialty inks give consumers a special treat that enhances an already attention-grabbing package. “Packaging converters in today’s marketplace are routinely looking for innovative ways to attract consumers to the shelves,” says Joe Schlinkert, technical director, Color Resolutions International. “Increasingly the converters are asking their ink suppliers to develop inks that truly stand out and grab the consumer’s attention.” He explains that some approaches being used include phosphorescent inks that glow in the dark, high luster metallic inks, pearlescent inks that change color based
LINCOLNTON, N.C.—Water Ink Technologies, Inc. recently donated water-based flexo inks in support of the Printing and Graphic Arts Program at the Careerline Tech Center in Holland, Michigan. The Careerline program offers a complete course in graphic arts and printing that includes flexo. The students in the flexo program use a Mark Andy 830 press for projects and hands-on training. The Careeline students also compete annually in The Phoenix Challenge ,which is a nationwide flexo skills competition held in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information call Dale Henderson, director of Careerline Tech Center at 616-702-8601 or Water Ink Technologies at 704-735-8282, www.waterinktech.com
Package printing is not for the faint of heart. One needs to look no further than packaging ink systems to get an understanding of the complex nature of printed products for the packaging market. Inks can be water-based, solvent-based, or radiation-cured systems; they can be developed for specific processes such as offset, flexo, gravure, or screen; and can be compatible (or not compatible) with different coating, lamination, or adhesive systems. Some are designed for use with specific substrates, while others are applicable for a wide range of substrates. These are just the basic, top-level considerations. Beyond these, there are a multitude of functional,
J ACCEL GRAPHIC SYSTEMS The Sentinel Ink Management System is an electronically-controlled, completely automated cartridge-based ink dispensing system. Write 941, Visit www.accelus.com, See Ad p. 26 American Water Graphics Water-based ink systems for flexo printing applications. Write 942, Visit www.awg-ink.com Braden Sutphin Ink Company Supplies high-quality sheetfed, flexo, and other inks. Write 943, Visit www.bsink.com Colorcon NO-TOX® printing inks are ideal for packaging and labeling that directly contact food surfaces. Write 944, Visit www.colorcon.com Deco-Chem UV flexo, water-based flexo, rotary screen, conventional, and UV screen printing inks; UV adhesives; and letterpress. Write 945, Visit www.decochem.com DNP IMS America Offers a wide range of wax, wax/resin, and resin
