Mark Andy

Short-run printing is no easy task, but when done right, the rewards can make it all worthwhile. PACKAGE PRINTERS ARE facing a future marked by shorter production runs that may pose challenges for even the best of today's printers. Meeting these challenges head on will require investment in technologies that are geared toward the ultimate in flexibility. Printers will be getting all the help they need from press manufacturers who are making tremendous strides towards maximizing the uptime potential of their new press offerings. "The well-known trend in the market is toward smaller runs for various reasons," observes Terry Trexler, product manager

Want the look? Want the feel? Converters tell packagePRINTING why rotary screen printing is the process of choice for producing stand-out labels and containers, despite its extra costs. IN THE LAST few years, rotary screen printing has pretty much become a prerequisite for label converters looking to keep up with competitors and their own customers' requests. Its ability to produce a look, as well as a feel, not achievable with other printing processes has made rotary screen printing "almost a necessary evil," said Dan Plash, sales manager, Telstar Engineering. "It's getting to the point that label printers are almost being forced into adding screen

Narrow-web flexo converters look to benefit from new technologies and market trends, but competitive pressures will be formidable. BRAND OWNERS WANT high-quality packaging and labels that increase product differentiation, produced in shorter runs. Those are taxing demands, but the narrow-web flexo industry is positioned to deliver. Today's market trends offer an opportunity for narrow-web flexo converters to grow their businesses in the face of industry consolidation, competition, and financial pressures. It's a simple formula: What consumers want is what consumer product companies (CPCs) want their converters to deliver, and new narrow-web technologies are making that possible. "Narrow-web converters, press manufacturers, and CPCs are all

Divide and conquer may be the key to success in some endeavors, but for package printers, combining processes is a clearer way to winning. COMBINATION PRINTING MEANS different things to different people, but that's the nature of the beast. It includes different printing processes, along with various other processes, to accomplish one thing—add value to the printed product. That is the game—adding value to the product to meet customer needs. By combining a number of processes, printers can use the strengths of each particular process to provide the best possible look for a product. There are several requirements driving

Q.C. Packaging Systems takes Best of Show in packagePRINTING's 18th Annual Excellence Awards competition. Q. C. PACKAGING SYSTEMS (Mississauga, Ontario) will take home this year's Best of Show honors for the intricate printing and packaging of its "Buick Rainier" compact disk case. This entry was the first place winner in the Folding Cartons—Flexo (Process) category. The consistent color, the diecut registration, the UV inks with water-based coating, and the quality of the flexo printing job made this year's judges of packagePRINTING's 18th annual competition look twice at the CD case. Commenting on the print quality, Clemson University Instructor Dean Gilbert said, "This piece could

Food CPCs are taking a serious look at smart packaging, exploring inventive ways to protect their products and consumers. FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES cause more than upset stomachs. According to the Center for Disease Control, food poisoning results in more than 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,200 deaths in the United States each year. Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports that 3.2 million children under the age of five die of food-poisoning-related illnesses annually. The statistics are grim, but there's hope. Beyond better food-handling methods, packaging is becoming another avenue for food companies to better protect their consumers from the hidden dangers of organisms such as Salmonella, E.

Recipe for Success - Growth is Key

Improved raw materials help spur growth of energy-curable inks. LUCK IS WINNING the lottery with a million-to-one chance, or catching the winning homerun ball in the deciding game of the World Series. But luck rarely has anything to do with success, as is the case with energy-curable inks, which have been increasing in demand thanks to the results of a lot of money, time, and energy spent in R&D. In the last few years, use of ultra-violet (UV) and electron beam (EB) inks has continued to grow with the introduction of new curing technologies, better inks, and lower costs for both. UV inks have

Growth is key to any converter's success, and Weber Marking Systems is flourishing. TAKE ONE CONVERTER, add in Mark Andy presses and accessories from such companies as AAA Press International and RotoMetrics and stir. Sprinkle in a variety of label substrates and inks, and allow to grow. Following such a recipe has proven to be a successful mix for Weber Marking Systems, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill. Weber Marking Systems, established in 1932 by Joseph Weber Sr., began with the production of stencils, addressing machines, and hand printers for print-and-apply labeling. But today, it has grown into a multi-faceted label and coding company serving

The role of digital printing is starting to take shape in the package-printing industry. by Tom Polischuk, editor-in-chief DIGITAL PRINTING FOR packaging is out of the starting blocks. It's new; it's exciting; it's expensive; and it's here to stay. As with any new technology, some are jumping in and some are watching from the sidelines, waiting to see if it's right for them. Kevin Karstedt, president of Karstedt Associates, a consulting firm for the consumer product and package-printing industries, is in close touch with the movement of digital printing into packaging. He easily rattles off a number of recent installations including a range