October 2003 Issue
Bean Town Business Builder
With a proven track record for strengthening businesses and organizations, Aladdin Label's Tom Cobery is packagePRINTING's TLMI 2003 Converter of the Year. TOM COBERY SAYS that it was "almost comical" how he got into the label printing industry back in the early 1980s. His contributions, though, to both the industry in general, and the TLMI in particular, are no laughing matter. His leadership in guiding two companies and the TLMI down a path of solid growth has earned him this year's selection as the TLMI Converter of the Year. An accountant by training, Cobery received a degree from Bentley College in
Bravo! Bravo!
One big round of applause for McDowell Label and Screen Printing, the 2003 TLMI Best of Show Award winner. For more than 26 years, the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) has been hosting its annual awards competition. With numerous entry categories, a variety of companies enter multiple times. This year proved to be no different. With 273 entries, it's no wonder the judges continue to comment on how difficult it is to select category winners. "The show continues to get better each year," noted Mike Buystedt, judge and director of new market development at Azko Nobel Inks. "The labels
Color management part 2--press fingerprinting
Press fingerprinting for color matching lays the groundwork for a collective color vision. WHEN YOU MAKE most of your living writing about technology, you have the privilege of picking the brains of some very well versed subject-matter experts. Opinions vary of course, but I've found that the most impassioned, most expressive leaders all have one thing in common: Vision. A motivational speaker once told me that it was vision with a capital "V" that made it possible for U.S.-born Gertrude Ederle to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel in the 1920s. She described how each time
Laser engraved anilox rolls
As demands for higher anilox cell counts increase, manufacturers are developing new strategies for creating the best anilox roll cell configurations. While the printing industry as a whole waits for its flat line to break and begin an upward climb, one segment remains relatively healthy and competitive. Flexo, the once red-headed stepchild, continues to eke out market share as more consumer goods manufacturers elect to protect and decorate their products with the pouches, bags, sleeves, and shrink wraps that are especially well-suited to the flexo process. Flexo's place at the packaging table has been hard won. Though the process has
Metallic inks shine on
As the quality of metallic inks improve, their roles in package printing are greatly expanding. LIKE HOWARD CARTER, who unearthed the sparkling splendor of King Tutankhamen's tomb 81 years ago, package printers are discovering a valuable glimmering brilliance of their own: metallic inks. The shiny, eye-catching inks have been used for years due to their ability to make packages stand out on store shelves and to create a certain air about packages. Gold inks pop off the shelf and give a look of tradition and richness. Silver inks give a similar appeal, and can also make the product appear cutting edge
Metallic packaging jumps off the shelf
Metallized papers and films add pizzazz and value to products. PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED to shiny objects. It's innate. And whether they know it or not, people carry their fascination of luster into the grocery store where they tend to opt for products in sparkling packages. It's that gloss and glimmer catching the consumer's eye that makes metallized papers and films ever increasingly popular materials with brand owners and package printers. "Metallized substrates are proven substrates in helping to gain market share," said Robert Hazen, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Hazen Paper Co. (Holyoke, Mass.). "The emerging trend
Spinning dies turn a profit
Rotary diecutting systems offer speed, versatility, and reliability. IN THE LAST several years, rotary dies have come a long way. No longer can flatbed diecutting systems claim to handle a substantially wider array of substrates and offer a higher degree of detail than their rotary die counterparts. Thanks to newer advances like machine sharpening and laser die hardening, and new steels, coatings, and processes, rotary dies have surpassed the versatility and effectiveness of flatbed dies. In fact, rotary dies have a score of benefits to offer printers. Advantage: rotary dies Converters are taking a serious look at rotary diecutting systems. They
You outta be in film
Experts say much of narrow-web flexo's growth lies in films, but converters must carefully choose technological tactics to combat the competition. "Paper or plastic?" used to be a standard question grocery shoppers would hear on their way through the checkout line. These days, many store clerks don't even bother to ask for a preference. Plastic bags have captured more than three-quarters of the grocery and convenience store market, and are often the only type of bag seen at the checkout. The grocery bag debate has long been closed, but "paper or plastic?" is becoming an ever-more-burning question for printers in
