Mike Impastato

A growing number of inventive smart packaging and printing materials is helping brand owners reach out to consumers' five senses and lifestyles. FOOD PACKAGING HAS to do more than attract the eyes of shoppers nowadays. It has to relay information that will appeal to consumers with different lifestyles and diets, as well as provide an experience that enhances the overall perception of the product's quality. Brand owners have forced packaging and printing materials manufacturers to find new ways to do this in recent years. Health-conscious consumers have driven food makers to replace traditional packaging with breathable films and aseptic materials in order to eliminate

Print shops welcome cost-saving opportunities by bringing ink technology in-house with the help of suppliers. WHAT'S COOKING IN more of today's in-house ink kitchens are cost-cutting management practices and first-rate capabilities. Many converters can attribute this to special contractual agreements between ink suppliers and print shops. The agreements, many developed more than a decade ago, have helped converters bring inking competency and ink professionals on-site, allowing them to focus on printing during a time when the ability to handle more short-run jobs and fast turnarounds is imperative to stay competitive. From the beginning Ink agreements run the gamut, ranging from complete overhauls of the