Printing Techniques PDF

Printing basics ○ Color Separation Only one color is printed at a time Color images require multiple printing steps There are multiple printing stations within the printing operation One color will be applied at each station...

Printing basics ○ Color Separation Only one color is printed at a time Color images require multiple printing steps There are multiple printing stations within the printing operation One color will be applied at each station Generally, use CMYK(process colors) Can also use spot colors CMYK process The four colors used to color printing ○ Registration = color alignment Colors must fit together properly to make images Registration marks help ensure that the printing plates are lines up correctly, so that the image comes up with the colors in the right place Registration mark center = origin ○ Spot Colors are much more precise ○ Varnishes and coating Protect substrate from scuffin/scratching and when handling or in contact with moisture/chemicals Varnish Ultra-Violet cures-UV is a liquid clear coating applied to the substrate and then dried by ultraviolet or UV lamp Offers most dramatic effect when it comes to contrast More durable than aqueous coating Coating Aqueous-water based Protective coating Dry fast so more cost effective Not susceptible to fingerprints Makes print more durable ○ Progression of finishes Glossy A smooth shiny surface, or a substance that makes something appear shiny Matte Dull and flat; without a shine ○ Flood varnishes Covers entire press sheet No plate needed Flood varnishes can be glossy or matte but cannot be a mixture of both ○ Spot Varnishes A spot Varnish is a varnish coating that is put on only a portion of package Requires Special plate to be created for the press Treatment like additional color ○ Why does this matter?  When we(packaging professionals provide the structural die lines to graphics team we need to alert them to NUmber of colors Weather or not the colors are process or spot Print marks and where to place them Varnish/coating requirements ○ Press runs As a packaging professional Check Color on first run Help printer optimize ink Agree to standard Provide approval ○ Printing processes Offset lithography(Litho) Image place produced photographically Imaged areas accept oil based ink Transgert from the origin to the material is the offset in the name Most common type of printing used to packaging components Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transerd from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based to the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat image carrier Offset lithography is ○ High quality ○ High speed ○ Large Capital investment ○ Long cycle times ○ Slow drying ○ High labor requirements Rotogravure “Rotogravure” Is rotary configuration of gravure ure printing process ○ In gravure printing the ink is contained in “wells” and it then transferred directly to the substrate ○ In rotogravure, the printing place is a cylinder ○ Doctor blade removes excess ink Flexography Flexo plates are attached to the printing cylinder using adhesive tape Ink is metered onto the plates using a transfer roll, known and anilox roll Most rapidly growing printing process  Major markets for flexo include, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and labels Screen printing Screen printing presses ink through a fine mesh screen onto a substrate ○ You control where the ink goes by covering up areas of the mesh Digital printing Digital printing used inkjet or toner to apply ink to substrate guided by computer. ○ Printing process can crush flutes in corrugated board Result = reduced stacking strength Poor quality Offset litho printing can be applied to label and adhere to outer liner on corrugated case Provides cleaner look No lines through ink Highly detailed premium graphics Packaging for e-Commerce ○ E-Commerce Buying and selling of goods and services using the internet, and the transfer of money and date to execute these transactions Main types of ecommerce Business to consumer(B2C) ○ When a business sells a good or service to an individual consumer Business to business(b2b) ○ When a business sells a good or service to another business Consumer to consumer ○ When a consumer sells a good or service to another consumer Consumer to business ○ When a consumer sells their own products or services to a business or organization Examples Retail ○ Sale of a product by a business directly to a customer without any intermediary Wholesale ○ The sale of products in bulk Dropshipping Crowdfunding Subscription  Physical Digital Services ○ E-commerce BRanding challenges On different screens colors and print can look different ⅔ of shoppers visit no-retailer sites Damage free delivery ○ E-commerce effects Reduction of impulse purchases Rarely impulse purchases User interface instead of packaging Computer screen replaces package for visuals Shoppers focus almost entirely on op third of page For mobile visibility drops after first few scrolls ○ Challenges for groceries Food safety Brand recognition/loyalty Product protection Solution Intelligent packaging:sensors that monitor the environment within the package and communicate information with consumer ○ Cold chain shipping Transportation of items that must remain within a certain temperature range Packaging Innovations and technologies ○ In order to create packaging innovation there has to be a positive impact in all three areas of business, technology, and people. ○ Packaging benefits to society Protects people and environment Protects products for human use Drives business and technologies ○ Innovation Innovation is The introduction of an original idea, or a new way of doing something Innovation is intangible, opposed to technology which is tangible Technology can be used to implement innovation, but the technology itself does not produce innovation ○ Technology Technology refers to the tolls, methods, and systems used to solve problems and achieve objectives Packaging technology aims to solve problems within the packaging industry using innovation Can be implemented through  ○ Materials ○ Designs ○ Processes Technology can be ○ New to company ○ New to industry ○ New to world In the retail environment ○ Stock keeping unit SKU S specific items numeric identifier represented as a bar code that allows inventory to easily be tracked and that is used to identity every product in retail Universal product code Numeric that is used worldwide for tacking trade items in stores ○ Upc is for external use by all business in the supply chain ○ Category Disruptors Enhance the customer experience in a meaningful way and elevates the brand among its competitors. Services unique brand personality in a memorable and emotive manner ○ Consumer behavior The study of how customers satisfy their needs and wants by choosing, purchasing, and disposing of good ideas. And services/ Different buying behaviors Extended decision making ○ YOu spend more time evaluating the looks and use of the product. And how you will feel about it after purchasing it Limited decision making ○ Consumers are faced with limited varerty of availability of the product on the market Habitual buying behavior ○ Not a lot of thought or research into buying a product that is incredibly cheap and available in masses at the same time Variety seeking buying behavior ○ Consumers engage in variety seeking buying when they want to try out a similar products of various brands out of curiosity ○ Fators influencing decisions Selection Impulse buys An unplanned purchase Decision to purchase occurs when costumer is alerady in the store Packagings main role is to attract attention from potential buyers  Design thinking ○ Divergent thinking Explore possibilities ○ Convergent thinking Decide what to do ○ Iterative process Repeating the overall process to improve outcome each step is cumulative and carres on to the next step ○ The process Start by gathering information 1.Empathize:Understand needs, thoughts, emotions, motivations ○ 2. Define:Meaningful and actionable statement of the problem ○ Create a problem statement Base it on information gathered while empathizing Must contain 3 parts Description of user A need An insight Do not be too generic or specific Being too broad makes problem solving harder Being too specific eliminated optopms ans limits creativity Do not try to solve too many issues in one instance 3.Ideate:Idea generation for concepts and outcomes ○ Generate as many unique possibilities as you can Balance fluency and flexibility 4.prototype:Iterative process of developing sambles that answer questions ○ Create engineering drawings 5. Test:Ask for feedback from users ○ Does your package meet the requirements? ○ Determine what worked and what didnt Counterfeit products ○ Counterfeiting is done to produce a copy that passes as the original Tend to introduce their countefeilt products into legitimate supply chains