Consideration of Print Methods for Production of Packaging - Case Study Example

Lecturer: Introduction Structural designing of packaging material requires some important considerations such as whether it will be printed and which method will be appropriate for printing. These printing requirements determine the strategies and machinery to be used in manufacturing the packaging material. The design of packaging material has significant influence on the accomplishment of marketing goals. The final label on the packaging material needs to be envisioned in the marketing goal. The graphic quality needs to highlight on the point of purchase expression with precise and consistent colours. The printing also needs to illustrate functional quality to send a clear message to the consumer. The inks and associated varnishes need to be environmental friendly. This paper discusses the task of developing retail packaging for a new product, which will be a folding carton with a three color print. The product and package will be produced in a small town in China and then shipped and sold in the United States. Print Methods for Smaller Runs Letterpress printing is one of the methods that would be considered for the smaller runs. This is one of the major label printing technologies that are capable of great quality illustrations and effective process resulting in clean typescript since it applies dense ink. It is possible to customize the print out as per the market requirements by building a personalized letter press. Less effort is required especially when the colors to be used in the press are limited. However, its set-up is slow and might be expensive and therefore may not be suitable with regards to maximizing profits. Only one color can be published at a time but for many colors to be printed, the material has to be passed through a sequence of printing levels with midway drying. Furthermore, the technology is becoming outdated as most big presses are no longer in service and its inflexibility may make it unsuitable for contemporary design processes (Pinya & Mark, 2007). Flexography is a more advanced form of letterpress printing and might be more favorable in this case. It is faster and more economical compared to letterpress and is capable of fast indentation, hot engraving and die cutting, which are important in modern printing requirements. The method allows standardization of labels to enhance consumer satisfaction. It helps to avoid sharp contrasts in the labels that may generate both deep and shallow spectacle due to uneven ink, which is not good for high consumer classes. Flexographic prints are usually brighter and highly saturated. The combination printing allows the production of numerous fine labels. It is the most appropriate method for printing three color combinations. However, letterpress printing uses UV ink that is more environmental friendly compared to flexographic printing. On the other hand, a halo shape may emerge round the fringe of a dense colour on big format presses. The printing process is also limited with a 150 line screen being the lowest size that can be applied on large format presses. The method is also problematic with regards to the reproduction of information in the tuning (International Trade Center, 2005). Digital printing can be an efficient way for marking and putting codes on the cartons. It can be effectively used for shorter print runs through the use of ink and laser jet printers in electronic systems. Its effectiveness is accomplished through printing without direct contact with the material to be printed and hence avoiding interference on the final product. Scanned as well as computer generated images can effectively be printed on the cartons thereby making creative design possible to increase the appeal of the packaging container. Moreover, the printing can be personalized as per the marketing expectations. High quality definition labels are produced through this method thereby generating the highly desirable competitive advantage. However, digital printing is not without some drawbacks such as the problem of matching color and appearance. Moreover, digital printing may not be effective in a wide range of substrates and different carton board weights. For example, it may not work for carton board weights of more than 350gsm. The fonts of digital printing are also a limiting factor for varying printing works (International Trade Center, 2005). Larger Production Runs If the product does well and goes into larger production runs, rotogravure can be considered since it is only economical for long runs that are necessary to minimize waste. This method is a simple and straightforward printing process that does not have problems with the balance between ink and water. Few variables are involved making the color consistent. Many steps that can hinder efficiency such as sheeting and die-cutting are eliminated thereby making it a fast and reliable method. This efficiency is increased by roll feeding and its alignment with a die-cutter. Moreover, it is possible to put on different quantities of coating with inversely fixed cylinders, which can be used for numerous impressions (Kirwan, 2013). Rotogravure is the most appropriate method for metallic inks compared to other methods. Ink drying is accomplished immediately through evaporation and therefore it is easy to deal with the final stage of printing whereby quality is likely to be tainted. On the other hand, the method can be applied in a wide range of paper quality to produce excellent print out. Nevertheless, it is an expensive printing method due to the high cost of the printing plate cylinders, but beneficial for larger, high speed production runs. Another disadvantage is the occurrence of a saw tooth outline on the periphery of a single dense color, which may have a negative impact on the eventual outcome of the printout. Low quality print outs may result due to the use of water based inks that are inferior to solvent based inks (International Trade Center, 2005). Offset lithography is also a method that can effectively be applied for larger production runs. According to Pinya S. & Mark S. (2007), offset printing is considered to be the best printing method in the packaging industry, with more than 40% of all the packaging printing jobs being done through this method. The method is simple and displays a distinct boundary between the image and non-image parts making it produce an excellent print out. Both are characteristically on the same level of the surface. It is relatively economical due to the low cost of plates especially for short production runs. However, the method is complicated in that it involves sixty probable tunings on every print unit to achieve the right print. Failure to do this may lead to poor quality print outs. Furthermore, its use requires significant experience to ensure that the ink and water are balanced for a proper output. The method is time consuming since it needs extra drying time prior to cutting. More time is also required since the print is normally in the form of sheet and thereafter requires a separate process of die-cutting. Even though the process requires a significant investment for equipment and the necessary set up, it becomes relatively cheaper to apply the method when the necessary infrastructure has been established. It would therefore be necessary to consider applying this method when business grows to a level that necessitates large scale production so that return on investment can be achieved (Kirwan, 2013). Conclusion It is necessary to determine the most appropriate printing methods that can be applied in the various levels of production to increase efficiency and minimize wastage. Letterpress printing, flexographic prints and digital printing can be considered for small runs. However, flexography would be more appropriate in this case. For larger run productions in future, offset lithography would be most appropriate. References International Trade Center (2005), PACKit Cross-Cutting Module: Packaging Design, Technical Paper, International Trade Center Kirwan, M. J. (2013), Handbook of Paper and Paperboard Packaging Technology, 2nd Edition, Wiley-Blackwell Pinya S. & Mark S. (2007), “The importance of packaging attributes: a conjoint analysis approach”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41(11) pp.1495 - 1517 Read More