Reporter Clips
- Published: October 01, 2002, By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor
Narrow Web Converting Industry News
Coming Events
Oct. 18-21: Envelope Mfrs. Assn. Annual Fall Meeting, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA (703/739-2200; envelope.org).
Oct. 20-23: Tag & Label Mfrs. Inst. Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency Lake Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (630/357-9222).
Nov. 19-21: Holo-Pack/Holo-Print 2002, Reconnaissance Intl., Hilton Metropole, London, England (303/779-1096; reconnaissance-intl.com).
MACtac Material Sends “Greetings from America”
STOW, OH, USA—MACtac, a worldwide supplier of p-s label materials, was in the national spotlight as the US Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its series of 50 “Greetings From America” self-adhesive stamps April 4, 2002, in New York City. MACtac participated in the contract award for the p-s material used on the USPS's first issue of a panel of 50 stamps in ten years.
As a qualified supplier for the USPS's commemorative stamps, MACtac has provided materials for a number of p-s stamps, including the release of 2001 Holiday Santa stamps and 2002 Winter Sports for the Olympics stamps.
The “Greetings From America” 34-cent stamps were issued concurrently in every state and feature flora, fauna, and points of interest from each state. The designs reflect the retro large-letter postcards of the 1930s and '40s that were used to advertise cities, states, or tourist attractions. The new stamps serve a similar purpose and promote patriotism as well as tourism.
Trade School Offers Pantone Flexo Color Guide
CHARLOTTE, NC, USA—The Flexographic Trade School (FTS), teaming with Pantone Inc. and eight vendor sponsors, has developed the first Flexographic Pantone color guide, entitled “The FTS Flexographic Application Guide in Popular Pantone Colors.”
Vendor sponsors include Trinity Graphics, Raflatac, Harper Corp. of America, Mark Andy/Comco, Lohmann, Environmental Inks, Akzo Nobel, and American Die Technology.
The application guide was created to assist in matching Pantone colors used in flexo printing. It offers designers and printers a tool that shows how a color will appear with a high-gloss UV varnish (OPV) on coated and matte coated p-s label paper. The guide contains 48 flexo packaging colors printed on two different Raflatac p-s substrates, a 60# gloss and 60# matte coated.
For more information contact FTS at 704/504-5008; weareflexo.com.
HP Tests Substrates for Indigo Press 3000
ROCHESTER, NY, USA—HP reports testing of compatible substrates for the HP Indigo Press 3000 (formerly Indigo UltraStream 2000) is underway at the Printing Applications Lab. (PAL) of the Rochester Inst. of Technology (RIT), in Rochester, NY.
Since 1999 the laboratory — an independent substrate-compatibility center — has provided standardized testing procedures for sheet- and web-fed substrates used on all HP Indigo presses. The HP Indigo Press 3000, which represents the latest generation of HP Indigo digital presses, joins two others on-site: the HP Indigo Press 2000 (formerly Indigo Omnius WebStream) and HP Indigo Press 1000 (formerly Indigo Platinum).
According to Rick Mangold, general manager of HP Indigo North America, the RIT lab's procedures benefit substrate manufacturers as well as HP Indigo owners. Manufacturers often are present at the RIT lab when their substrates are being tested, which allows them not only to witness their products' performance but also gain first-hand insight into the capabilities of HP's digital print technology.
Once a substrate is approved, it is identified as certified and posted on the PAL web site (printlab.rit.edu). Stocks already certified include brands from Avery Dennison/Fasson, Dunmore Corp., Eastern Fine Paper, Folex Imaging, Fraser Papers, GE Polymershapes, International Paper, M-real, MeadWestvaco, Russell-Field, Sappi, SMART Papers, Stora Enso, Tekra, and Wausau.
Seal-It Shrink Labels Get Converter into “Jam”
FARMINGDALE, NY, USA—Seal-It's new, decorative, full-sleeve shrink labels are being used for “Palmalito,” a product of Palmetto Canning Co. All nine flavors of jams, jellies, preserves, and marmalades are using the Seal-It labels to provide tamper-evidence and improve label graphics, Seal-It reports.
Made of heat-shrink PVC, the full-body labels are reverse-printed in eight colors and are used on a round glass jar. Palmetto's goal was to offer a tamper-evident product and also find a label that would shrink to the contours of its jar.
Seal-It's combination label incorporates a tamper-evident seal with a horizontal perforation that allows the band to be released from the cap while the label remains on the jar. In addition, the 360-deg image area offers room for a UPC code and ingredients. Reportedly, the clarity of the film allows the customer to see the product, and the vibrant and glossy graphics on the label convey a tropical feeling depicting a beautiful palm tree, a colorful parrot, and various fruits. The labels are purchased on a roll for application on automatic equipment.
Increased Postal Rates Reduce Envelope Use
ALEXANDRIA, VA, USA—The Envelope Mfrs. Assn. (EMA) Foundation released a “demand forecasting model” recently for the envelope manufacturing industry that predicts a trend toward lower volume usage as postal rates increase.
The model is based on assessments of “postal price elasticity” and 2001 envelope market performance. The volume drop appears to accelerate with each successive increase in price, and it changes dramatically if smaller incremental price increases are implemented rather than larger increases. The model will be used for future analytical studies and will be another one of several EMA predictive tools.
For more information on the model, visit emafoundation.org.
AVT Acquires Geiger Vision Systems
HOD-HASHARON, ISRAEL—Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) Ltd., a supplier of machine vision-based automatic inspection systems for the printing industry, has acquired Munich, Germany-based Geiger Vision Systems (GVS) GmbH. GVS specializes in automatic print defect detection equipment for the label printing industry and posted sales of e700,000 in 2001.
To complete the acquisition, AVT will establish a subsidiary in Germany, into which all GVS activities will be incorporated. AVT Germany will focus on R&D and will be headed by GVS's founder and managing director, Axel Geiger. The purchase is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2002. The all-cash purchase price was not disclosed.
Renewed Interest in Expanded Content/Booklet Labels
OAK CREEK, WI, USA—Northwest Coatings has reported an increase in inquiries for UV PSAs and UV release coatings for the construction of expanded content/booklet labels.
Both the UV PSAs and UV release coatings can be pattern-applied to achieve the desired construction. In addition to creating a permanent hinge, various types of seal and re-seal properties can be created. Both the UV PSAs and UV release coatings are one-part systems that can be designed to run with various substrates.
Foam Tape Suited for Medical Uses
WINDSOR, CT, USA—Medifix 4005/868 from Scapa North America is a single-coated, medical-grade, p-s, foam tape for direct skin applications, including wound care, consumer dressings, and general medical fixation. It consists of soft, conformable 0.4-mm tan PU foam coated on one side with a medical-grade acrylic adhesive system. The product, which is said to be moisture vapor permeable, is supplied with an 80-gsm, white, glassine liner.
