Label printing technology inventory

End users, what do you need?

In marketing management, there are 4P—product, price, place, and promotion. But the so-called marketing 4P will soon become obsolete. Instead, it will be marketing 4C theory, namely: customer needs, costs, convenience, and communication—a customer-centric approach. The era of marketing has come and we are preparing for the Swordsman River.

In the label industry, material suppliers, equipment suppliers, label suppliers all ask invariably: Dear customers, what do you want?

The entire label industry chain is our reader. So, we are asking every day: readers, what do you want to see?

When talking to senior editors, we mentioned that we should focus on the end users. They also said in unison - "Demand! Of course their needs!"

Obviously, almost every kind of demand that the end user sums up can be a big topic, such as daily chemical companies' confusion about arc bottle labeling, for example, pharmaceutical companies are struggling to improve the anti-counterfeiting technology of labels, such as The wine industry wants to constantly introduce new products, and every user wants to be able to save costs. As long as we remember, "this period of focus" is not the "supply and demand information column" on the Internet, daily newspapers, and weekly reports. With direct benefits, we would like to hope that the “focus in this issue” can give you a touch of thought and even a sudden discovery. Making the subject deeper and better is the advantage of magazines over other magic weapons.

Why is there this focus? Because many end users reflect that not all printing technologies are familiar with them, and sometimes there are blind spots or misunderstandings. Without investigation, there is no right to speak.

Apply a few terms in 4C: We will “communicate” with end users irrespective of “cost” to meet “customer needs” and provide greater “facilities”.

There are needs, we will try to meet.

Label applications are becoming more and more popular, and label printing technology and equipment are receiving increasing attention. In recent years, label printing and label equipment manufacturing companies have become a new force, absorbing the advantages of various printing and postpress technologies, and gradually forming a relatively independent system to adapt to the diversified development of label applications.

Offset: quality and flexibility
What is offset printing? Offset printing is accurately called lithographic offset printing. The printing plate includes an ink-prone part (image part) and an ink-insensitive part (blank part). The surfaces of the two parts are basically in the same plane, using the oil-water phase. The principle of exclusion is to print only by adhering ink to the image part. Offset is printed in an indirect way with a blanket transfer. Compared with embossing and gravure printing, the highlights of the printing plate are better reproduced and the perfect reproduction of the image hierarchy and text can be achieved. Another kind of paper can also be used as a substrate, which is a very practical printing method.

The main advantages:

1. Wide variety of substrates;

2. Faithfully reproduce the manuscript and obtain a level reproduction similar to the manuscript.

3, adapt to multi-color printing;

4, can achieve double-sided printing;

5、Adapt to high speed printing;

6, the number of prints can be more or less, you can do short version of live, you can also do long version of live;

7, the price is moderate, with a competitive advantage.

Limitations:

1. The overprinting property of the ink is slightly poor, and the ink emulsification and dryness are prone to occur. At the same time, the ink layer is relatively light, which is not suitable for printing bright color label products;

2, the printing speed is slower;

3, ink balance control is more difficult;

4, poor durability.

Field of application: Printing of various types of paper labels.

Future trends: With the rapid development of digital technologies, offset press manufacturers are more concerned with providing users with a full set of solutions. Offset presses introduced at this stage include almost all format specifications, and the color group structure and configuration are flexible and diverse. Sheet-fed offset presses are developing in more color groups, higher automation levels, and more suitable for short-run color printing. In addition, super-large-format sheet-fed offset presses have been launched. Although digital printing may be the future direction of development, offset printing is based on mature technology and perfect performance. The flexible combination is still the most widely used printing method in the world. The position of offset printing will not change for a long time.

International players in the field of offset printing equipment: Heidelberg, Manroland, KBA, Mitsubishi, Komori, Akiyama, etc.;

Domestic masters: Shanghai Guanghua, Beiren, Zhongjing Group, Wei Haitian, Shanghai Goss, Ziming, etc.;

End-user representatives: Shanghai Kawang, Zhejiang Nais, Shanghai Xiafei, Shanghai Jahwa, and Chongqing Taiji Group.

Silk screen: practical and anti-counterfeiting
What is screen printing? Screen printing belongs to stencil printing. It is called four printing methods together with lithography, embossing, and gravure printing. It is the use of silk fabrics, synthetic fabrics, or metal meshes that are stretched over the frame. A stencil printing plate or a photochemical plate making method is used to make a screen printing plate. In modern screen printing technology, screen printing plates are produced by photolithography using photosensitive materials (such that the screen holes in the graphic portion of the screen plate are through holes, and the screen holes in the graphic portion are not blocked. live). During the printing, the squeegee presses the ink through the mesh part of the graphic part and transfers it to the printing material to form the same image as the original. It is said that it can be printed except that the air and water cannot be printed. "Universal printing method".

The main advantages:

1. The printing adaptability is extremely strong. The surface of different printing materials such as metal, plastics, ceramics, glass, paper, and fabric can be printed on different types of printing surfaces regardless of the size of the printing area. Any other printing methods cannot be compared and replaced. ;

2, simple process, less investment, quick effect;

3, thick ink layer, strong three-dimensional, good ink, bright color;

4, can use a variety of types of ink: oil, water, synthetic resin emulsion type, powder and other types;

5, strong light resistance, better color than offset printing;

6, printing format large;

7, with anti-counterfeiting features.

Limitations:

1. It is not suitable for reproducing originals with fine lines and dots;

2, register accuracy is poor;

3, slower speed;

4, only suitable for the expression of text and bright lines of monochrome sets of original manuscripts and large contrast, clear-colored manuscripts. Applicable areas: a large number of cigarette labels and high-grade wine labels, beautifully printed, and anti-counterfeit;

Future trends: The research and development of water-based screen printing inks has attracted the attention of screen printing material companies and screen printing processing companies; screen printing materials will be developed in the direction of high quality, water-based inks, high-mesh screens, high resolution The photosensitive adhesive will be the future direction of development. In the past, the mid-to-high end market for photosensitive adhesives was occupied by foreign products. Now some domestic manufacturers have begun to produce resin-type photosensitive products with high resolution and high printing rate. The domestically produced low and medium grade screens can basically meet the needs of the domestic market, but they are high-grade. Wire mesh still needs to be imported, and research and development of high mesh screens will be the future direction of development. Screen printing will play a major role in the field of security printing. The combination of screen printing and traditional printing will be used more widely.

Silk screen equipment international protagonists: Austrian MHM, US M&R, Australian TAS, etc.;

Domestic masters: Shanghai Dayang, Shanghai Sanyin, Shunde Yong'an, Shunde Kiri, Shanghai Shuo Xing, etc.;

End-user representatives: Shenzhen Jinwei, Tsingtao Beer, Budweiser, Wuhan Red Dragon, Yunnan Hongta, etc.

$Page break $
Gravure: efficiency and stability
What is a gravure: gravure printing plate, the printing part is lower than the blank part, all the blank parts are in a plane, and the printing part of the depression degree varies with the depth of the image. The image is dark in color, the corresponding part of the plate is concave deep, and the amount of ink in the plate corresponds to the light and dark levels of the original picture and text. During printing, the entire printing plate of the plate cylinder is covered with ink, and then the ink on the raised blank portion is scraped off with an ink scraping device, and then the paper is put under pressure so that the ink on the printing portion is transferred to the substrate. Finish printing.

The main advantages:

1. The ink layer is thick, the ink color is even (can be reached in different batches), and the ink layer is dried quickly, which is the first choice for film printing;

2, high speed, wide width, low consumption, less downtime;

3, adapt to a wide range of media, PVDC, PET, PE, NY, CPP, OPP, BOPP, composite film and other materials with the same properties of the film, paper, etc.;

4. The product has a wider range of adaptability, especially for flexible packaging, where the cigarette pack represents a very high printing process;

5, the equipment's comprehensive processing ability is strong, can add gloss, laminating, coating, die-cutting, slitting, drilling, cross-cutting and other processes; convenient maintenance and repair, long life cycle.

Limitations:

1. In traditional printing, gravure images and text use the same resolution, resulting in burr of text and lines, not enough detail;

2. The electroplating process in plate making is unavoidable, so it is easy to bring about environmental pollution;

3, the plate making cycle is long and the cost is high;

4. The shape of the electric engraving and engraving needle determines that the web pit is a cone font, so half of the ink volume cannot be transferred;

5, the general use of solvent-based ink, is not conducive to environmental protection, health and safety.

Field of application: printing of large quantities of paper and plastic labels.

Future trends: The successful development of environmentally friendly inks such as alcohol-soluble inks and water-based inks has promoted the technological advancement of gravure printing to the largest extent. In the field of plate making, the search for substitute materials for chrome-plated steel rollers and copper rollers will continue to reduce costs and improve Economic Benefits of Gravure Printing, Shortening Pre-press Adjustment Time, Eliminating Short-run Printing