On Display--New Looks for Labels
Heat-Shrinkable Labels
A manufacturer and converter of PVC, PETG, and OPS heat-shrinkable labels specializes in clear and printed sleeves for plastic, glass, and tin containers. Heat-shrinkable printed labels offer a 360° sleeve area for graphics, which provides more opportunity for promoting package design. Up to nine colors can be rotogravure printed with very short lead times. The company’s contract sleeving division places sleeves directly onto packages for customers. Ameri-Seal Inc., Chatsworth, CA.
Polyethylene Films
A firm’s optiFlex Conformmax films are well suited for labeling irregularly shaped semisqueezable and rigid containers. The line’s newest additions are the PE30153 clear film and PE30453 white film, which are both part of the supplier’s lower-cost film line. The films are durable in moist and humid environments such as the shower, and prevent lifting, tunneling, and flagging. Both films are made from 3-mil polyethylene and are coated with acrylic adhesive and backed with a polyester release liner. They are suited for rotary letterpress, rotary screen, and flexographic printing. (This photo shows an older version of an optiFlex Conformmax label.) Flexcon Co., Spencer, MA.
In-Mold Labels
A supplier produced in-mold labels for Procter & Gamble’s Olay Ribbon Body Wash. Working with P&G’s package engineering group and LPK Design, the supplier developed the new clear in-mold label film, called M-415. The labels provide a “no label” look and add stiffness to the walls of the patented high-density polyethylene bottle, according to the supplier. Multiple printing processes were used, including holographic cold-foil printing to create high-gloss accents. Multi-Color Corp., Cincinnati, OH.
Digital Printing
Digital four-color process printing lets brands customize labels without the high cost of printing plates. It is especially useful for labeling numerous different packages of the same size. For the Brickhouse Soap brand, the supplier digitally printed white polypropylene labels. A matte lamination was applied to protect the label from the products’ essential oils and to add a soft-touch, silky finish. Prestige Label, Burgaw, NC.
Label Variety
A label specialist offers products ranging from full-color product labels to extended-text labels and hangtags. Its most recent technology is a new HP digital label press. The press is especially useful in producing cost-effective short to medium label runs for product lines that have multiple SKUs. The technology was used for labels for South Seas Spas. Labels West Inc., Woodinville, WA.