Attractive packaging is important for capturing consumers' attention and conveying the desired brand image. Embellishment provides various ways to achieve these goals. Printers of highly embellished labels for packaging have an excellent market position and focus on three key areas.
The result: efficient, profitable processing for exquisite, inspiring labels and packaging.
A strong, unique competitive position.
With the perfect coordination of design, foil, tool and substrate, extraordinary labels can be produced cost-effectively.
From a printing company's perspective, producing extraordinary labels is not a magical art. Many of the necessary skills are already in place, and any gaps in knowledge or experience can easily be filled by working with external partners.
A professional design briefing, in which the key players jointly define the project's framework conditions, is of the utmost importance and decisive for efficient project management. Those involved include the customer, the designer, and — crucially for feasibility — the printing company.
In many projects today, only the designer and the customer are involved. The result is often outstanding designs that are either impossible or extremely time-consuming to produce. However, the early involvement of the production manager brings a great deal of expertise to the project, ensuring that feasibility is considered from the outset.
Efficiently producing highly embellished labels often means pushing the technical boundaries of all the disciplines involved. The quality of collaboration between designers and printers is a decisive factor in the efficiency of the process, as well as the quality and price of the end product. Additionally, forming a close partnership with a suitable tool manufacturer and establishing a competent network for queries relating to substrates, foils, and process technology is recommended.
“The best results are always achieved when designers and customers involve print professionals at an early stage and inform them of their wishes and requirements. Costs can be saved and quality massively increased in just one meeting.”
Oliver Jung
Innovation Manager
Service model
Designer & Label Engineer as service provider
At the Pantec design partner #eskju a designer and an experienced printer and label engineer form a team. Idea and feasibility form a unit — unnecessary setbacks and redesigns are a thing of the past.
Partnership model
Close partnership between designer & printer
viergestalten design, the Pantec partner for the Laola label, is a close cooperation partner of Etiketten Carini and knows both the machinery and its possibilities, working closely with the Carini production team.
In-house model
Own design department in the print shop
Many customers have set up their own design department. Very short communication channels allow demanding projects to be implemented quickly — including a network with local partners for tools, foils and substrates.
The concept phase for sophisticated labels is highly exciting because it brings together creativity and technical and economic feasibility. This tension must be redefined for each project, as each one brings new requirements. When it comes to embellishment, the challenge lies in selecting the most suitable refining techniques from the wide range available. The design must also be optimised so that it can be produced efficiently.
Often, marginal changes or adjustments in the design result in enormous cost savings or increased productivity.
Example Tequila label: a clearly structured process ensures a high-quality result
The embellishment element of the design accounts for the majority of costs in the manufacturing process. The embossing machine has a significant impact on the speed of the process and thus on productivity. Slight adjustments to the design can often significantly reduce foil consumption. A smart design can also reduce tooling costs and, consequently, set-up costs.
Knowledge of materials and tooling is very helpful in optimising the embellishment process. The company's own experience, its wide range of sample books, and its competent contacts at supplier companies help with this on a daily basis.
Foil embellishment can be carried out using either the rotary or flatbed process. Each process has its own advantages depending on the production conditions.
RHINO® S 410
In case of open substrates or cardboard, which is often used for luxury labels and packaging, flatbed processing is the first choice.
Systems like Pantec RHINO® achieve perfect results on those substrates and provide multi-foiling, embossing & foiling in register.
The cooperation between tooling manufacturer and label printer or designer plays a central role, especially in complex flat embossing refinements. If micro- and nanostructures are to enhance the label, the tool plays a decisive role. And it is the toolmaker’s know-how that gives the label the high-end touch that is required.
Of course, it is an advantage if the designer takes into account what the machine can do right from the design stage.
The tool manufacturer's briefing should include background information on the embellishing machine, as well as specific descriptions of the desired embossing effects, foil application, and embossing temperature. Topics such as 3D proofs and embossing should also be agreed upon in advance.
Flatbed Hot Stamping Tool
“High-quality wine, sparkling wine and spirits labels are never standard and so the road to the optimal tool is not done with an order by email.”
Oliver Jung
Innovation Manager
Substrates and foil types play a central role in the selection of the right materials. As a rule, the substrate is selected in the first step of a project. Factors such as optical impression and haptics play a central role. However, it is also important to ensure that the selected paper can reproduce the printings, embellishments and finishings desired in the design.
On the basis of the substrate, the technically suitable foils are then selected on the basis of the following parameters:
Colours
Effects
Embellishing process: flat/rotary
Further requirements such as overprinting, …
Foil manufacturers can draw on a wide range of products. Some foils are better suited to overprinting, while others are better suited to embossing. Furthermore, the release time of foils can be selected according to the embossing process and speed.
Those who do not yet have the necessary experience in selecting foils can seek assistance from the manufacturers, who will be happy to help you choose the perfect foil.
Ready to take the next step?
From the design brief to the production-ready label, our team will support you by selecting the right machine, foil and stamping tool for your application.
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