Hot Stamp Printing: Time to Transform Your Brand

Hot stamp printing is a process whereby an engraved image, hot stamping die or type, is heated and then forced down fronting a part with a marking foil sandwiched in between. It is a dry printing technique of lithography in which pre-dried ink or foils are fronted to a surface at high temperatures.The surface where the die meets the part is where the ink from the foil makes its mark. Though this may be a simplified description of hot stamp printing, it is the basis of the mechanism, and where you need to start.

How Does it Work?

The press-hardenable material heats to over 900 degrees, to an austenite temperature in an oven, during the initial stage of the press line. The material is then transferred quickly to a press, and the part forms while the material is heated. The part then gets a cooling - put in a water-cooled die basin - for some few estimated seconds at the bottom of the stroke. During this process of cooling, the material's grain structure converts from an austenitic state to a martensitic condition.

Why Choosing Hot Stamping?

• Hot stamping can be applied to mark a multitude of different materials, the most common substrate being plastic.

• The most positive part about hot stamping is that it is a dry process. You don't need to have a bunch of degrees in chemistry to operate a hot stamp printing machine as you don't need to bother with mixing inks.

• Hot stamp printing is a long-lasting process. When a component gets printed with a fitly formulated film, it can withstand some very harsh situations. When applying a metal die against a plastic part, you can brand the part at the same time. So, if it happens that the color fades or wears off, the labelled image will remain there.

Advantages of the hot stamping technique

High Tensile Strength.

Some relatively complex parts are produced in a single-step die when applying modern hot stamp printing process. The outcome is a complex, near-net-shape part possessing yield strengths, many times stronger than a mild steel part.

Complex Components

Multi-component assemblies can be re-designed and formed as one element. Hot stamping permits the forming of complex parts in one stroke thereby eliminating some downstream joining processes such as welding.

No Springback

Most probably hot stamping's most significant merit, apart from its strengthening capacity, is its stress-relieving capability that resolves shortcomings with springback and warping. These two present a common problem when forming advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and high-strength steel (HSS).

Hot Stamp Printing: Utility to Businesses  

Producing business cards, promotional stuff, compelling product packaging, and so on, are essential for the effective promotion of any company. While it may seem plausible to accomplish that by using regular printing methods, there are still other attractive surface techniques that are ideal for producing more compelling surface treatments as well.  The hot stamp printing machine employs foil and fuses the foil material into the surface, ideally on paper to produce a brilliant surface shine that looks professional and stylish.

Conclusion

Hot stamp printing is a permanent process. When you mark a part with a fitly formulated foil, it can withstand some very rough conditions. When applying a metal die on a plastic substrate, you can effectively brand the part at the same time. So, if the color should fade in the course of time, or wear off, the labelled image will remain. Is your business using this printing technique? Share your comments and experiences with foil printing or any alternatives you may be using.

Recycling of Shrink Sleeves Labels: A Positive Future Outlook

Shrink sleeves offer a lot of benefits to brand owners such as label landscape for product promotion, placement of information and scope for creation of decorative packaging. The shortcoming for shrink sleeve labels is, however, recycling. The issue of sustainability and recycling that still continues to muddle the label and packaging industry. This kind of label mandates removal before recycling the pet bottles.

Findings on Sleeve Label Material

Recyclers, nonetheless, have witnessed progress on shrink sleeves. They are working hard to find feasible solutions to difficulties encountered in recycling containers that use shrink sleeve labels. Things are getting much better for the future recyclability of shrink labels. According to the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), a trade group, new label technologies are commercially available from many suppliers.

The challenge that exists now is to drive these technologies into actual commercial use. APR is hopeful about the future of shrink sleeves’ recycling. More and more companies today are creating sleeve label film that is easily separable from the PET bottle at the time of recycling. Historically, sleeve label material has been made from glycol-modified PET or PVC. Both PET and PVC plastics sink in water and mix with PET flake. The development of new polyolefin label by a few of the label manufacturers, however, offers an option for label pieces to float in a separation tank.

Recommendations of the APR

Companies using shrink labels need to follow the recommendations put forth by the APR. It recommends companies to use sleeve labels that remain afloat in water and isolate them from PET flakes in a sink or float material separation step. They also recommend using printed label inks that do not stain PET flakes while washing or rinsing during the recycling process. It is necessary for companies to use an APR guidance document to examine the effect of a label on PET bottle recycling. Moreover, they need to utilize shrink sleeves labels that leave minimum 20 percent of PET bottle surface area open.

Research of the APR in 2013 showed recyclers spending about two to four cents per pound of reprocessed plastic to remove shrink sleeves. The use of these labels registered seven to nine times growth from 2007 to 2013.

The Road Ahead

Brand owners of consumer goods are mindful of sustainability and recycling issues when it comes to shrink labels. They are all set to adopt easily recyclable shrink-sleeve label film. Renowned companies such as Coca Cola shifted to recyclable shrink sleeve material for its holiday orb bottle. The big challenge, however, is the pace at which the companies can push the use of recyclable shrink sleeves label.

Why Unique Wine Labelling is Indispensable for Wine Brands

Will a bad label hamper the sale of a wine? Does a weird color combination on a wine bottle turn off buyers easily? Graphic artists have been working on wine labels for quite some time now, and they know what works best.

Ask an occasional imbiber the kind of wine they prefer and you will get ‘umm’, ‘hmmm’, ‘well’ and all sort of vague and considered replies. While oenophiles may come up with spontaneous responses, the majority of us who are not oenophiles will resort to these vague responses. But, if asked what kind of label one prefers, you are guaranteed to get some surprising replies as if everyone holds a degree in graphic designing. From occasional drinkers to wine enthusiasts, almost everyone cares about the label of the wine they buy, regardless of how the wine tastes. The first impression is the last impression, and that’s why top selling wines have good labels.

Evolving Wine Labels: The Need of the Hour

A wine label is technically the first point of contact between a brand and a customer, so it should be reflective of what’s in the bottle and what separates it from other brands. An attractive wine label can make a good wine more desirable and bad wine salable. Making it on the market boils down to whether the label makes a positive or negative first impression. In recent past, a huge number of wine companies targeting millennials have entered the market, with wine labels and packaging designs that are more animated, modern, and artistic, as compared to the aesthetics of traditional designs. You can, however, still have a unique traditional label and work around it a little to make it attractive and eye-catching. For example, here are some of the coolest wine labels of all time.

1. Antica Terra Pinot Noir Erratica- Rocks always look cool and so does this label.

   2) Big Table Farm wines- Simplicity at its best!

    3) The Tentacle- Red Wine: Tentacles all around the wine, definitely an eye-catching design.

    4) Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian- Surely promises some dark and rich wine inside the bottle.

Growing Potential Customer Base

The young generation of drinkers represents a huge untapped customer base still in the phase of exploring wine options. The young generation ages 18-29 or 19-34, has been a driving force for changing wine label designs and styles. Wine companies around the globe realize the potential of this growing customer base, which is one of the reasons wine labels and packaging have to be more unique and eye-catching these days.

The Way Forward

As you can see, wine labels and packaging have not been immune to trends affecting other consumer goods. The need of the hour for wine companies is to take a leap forward with their labeling and packaging, and realize the potential in millennials’ growing buying power. Also, the growing recognition of the value and increasing influence of the internet on shaping consumer perceptions, wine companies are being compelled to change the way they brand themselves starting with their labels and packaging choices. Considering so many factors, it is important that a wine company creates labels and packaging that have synergy with their brands and target markets. If you are looking for a label printing company for wine labels in Texas, make sure you factor in the quality of it’s previous labels before signing on the dotted lines.

3 Essential Ideas Brewers Should Consider at Beer Events

"As competition in the global beverage market hots up and brand owners look for innovative ways to catch consumers’ attention, the label is emerging as the primary message carrier." Carol Houghton reports.

The beer market is exploding incredibly with almost every state in the US having, at least, one microbrewery. In addition, with so many beers available to the people,  a lot of consumers are making their choice based solely on the beer labels. A lot of reliable researches have reviewed that beer drinkers claim that the glimpse and style of the beer labels can be as important as any other factor. 70% of those surveyed testify that the brand of beer one chooses says a lot about one’s personality. So, as an established brewer, you can utilize this possible niche and leverage this opportunity to boost your business brand through platforms such as  major beer events.

                   

3 Essentials to Boost Your Brand

1. Expand Your Network

As a well-established business, you need to identify the possible and high-yielding niches. If you are looking forward to launching your brand and attract more customers to your batch, then probably it would be a great idea for you to go out there and infiltrate as many beer events as you can. Here, you can get a ridiculous number of customers to try your beers without exerting too much effort. If you own a well-established brewery and want to leverage your market share, you need to be quite selective on the events that you wish to sponsor. Make a list of the top beer events throughout the year, then go out there and brew a shocker.

2. Market Your Brand

You should strive to keep up with competition among a multitude of people and other several people and other breweries. Your goal is to drive them into liking your beer and also keep their memories revived. In so doing, you can be assured that more customers we'll be buying your products later on. At the same time, you need to take note of what your competitors are doing to market themselves and see how you can measure up to them.

3. Choose the Right Style of Beer

Bringing the appropriate beer for the event is one of the most important factors for managing a successful beer event. For instance, if you have been around for a few years, you might as well want to keep the crowd in ecstatic moods by introducing one of your rarest releases. Some people may not be familiar with your other styles, and this will provide a playground for you to showcase the other side of your coin,  and of your breweries.