It is undeniable that today all brand owners and processors want to achieve this ultimate goal: to stand out and differentiate their products from the competition. There are many options open to us: price, service, technology, product availability, and brand, and they are all valid. This means that companies must continually improve to maintain or achieve a leadership position.
With globalization and a large number of converters capable of printing to the highest quality on flexible packaging, no matter how they do it and take service for granted, brand owners are obviously looking for something different and unique in order to increase their sales. People only spend three seconds picking a product off the shelf. This is pure statistics. In fact, people spend more time looking at their smartphones than looking at their products.
So, what would one do to become “the chosen one”? In other words, how does one design the packaging to stand out from the eyes of discerning customers? We at Jupiter Laminators have thought of something that we do to differentiate ourselves. After metallic foils, glossy or matt lacquers, which have almost become a commodity, we put something extra in flexible packaging to get the attention of our customers.
HOLOGRAPHY – AN IMPORTANT ALLY
This is where holography and all its benefits come into play in the flexible packaging market. Holography has traditionally been a niche market as finishing in narrow web offset printing, as well as in other technologies such as cold stamping or embossing. Holography was rarely seen due to its high cost and the lack of machinery to perform it. Holography is capable of providing infinite, unbeatable, and eye-catching properties to any type of packaging that makes the product stand out from the consumer, and flexible packaging is no exception.
If we could imagine a well-known company logo with a particular holographic pattern on top, whatever you want, probably any marketing department, it would be amazing to explore further. This is because multi-dimensional effects, glow effects, or colorful 2D holograms give brand owners and converters unlimited design options.
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING SOLUTION
Also, but not least, holography acts as a security barrier against counterfeiting. Did you know that supposedly up to seven percent of products in flexible packaging are counterfeit?
Today, most companies complain about the large number of counterfeit products that are packed in very similar packages on the market. Believe it or not, heavy bags of cement can be fooled if their contents are expensive enough to be counterfeit. And many more will come, from familiar pharmaceutical packaging to flexible food packaging in general. There is no point in spending a fortune to create a new brand that includes all the advertising and marketing involved, as that new brand can be easily manipulated.
ADDED VALUE DUE TO SUSTAINABLE HOLOGRAPHIC PACKAGING
And how is this holographic effect created? What is this technology based on and how can customers use it?
The holographic process is carried out by laminating a holographic film on a printed sheet (front or back) on which a UV varnish has previously been applied. This coating can be applied to a specific print area in an opaque, random, or precisely recorded manner. While these two surfaces are in contact, ultraviolet light passes through the film to cure the lacquer, so that the surface relief of the holographic film is immediately sprayed onto it.
The two films are then delaminated and the holographic film is rewound for future use. No material is transferred from the film to the backing, as is the case with cold film: therefore no lacquer is transferred to the film. This allows multiple uses compared to holographic film. The effect can be applied to a wide variety of substrates, from monolayer LDPE (diapers, detergents) to laminated PET (wet wipes, vertical bags), from CPP (food packaging) to paper (shopping bags).
We at Jupiter Laminator’s have a full-fledged holography division with:
• Cast and cure process
• Transfer embossing
• Hot stamping
• Standalone embossing and coating
• Twin process of coating and embossing
• UV drying and hot air drying
• In house shim preparation
• Customized and exclusive designs and security features
• Machines from reputed manufacturers like DIAVY, ITALY
• Most modern processes to impart gloss and cosmetic appeal to the packaging
• Incorporating registered or general security features. Effective anti-counterfeiting tool