Edited by Managing Editor Dianna Brodine Packaging and labels are increasingly important to the strategic future of the printing industry, with annual sales now worth more than half a trillion dollars, according to The Future of Package Printing to 2029 from Smithers. While traditional publication and graphics markets are static or in decline, rising consumption of … [Read more...] about Forecast of +3.6% CAGR for packaging print market: Smithers

In the last quarter’s article, we reviewed the importance of conducting a patentability or novelty search relative to our invention, as well as some of the publicly available patent databases for conducting such a search. Building off that article, we now will take the next step in our patenting journey by diving into more detail of how to conduct such a search for prior art … [Read more...] about Patent Parameters: How Do I Do a Patentability Search on My Invention?

There are many reasons to change an existing, presumably successful, packaging material – a desire to increase packaging speeds or lower packaging costs, a change in graphics, the need to lower material costs, etc. Recently, I was asked by a customer to review the company’s existing packaging materials with an eye to new technologies and packaging costs (while maintaining … [Read more...] about Substrate Secrets: Replacing Existing Packaging Materials Requires a Complete Cost Analysis

In the US, we are familiar with safety approval agencies like UL, ETL and IECEx, and others. At some point, readers might have encountered a product labeled with an ATEX approval and wondered what exactly it meant. In industries such as printing, where flammable atmospheres or combustible dust are present, safety is paramount. ATEX, short for “Atmosphères Explosibles,” is a … [Read more...] about Gravurexchange: Understanding ATEX Approvals and the Importance of Genuine Certification Labels

Drying is the removal of a liquid by evaporation. To offset evaporative cooling, drying requires supplying heat to the coating. But there also must be someplace for the vaporized liquid to go; in most cases, that means blowing air into the dryer box [1]. People talk about the heat needed for drying, not the air flow needed. This particularly is common with “do-it-yourself” … [Read more...] about Coating Concepts: How Do Drying and Heating Differ?