Special Effects

With little time to make an impact on customers, converters can benefit from using stamping and embossing techniques, like MPI Label Systems did with its “Windmill”label, which won Best of Show in packagePRINTING’s Excellence Awards Competition.

February 2009 by Missy Smith

multipage

Decorative foils continue to hold a strong presence on consumer product labels and cartons. Studies show that more than 70 percent of purchasing decisions are made once they are at the retail store. This provides brand managers and packaging designers the opportunity to set their products apart from others on the shelf through eye-catching labeling and packaging. 

Foil has proven to have a significant impact on the buyer’s decision when choosing an item off the shelf. A study conducted through Perception Research Services tested shoppers on the appeal foil has on a brand’s shelf impact. It showed that foil-decorated packaging had a consistently positive impact on aesthetic appeal, product expectations, and brand imagery.

Wine products highlight the value placed on the labels that brand the beverages inside. Even more than other consumer items, wine purchasing decisions are mostly determined once the consumer is in the wine section of a grocery or liquor store, according to Jeff Peterson, executive director of the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA, formerly known as the Foil Stamping & Embossing Association). Because of this, a large majority of the labeling is decorated with foil and/or embossed images. This is an effective and creative way to get the customer’s attention, says Peterson.

Latest in application machinery

With larger folding carton applications, especially when the decorated foil is concentrated on the front of the carton or in a certain area of the carton, conventional foil stamping equipment is still the ideal choice for adding a metallic foil look, according to Peterson. But in recent years, the industry has learned new ways of applying foil that have opened up opportunites in different markets of the package-printing industry. For example, the latest foil stamping technology allows sheets to run in excess of 6,000 sheets per hour in perfect registration—ideal for large-run folding carton applications, he explains.

Many changes have taken place with foil application in the label industry—labels are now foil-stamped inline on a flexographic press as the label is printed, for example. Although this is not new technology, says Peterson, it has only become a popular addition for flexo printers in recent years. Previously, flexo presses had to run at decreased speeds to accomodate the rotary foil stamping on one of the units. “Inline rotary foil stamping can run at much higher speeds due to the machinery and foil technologies available, providing an efficient option to apply the foil inline with flexographic printing,” Peterson explains.

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