Special Inks Make Cents
Glitter, pearlescent, fluorescent, thermochromic—even the names of specialty inks raise the specter of something exciting.
June 2006
by Tom Polischuk
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Specialty inks are just that—special. They can perform a multitude of functions for a package or its contents—from protection to jazzing it up, providing enhanced value in form, function, or both.
In discussing this topic with Bob Lorenz, vice president of business development for Sun Chemical, what comes across loud and clear is the excitement that this category can generate, even when looking at the specialty inks that are more functional in nature. Sun Chemical offers a full gamut of specialty inks that can meet virtually any need. One can just imagine a brand manager sitting across from Lorenz as he runs down the range of what these inks can offer in terms of marketability, brand protection, security, and function. It seems as though the sky is the limit, although in reality (a place where brand managers that are responsible for the bottom line have to reside), cost implications probably come into play well before someone gets their head stuck in the clouds.
The one downside to this category of inks is cost. They are definitely more costly than traditional inks, partly because of the materials and technologies that make them special, and partly because they are—to varying degrees—custom formulations. So, although a brand manager’s heart and head might be in the clouds, his or her feet must be firmly planted on the ground.
That doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that specialty inks aren’t a practical tool for use in brand packaging. When a product offers distinctiveness, graphic appeal, consumer safety, or brand protection and security, there’s a lot that can be justified.
Many options
Lorenz breaks the specialty inks category down into four areas: functional, safety, security, and novelty. The use of these inks clearly overlap in some of these areas, such as thermochromic inks, which can provide process functionality or product and/or consumer safety.
Thermochromic inks, which change color based on being exposed to a specific temperature, can be reversible or irreversible. Lorenz mentions some examples of reversible thermochromic inks like having a color change or a message appear on a label to indicate if coffee is too hot, or likewise, having a color change on a bottle of baby shampoo if the bath water is too hot. Irreversible thermochromic inks could be used to indicate that a sterilization temperature has been reached, or even if a low or high temperature has been exceeded in product transit or storage. Currently, Lorenz says that the majority of uses for thermochromic inks are for reversible applications.
In discussing this topic with Bob Lorenz, vice president of business development for Sun Chemical, what comes across loud and clear is the excitement that this category can generate, even when looking at the specialty inks that are more functional in nature. Sun Chemical offers a full gamut of specialty inks that can meet virtually any need. One can just imagine a brand manager sitting across from Lorenz as he runs down the range of what these inks can offer in terms of marketability, brand protection, security, and function. It seems as though the sky is the limit, although in reality (a place where brand managers that are responsible for the bottom line have to reside), cost implications probably come into play well before someone gets their head stuck in the clouds.
The one downside to this category of inks is cost. They are definitely more costly than traditional inks, partly because of the materials and technologies that make them special, and partly because they are—to varying degrees—custom formulations. So, although a brand manager’s heart and head might be in the clouds, his or her feet must be firmly planted on the ground.
That doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that specialty inks aren’t a practical tool for use in brand packaging. When a product offers distinctiveness, graphic appeal, consumer safety, or brand protection and security, there’s a lot that can be justified.
Many options
Lorenz breaks the specialty inks category down into four areas: functional, safety, security, and novelty. The use of these inks clearly overlap in some of these areas, such as thermochromic inks, which can provide process functionality or product and/or consumer safety.
Thermochromic inks, which change color based on being exposed to a specific temperature, can be reversible or irreversible. Lorenz mentions some examples of reversible thermochromic inks like having a color change or a message appear on a label to indicate if coffee is too hot, or likewise, having a color change on a bottle of baby shampoo if the bath water is too hot. Irreversible thermochromic inks could be used to indicate that a sterilization temperature has been reached, or even if a low or high temperature has been exceeded in product transit or storage. Currently, Lorenz says that the majority of uses for thermochromic inks are for reversible applications.
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