Printing & Coding on Flexible Packaging
Printing on flexible packaging can present a unique series of challenges for manufacturers and suppliers. Although flexible packaging sounds like an odd concept, it is part of our everyday life as consumers. Imagine the date code printed on your bag of potato chips or the roast date printed on a bag of coffee beans, these are both common examples of printing on flexible packaging.
Food products are the most common form of flexible packaging we encounter in our day to day lives, but this type of wrapping or packing is commonplace in other industries such as health & beauty, cleaning supplies, beverages and cannabis. Flexible packaging can be made from a variety of materials that each present their own unique needs from a printing, labeling, and coding standpoint. Common flexible packaging materials include paper, plastic, aluminum foil, coated paper, film, or a combination of these materials that may be porous or non-porous. The material and the porosity will determine the type of printing and labeling machinery and software needed for a manufacturer.
The range of materials and diversity of industries utilizing flexible packaging means a unique set of needs depending on the industry. To best assess the needs and requirements of your industry, verify all regulatory requirements for your manufacturing type. This is an especially important aspect of flexible packaging printing for the food industry due to the need for information like expiration dates or coding for traceability purposes in the event of a product recall. Traceability is of the utmost importance when dealing with products that could have potential health or safety implications.
We have outlined the importance of traceability in another blog post.
What to Consider When Printing on Flexible Packaging
In addition to any regulatory considerations, manufacturers must consider the unique characteristics of their production line. Packaging operations, like the variety of packaging materials, have many many different variables.
What Codes Do You Need to Print?
The biggest bullet point item when it comes to considering flexible packaging is what codes you need to print. The main differentiating factors of printable information on packaging are whether they need to be scannable or not. Non-scannable information that would need to be printed on packaging include packaging dates, expiration dates, and lot or batch numbers. These items simply need to convey information to the observer. Other details need to be printed in a scannable format such as barcodes and QR codes.
For the scannable information, a manufacturer must have hardware that reliably codes in high resolution on the packaging material utilized. Thermal inkjet printers are best for this task as they encode at a higher resolution or DPI (Dots Per Inch.) Non-scannable codes and information are perfectly suitable for continuous inkjet printers that can reliably print legibly countless times.
What is the Speed of Manufacturing?
The speed at which a manufacturer’s production line moves is another key factor in determining the proper hardware needed to print on flexible packaging. Continuous inkjet printers are able to encode at a rate of 300m/minute, making them more suitable for higher volume operations where encoded information does not need to be scannable, only legible. Continuous inkjet printers have the ability to handle more packaging shape and contour variation, as well as being able to print and code from a larger distance from the product.
Thermal inkjet printers, alternately, are able to encode at a rate of about 100 m/minute. Thermal inkjet printing is also better suited for flat surfaces for legible printing of scannable data and also requires a closer proximity to the unit they are coding. Take these factors into consideration for determining the best type of printer for encoding flexible packaging.
What Ink is Best for Flexible Packaging Printing?
Using the best ink available for your printing on flexible packaging is imperative. Regardless if you’re using continuous inkjet printing or thermal inkjet printing, the goal is always to have the most legible / scannable information. Consult the experts at AMI to get assistance with choosing the right ink for your printing and coding needs. Whether you need solvent-based inks or water-based inks, in an AMI printer or an OEM printer, we are happy to assist!
AMI specializes in in-line coding, marking, and print and apply label equipment and technology and our knowledgeable staff can assist manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers alike. Call 1-800-345-6667 or have someone call you.