Page 38 - Packaging News Magazine Mar-Apr 2021

38
BEVERAGE PACKAGING | www.packagingnews.com.au | March-April 2021
How labels drive brands forward
Stephen Pratt, MD of Kurz Australia and New Zealand, tells us how drinks manufacturers can move their labels into the fast lane with the help of advanced, sustainable decoration solutions.
depth effects, with additional colours and metallic effects. Rough or matte substrates can create particularly appealing contrasts.
Of interest to the food industry, Lumafin does not contain alumin- ium. Spot effects can thus be achieved without the use of UV lacquers as part of the embossing process.
SIGNAL ZEST FOR LIFE
The cheerful play of light can also be captured on a label. The Light Line cold transfer products from Kurz shimmer in all the colours of the rainbow. Their diffractive elements reflect light in varying strengths. They tempt customers to play with the label and constantly discover new shimmering effects.
Taste experiences such as fresh- ness and refreshing character can be conveyed via the label. If brand owners want further design effects, the substrate finished by cold transfer can be overprinted. Kurz cold transfer products demonstrate their technical advantages, espe- cially at high speeds. They are pro- cess-stable and offer extremely good adhesion. Even the smallest design details are depicted with good edge definition.
Incidentally, the wide range of designs from the Light Line series can also be precisely applied using the hot stamping process.
GLAMOUR FOR EVERYONE
Metal-look labels tailored to the customer’s needs are on trend. They signal ‘We see you, you are impor- tant!’. However, the marketing mes- sage does not only work on the cus- tomer. Brand owners can also be distinguished by labels in bright metallic designs.
‘Digital printing’ is key. Customised labels or special edi- tions can be produced from quanti- ties of just one. Metallisation com- bined with individualisation is a competitive advantage.
Kurz offers converters and printers complete digital solutions for finish- ing. The package includes a digital finishing unit with matching soft- ware, plus coordinated consumables such as ink and transfer coating.
THE design of many drinks labels is still not making the most of all the possibilities – labels are often inconspicuous, do not appeal to the senses and fail to reflect cur- rent design trends. All of this would be easy to fix and is much
less expensive than brand owners may realise.
TEMPTING TO TOUCH
Labels with visual and haptic stim- uli attract more consumers. In research carried out by Kurz, together with a German brand man- ufacturer, test subjects were offered two identical containers with dif- ferent labels, one with a 3D effect, the other without. When the 3D label was touched, the holder could feel that the appearance was a visual illusion. Consumers over- whelmingly chose the products with the eye-catching label.
The container tested in Kurz’s research had been finished with the Trustseal SFX single image effect
from Kurz. It creates 3D looks on a variety of surfaces. The visual effect can be achieved for almost any con- ceivable shape up to a size of 10 x 10 centimeters. It can be created in any colour or metallisation, on paper or plastic, with hot or cold stamping processes.
So far, Kurz is the only company that offers this finishing effect. The deceptively real haptic effect on labels not only tempts customers to touch the product, it also can protect the product and brand, because the surface can be equipped with intel- ligent security functions. So counter- feiters have no chance.
MAKING MAGIC
Labels can also be enchanting. Mysterious effects can be achieved with the semi-transparent and high- gloss Lumafin stamping film from Kurz. It can make distinctive print motifs appear as though they are behind glass.
Designers can play with delicate
ABOVE: Labels for special editions can be produced quickly with digital printing.