When durability is the question, screenprinted labels are the answer.
Cracked, faded, beat-up labels are not only ugly and ineffective, they can be dangerous. After all, what good is a warning label if it's so faded that it's become illegible? Or an engine label that isn't chemical-resistant? The answer is no good at all—and the solution is screenprinting.
Screenprinting involves pushing UV-cured or acrylic ink through a fine mesh screen mounted on a steel frame. The process offers vivid color, appealing texture and years of visibility and durability. Because of the way the inks adhere, and the versatility of screenprinting equipment, screenprinting can be done on a wide variety of materials in a wide range of sizes, from thick to thin, from tiny to huge.
Ideal for both indoor and outdoor use, screenprinted labels are weatherproof, waterproof and extremely resistant to chemicals and abrasion. They are, in a nutshell, one of the toughest—and most vibrant labels out there—so durable and eye-catching, in fact, that those who manufacture them suggest that distributors not call them screenprinted labels.
"Calling them screenprinted labels just doesn't do them justice," noted Keith Davis, materials manager at Tapecon, Buffalo, N.Y. He prefers instead the more descriptive moniker, "durable graphics."
"The keys to the durability are the amount of ink used and the amount of pigment in the inks," said Davis, explaining that screenprinting inks are 10 times thicker than other inks. This results not only in vibrancy, but al-so resistance to both sunlight and abrasion.
Davis noted that viable alternatives include vinyl-cut lettering and digital printing. "Vinyl-cut lettering provides some of the same qualities, but is limited to one color. And even the new digital printing methods won't last as long. There's just not enough ink laid down," he said.
What, then, does this mean to the distributor salesperson? It means that if a customer wants a product that will withstand harsh weather conditions and chemicals, will stand up to excessive abrasion and will remain vibrant and intact for years to come, screenprinting is the answer.
The Price is Right
While screenprinting can be a more expensive process than others, it isn't always. According to Davis, many low volumes can be less expensive than their flexo- or offset-printed counterparts.
"[Flexo] tooling charges can be high, since there is a bigger set-up for short runs than with screenprinting," said Davis. "In fact, there's an offset house down the hall from us that bangs out paper labels all the time. Every now and then a customer will come to us—one I know was quoted next door—and it will turn out that we're less expensive."
At higher volumes, however—500,000 or more—there are less expensive ways to go, assuming that the customer is content to live without the durability advantages screenprinting provides.
Another factor to consider is the resolution needed. Because of the larger dot size, four-color process screenprinting doesn't result in crisp, photo-quality reproduction. In fact, Davis recommends that four-color screenprinting be reserved for a graphic that will be viewed from at least 5´ away.
"Four-color process screenprinting is really not for very small, detailed labels," said Davis, who added that Tapecon has done 10 to 12 colors in the past, but it's been mainly spot colors. "Four-color screenprinting won't be picture-perfect, but it will always be more vibrant."
And it's this vibrancy, along with unmatched durability, that keeps screenprinted labels on the map. Although Davis admits that the long-run flexo market has taken a bite out of the long-run screenprint sales, and digital printing has had a negative affect on short-run screenprinting, screenprinted labels—true to their reputation—continue to hang tough.
"I've seen a lot of cracked, faded, battered labels in my life," said Davis. "The customers bring them to us wanting to know if there is something better. Of course there is—there's screenprinting."
By Misty Byers
- Companies:
- Tapecon
- People:
- Keith Davis