Fred Elhami

AFE Industries Card Printing Group Purchase New Press AFE Industries, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., announced the installation of a new 10-color Aquaflex DBX Press in its US1 facility. President Fred Elhami, said, "The tag and label market is rapidly changing, and we are adapting by adding personnel and equipment to continue providing our distributors with exciting new products and services." The new 10" wide web press is equipped with 10 flexo print stations, an ultra violet silk-screen print unit, a variable imaging ink jet print station, a hot stamping unit, front and back laminating units, front and back ultra violet curing units and

Distributors stick with labels to lick market woes. The birth of modern labeling technology can be traced back to the 1700s, when labels began appearing on Guinness bottled ale and stout in Ireland, and on wine and liqueur produced in France. Eventually, canned food processing caused label usage to soar. In the 1920s, 3M developed masking and cellophane tape, which resulted in various pressure-sensitive applications, and universal product codes introduced in the late '70s spawned a multitude of bar-coded label solutions. Clearly, labels are one traditional product group that is thriving in our information-crazed, technology-obsessed society. Here, four executives discuss the impact of

Combinations and new wrinkles aid the rise of pressure-sensitive labels By Erik Cagle Pressure-sensitive labels can be all things to all distributors. These labels are an alternative to the traditional forms market, they can combine with forms in many creative ways, are among the leading products in terms of growth and the application possibilities are limitless. Naturally, stated Fred Elhami, president of Costal Tag and Label, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., many businesses want to get in on the action. "There are too many suppliers," Elhami said. "Really, it's everybody and anybody who has a printing press." Elhami stressed the need for a niche.