L&L front cover glows

The Labelexpo Americas edition of Labels & Labeling features a glow-in-the-dark front cover developed as part of a major project with leading narrow web flexo industry suppliers. Andy Thomas reports

Take another look at your copy of Labels & Labeling 4, or pick up the magazine at Labelexpo Americas 2012 next week, and take it into a darkened room. You will see the image lighting up around the street lights and car headlights which form a central part of the Labelexpo Americas 2012 front cover design.

And that’s not the only special thing about the front cover. It was printed UV flexo inline by OPM Group in Bradford, England, using Kodak’s Spotless technology and Kodak Flexcel NH digital plates. All inks and coatings were supplied by Zeller & Gmelin. The job was printed on a Nilpeter FA4 servo press and sheeted offline by AB Graphic. Plate making was carried out by Reproflex 3 and artwork amendments and pre-production work carried out jointly by Reproflex 3 and OPM Group. The material is Transfer Satin Tag 175 (175g/m2).

The job specifications are as follows:

First print - Inside front cover

Printing Speed: 50m/Min (164ft/min)

Inks: UV-Flexo: Zeller+Gmelin UVAFLEX Y77 (4 color set)

Anilox roller:

• -  Cyan UVAFLEX  Y77-S1300A:                1000lpi                4,0 cm3/m2
• -  Yellow UVAFLEX  Y77-S1100A:           1000lpi                4,0 cm3/m2
• -  Magenta UVAFLEX  Y77-S1200A:        1000pli                4,5 cm3/m2
• -  Black UVAFLEX Y77-S1400A:               360lpi                   6,0 cm3/m2

Second print - Front side

Printing Speed: 50m/Min (164ft/min)

Inks: - UV-Flexo: Zeller+Gmelin UVAFLEX Y77 (4 colour set)

             Zeller+Gmelin Silver OPTFLEX 53 907

             Zeller+Gmelin Phosphorescent varnish OPTFLEX 53 05043

             Zeller+Gmelin Matt varnish OPTFLEX 62 779

Anilox roller:

• -  Cyan UVAFLEX  Y77-S1300A:                1000lpi                4,0 cm3/m2
• -  Yellow UVAFLEX  Y77-S1100A:           1000lpi                4,0 cm3/m2
• -  Magenta UVAFLEX  Y77-S1200A:        1000lpi                4,5 cm3/m2
• -  Black UVAFLEX  Y77-S1400A:              1000lpi                4,5 cm3/m2
• -  Silver OPTFLEX  53 907:                          400lpi                   6,0 cm3/m2
• -  Phosphorescent varnish OPTFLEX 53 05043:               150lpi   36,0 cm3/m2
• -  Matt varnish OPTFLEX 62 779:            500lpi                  5,2 cm3/m2

Kodak Spotless Technology

Kodak Spotless Technology allows printers to choose their own ink sets according to answer press and customer requirements. The choices available are of four, five, six or seven color process builds. The four color process build is composed of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) colors while the rest fill in colors outside the CMYK color gamut.
Using the Kodak Spotless technique reduces downtime since the spot colors are quickly simulated by base process color screen tint builds, and wash-ups between these jobs are not needed. This single ink set provides a wide gamut of colors yet multiple runs through the press are unnecessary. Kodak's Spotless technique combines separate print runs into one job, creating spot color value. It also allows for creativity since multiple spot colors can be incorporated at no extra cost.

OPM Group

OPM is a multi-award winning printer of high quality self-adhesive labels and flexible packaging.

OPM offer an extensive range of products including decorative prime labels, blank labels, peel and re-sealable products, dry peel/piggy back promotional labels, security labels, thermal transfer labels and film lamination, flexible laminations packaging, flexible food packaging, adhesive laminations, foil lamination printing and wipes film.
OPM manufacture products for many leading blue chip companies, famous brands, contract packers and industry worldwide supplying key market sectors including food and beverage, personal care, automotive, household and healthcare among many others.

Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co.KG

Zeller+Gmelin is a specialist manufacturer of quality printing inks with more than 140 years of research, technology and experience. Since 1970 the company has been active in UV curing technology and is one of the leaders in this market. Zeller+Gmelin has a number of facilities strategically positioned in the USA, UK and Europe and has a wide network of distributors worldwide. Zeller+Gmelin is a committed key player in UV-Technology and is focusing on self-adhesive label printing, Inmold labeling and flexible packaging.

Ink description:

Uvaflex Y77

The Uvaflex Y77 series is a standard radical curing UV-flexo ink for universal use on paper and foil materials for printing labels, inmold-labels, folding boxes and flexible packaging.

In comparison to the company’s previous standard-series, Uvaflex Y7, the viscosity of the Uvaflex Y77 was optimized, improving penetration behavior on papers. The ink series offers a high reactivity and also the curling behavior on foil materials has improved.

The development target was to create a universal ink series for printing of labels, folding boxes, flexible packaging and inmold-applications.

Contacts:

OPM Group (UK) – www.opmlabels.com

Reproflex 3 - info@reproflex3.com

Zeller & Gmelin - www.zeller-gmelin.de

Pictured: The front cover of L&L issue 4, 2012