PrintingNews.com

Eye-catching graphics on a package almost guarantee that a product will sell, especially in the point-of-purchase (POP) segment of the business. Printers who work with clients in this area of the market are always striving to find new attractive substrates on which to print. A variety of vendors offer glow-in-the-dark, holographic, plush and metallized-looking films for printers to use when printing promotional items or stickers and labels for their clients.

“These products create a dramatic backdrop for printing,” noted Sam Covello, product manager at FLEXcon (www.flexcon.com) in Spencer, Mass. “We do a lot of one-on-one visits with printers to show them new films/vinyls, and how to promote them to clients.”

Pressure-sensitive film applications range from simple die-cut letter and holiday/seasonal decorations, to sophisticated promotional decals and game board pieces. A permanent adhesive assures that the sticker will adhere to a variety of surfaces, explained Covello. “Printers who are working with clients in the fast food industry or with sports companies or high-end stores, or even the local doughnut shop, can use our products.” He added that the company’s products are mainly used when printing on solvent inkjet printers, but that all films may be used for offset printing as well, as long as a topcoat is applied.

FLEXcon’s selection of possibilities range from an endless spectrum of brilliant colors, to an extensive array of specialty options like metallics, holographics and plush, velvet-like surfaces. The plush print product is a flexible vinyl that offers the texture and feel of suede. PLUSHprint is a 4.0-mil flocked white vinyl that is soft, conformable and crush resistant. The precision cut, flocked-rayon fibers of the film provide a smooth print-receptive surface for uniform printability. It is designed for detailed spot-color flexographic printing via water or UV inks.

“One printer in Minneapolis used our plush print product for an ad for a cell phone and was extremely happy with it,” Covello said. Other popular products this year are holographics and films that give the appearance of a metal-brushed look.

FLEXcon’s PRISMcal Silver Rainbow vinyl is a 2.4-mil brilliant, eye-catching, light diffracting metallized vinyl film that is available in patterns—Rainbow and 1/4-inch Mosaic. A versatile general-purpose pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive provides a permanent bond to a variety of surfaces. It is backed with a 94-lb. premium grade liner, and is printable non-topcoated with solvent and UV screen inks. Top coatings are available for compatibility with flexo and offset inks.

Catalina Graphic Films (www.catalinagraphicfilms.com) also presents its customers with films and vinyls that can be used to capture colorful graphics for a unique looking product. The Calabasas Hills, Calif. company finds in-store retail signage and wall graphics popular applications this year. Its products are used in a wide variety of niche applications printed by almost all disciplines including digital, screen, offset, flexo and gravure.

“Our thick vinyls can support a heavy ink load and are perfect for anybody doing in-store displays and promotions,” noted Tom Reid, executive vice president. Big box retailers, such as Lowe’s, are a good target for this type of product packaging. “The printed fake windows in the store, the decorative borders for a kid’s room—all of these types of temporary items keep your customers coming back for more every six months or so,” he added.