Outline, justify and explain production methods and considerations. Consider how production methods interact with communication.
Gravure Printing:
A type of intaglio printing process which uses a rotary printing press. It involves engraving an image onto a copper plated steel cylinder base.
The ink is applied directly to the cylinder and from the cylinder it is transferred to the substrate.
While the press is in operation, the engraved cylinder is partially immersed in the ink fountain, filling the recessed cells.
As the cylinder rotates, it draws ink out of the fountain with it. Acting as a squeegee, the doctor blade scrapes the cylinder before it makes contact with the substrate, removing excess ink from the non-printing (non-recessed) areas and leaving in the cells the right amount of ink required: this tool is located quite close to the substrate so that the ink left in the cells does not have enough time to dry.
Next, the substrate gets sandwiched between the impression roller and the gravure cylinder: this is where the ink gets transferred from the recessed cells to the substrate. The purpose of the impression roller is to apply force, pressing the substrate onto the gravure cylinder, ensuring even and maximum coverage of the ink.
The capillary action of the substrate and the pressure from impression rollers force the ink out of the cell cavity and transfer it to the substrate. Then the substrate goes through a dryer because it must be completely dry before going through the next colour unit and absorbing another coat of ink.
(http://www.discoveryflexibles.com/rotogravure/)
Advantages:
- The rotogravure printing process is the most popular printing process used in flexible-packaging manufacturing, because of its ability to print on thin film such as polyester, OPP, nylon, and PE, which come in a wide range of thicknesses, commonly 10 to 30 micrometers.
- printing cylinders that can last through large-volume runs without the image degrading
- good quality image reproduction
- low per-unit costs running high volume production
Disadvantages:
- high start-up costs: hundreds of thousands of copies needed to make it profitable
-rasterised lines and texts
- long lead time for cylinder preparation, which is offsite as the techniques used are so specialised
Gravure printing is the most appropriate due to it being used in flexible packaging manufacturing and being able to print on the plastic wrapper. It also produces good image quality and will work as the brand already has a high volume of production.
Cold Foil Process:
Cold foil is a versatile and efficient process.
The process uses an embossing motif printing plate. An adhesive is pre-printed, which bonds with the subsequently applied cold foil and is cured using UV light. The cold foil is then peeled off the web to leave only the embossing motif in foil form on the print substrate. The process runs at normal press speed and a single pass is all that is needed to apply the foil and then overprint it with normal inks.
Advantages:
- A highly cost-effective way to add metallic colour
- A very high degree of register accuracy
- Good for fine lines, shadowed text, negative text
- Cold foil can be added during a continuous printing process
- Halftones and gradients can be printed
- Tooling not expensive
- Temperature-sensitive materials can be decorated
- Quick to set up
Disadvantages:
- Lower quality foiling
- Cannot achieve very fine designs
- Difficult to foil on textured substrates
(http://www.ajslabels.com/foiling.htm)
This process could be utilised to do the blue foil star, this would communicate quality as the design has extra elements that make it unique, and stand out on a shelf.
Considerations:
- Printing on plastic
- 2 colour print (black, yellow)
- Foiling (blue star)
- Food packaging
- Gravure printing
- Heat seal
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