Packaging That Targets Our Senses

Helen Rallis

In today’s busy world, where people are being stretched for time and are always on the go, it may come as no surprise that 76 percent to 82 percent of all shoppers make in store decisions when purchasing products.

According to a 2014 study by A.R.E. | POPAI, the New Association, 62 percent of mass merchant shoppers and 55 percent of grocery shoppers have no plan whatsoever for what they will buy at the store and approximately 15 percent to 17 percent of others have a general plan of what they will purchase.

Sun Rallis coatingsWith consumers spending less time preparing for their shopping trips, brand owners have a prime opportunity to take advantage of those impulse purchases. However, shoppers see approximately 1,700 packages while walking through the store aisles. If the packaging fails to pop off the shelf in the three to seven seconds needed to make an impression, then impulse purchases won’t happen.

The old adage “gloss sells” is no longer accurate. Simple glossy coatings alone no longer add the differentiation needed to stand out on a shelf. Food items, cosmetics or cold remedies all seem to blend into one large kaleidoscope of attractive glossy packages.

To differentiate, a variety of special effect coatings are being added to product packaging. Items such as glitter, pearl or metallic coatings, combined with contrasting matte and gloss effects, provide visual contrast, stimulation and differentiation. These specialty coatings can go far beyond simply providing visual appeal—they can cater to the other senses as well.

Specialty Coating Challenges

One challenge with using specialty coatings is that most presses are not equipped to handle them in one pass, because of limited print and coating units. When multiple passes are needed to print the effects, costs are driven up. Although flexo printing readily allows the multiple applications (provided enough print units are available for all the colors and coatings), the sheetfed offset printing of cartons has slowly evolved to incorporate coatings.

Figure 1
Figure 1

It was not that long ago that just getting a UV coating applied inline was not readily available in most print shops. Today, press designs are available that can provide coating units at the end of the press, somewhere in the middle or at the beginning. Some printers have multiple units through the press to enhance printing as well as the finished product. This is unlike a few years ago, when the printer would have one anilox to do water and UV coatings.

This limited option would often compromise the coating volume. The difficulty of changing the anilox also hindered switching them to optimize the print job. New flexo coating units are designed to change the anilox with the push of a button. They do so by using “revolver” type units that store variously configured aniloxes within the press. In this way, the printer can effectively utilize the best anilox for the coating it is applying.

To select an anilox, one must look at the particle size of the special effect pigment. A general rule of thumb is the anilox cell opening must be twice the size of the particle’s diameter. This allows the coating to flow in and out of the anilox cells easily, and transfer onto the printing plate.

Another consideration when printing special effects is design. Flood coating the page may not necessarily yield the best effect. Sometimes a simple highlight can attract the eye. When printing many of the visual effects, a dark background will help provide good contrast and make the effects stand out more.

Visual Effect Coatings

A wide range of specialty coatings that offer a variety of visual effects is available to help packages stand out on shelves, including: high luster metallic, fluorescent, pearlescent, iridescence, glitter, frosting and gloss.

  • Metallic coatings: Historically, the use of metallic coatings on packaging has been limited, and therefore is not commonly seen on store shelves. Now, a printer can use bright, “mirror like” silver and gold coating and effect that can take on a unique metallic tone.
    A cold foil adhesive (Figure 1) is another special effect coating that can help products pop off the shelf. The coating system designed for flexographic or litho applications allows for simpler foil stamping, can be used on paper, paperboard and various plastic substrates, and yield economic replacements for metalized and holographic substrates
  • Color shift & pearlescent coatings: Newer pigmented coatings can yield a color shifting effect that changes depending on the viewing angle. This is very enticing to customers as they pass down a shopping aisle and the package seems to morph as they walk. These coatings come in a variety of colors, from blue to green or yellow to orange shifting.
    Color shift coatings are a specific subset of pearlescent coatings, which have an iridescent luster that can add elegance to the printed product. UV pearl coatings can mute an image when applied over ink, producing a unique “pearlescent effect.” (Figure 2) Similar to the pearlescent effect coatings are the iridescent effect coatings, which are rather flat and weakly colored when viewed at one angle, but take on the metallic sheen of another color when looked at from another angle. While not the best choice for small detailed work, this effect can be used to simulate metallic effects depending on the thickness of the coating. These come in a variety of particle sizes, varying from 10-µ. to 100-µ. Typical pigments used require a minimum of 10-15 bcm in flexo applications
  • Glitter coatings: Glitter coatings (Figure 3) are made with large particles that reflect light at different angles to produce a sparkle or shimmer effect. They come in silver, gold and various other colors, and can also give a rainbow effect.
    The particle sizes of the glitter pigments can start at about 50-µ. and go higher. These are best applied with a roller coater, but a flexo printing process can also be used. When flexo printing, at least a 25 bcm volume for the anilox is recommended to allow for particles to flow in and out with ease. Also, this will deposit enough onto the substrate to stand out on the print
Sun Rallis Figure 2

Figure 2

Making Coatings Interactive

In addition to grabbing the attention of consumers, some coatings can take a package to a whole different level with interaction. Thermochromic coatings, for example, change color with temperature. A beer can is able to turn blue when cold and remain silver when warm. The colors can match common hot and cold sources, from the fridge, skin or microwave, and can make multiple transitions. Thermochromics can also be used to promote frozen candy bars where a unique graphic appears when the temperature drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Consumers can also interact with packaging that glows in the dark. In a dark room, a candy bar logo could glow, or a package could use the special effect for seasonal promotions or items. Photochromic coatings can cause colors to appear on a package when exposed to UV light or sunlight. Thermochromic applications can also be used for hidden messages, interactive games for children, and other sweepstakes and promotional gimmicks.