Printpack Technology Scores Visual Knockout

ATLANTA, GA—Printpack is revolutionizing thermochromic ink applications by creating technologies that can be applied to flexible labels and by expanding its color changing capabilities.

“Thermochromic inks are excellent at grabbing a consumer’s attention and differentiating a brand,” said Mark Brogan, director of technology and innovation at Printpack. “When paired with a clever bit of creativity, products using this technology provide a real visual knockout!”

Color changing inks are not new to the packaging industry. Most commonly seen on cans or sticker applications, hurdles previously existed that made thermochromic inks incompatible with flexible packaging. Barrier strengths, bonding mechanisms and performance were compromised by the chemical properties of the inks. Printpack’s R&D team developed technologies to overcome these hurdles and is now producing packaging that meets all of the performance standards while enhancing the customer experience.

Brogan believes this new technology has huge application usage with children’s products as kids enjoy packaging that blends their favorite products with visual stimulation. To ensure kids’ safety, Printpack has worked with ink developers to make certain the chemicals in the inks are not harmful when they come in contact with skin. Thermochromic inks on flexible packaging allow a child to grip and manipulate the color of the packaging in more diverse ways.

Thermochromic inks are also commonly used to gauge temperature, enabling manufacturers to communicate when a product is ideal for consumption right on the package. Printpack has now created thermochromic color to color change combinations that have not been accomplished by other film or ink developers. New color combinations allow a manufacturer to customize the graphics for their specific promotional needs.