Labelling Beer labelling
By Tom Kerchiss of RK Print Coat Instruments.
B
rands are in a bit of a bind. Very few companies, especially those that derive part or all of their income from retail, tourism and eventing/entertainment have not been affected in some way or another by Covid-19 and the various measures taken to contain it. The brewing industry is important, directly or in-directly: as many as 2.6 million people attribute their employment in some way or another to brewing. In 2019 the industry generated Euro’s 46 billion. The brewing industry throughout Europe and the various product categories associated with it such as beer have been particularly hard hit due to lock-down, social distancing and closure. Hospitality, tourism and eventing are major profit generating centres for the sale of beer and other beverages. Retail is important, but its contribution is more modest when compared with sales to restaurants, bars, clubs and to events such as music festivals or tourism, which includes cruise ship on-board sales, etc.
Fewer restrictions placed on retailers regarded as being essential suppliers meant that supermarkets and convenience stores remained open during lock down. With most people, except essential workers confined to home, a shopping trip to a supermarket or other food store to stock up was a welcome break from being at home. Beer, both traditional and crafted was much in demand which is good news for brewers, packaging/labelling suppliers and for producers of ingredients, the hops, the barley, etc. In today’s marketplace that lives by the dictate of the just in time environment, beer producers and others have clearly realised that merely launching a new beer does not guarantee success. To be successful, the producer depends more than with most product categories upon label and on pack/can presentation, the creative use of colour, graphics, design and the addition of various value-added adornments. Consumers have the choice of standardised fare if money is tight from a selection of multi- pack carton bundled beers. Moving upscale and up market labelled bottle beers, including so- called world beers, even beers made with fruit, herbs and spices are available, so too are low-carb beers and beers for those suffering from gluten intolerance and diabetes, etc. In all consumers can select from 80 beer types and approximately
there are 50,000 different beer brands – just don’t expect that wider choice from the local supermarket.
The need for a brand’s identity to stand out is critical .On-bottle labelling is regarded as standing at the interface between consumer and product, engaging visual and tactile sensing both informing
and influencing purchasing decision. To work effectively its not simply a case of putting a lot of time and energy into shape, layout, typeface and colour, and often in that order, when purchasing products such bottled beers labelling works better when it’s designed with recognition zones within the retail environment in mind. The first recognition zone, located around 3 metres away from the passing consumer is colour. Colour makes the consumer aware, if the product is new or new to that consumer, he/she may be more likely to make a repeat purchase at another visit or sometime in the future. Which is why it is important to get the colour right and most critically be able to reproduce that colour every time. The second recognition zone comes into play when all of the viewing elements come together and where colour, shape, graphic style and adornments, e.g., coloured foil cap colours become effective or not. The shopper either likes what they see and puts the bottle or bottles or in their basket or doesn’t like the way it looks and walks away. Beer is bought more often than not on impulse, the majority are not beer experts, unlike wine a beer is often chosen by label, the way it looks and then by preference for the type of beer or larger. Pressure sensitive labels are said to provide for greater opportunities in design with fewer limits on label shape and size. Base material varies greatly and determines to some extent the overall finish. A label’s printed finish must be taken into account. Printed graphics must be protected from production line rub and abrasion, filling spillage, in transport handling and wet use environments, i.e., fridge storage, etc. Gloss clear UV and matte UV varnish provides for a protective finish, gloss and matte filmic overlam materials are options to consider.
Colour and design help boost sales/ However, every time that a design is reproduced in printed form there is the potential for variation, the net effect of this in an undermining of brand appearance. Because colour if and when misinterpreted or when blemishes occur can be so damaging to product image, pre=press technologists work hard to ensure that printers/ converters can communicate colour effectively. Colour communication devices or proofing systems close the colour communication loop and help everyone from converters to ink suppliers to achieve consistency, highlighting potential issues off production line machines and before they become problems that affect product and commercial viability.
The K Printing Proofer designed and developed by RK Print Coat Instruments Ltd is just one of a comprehensive line up of colour communication devices that is available from RK. The K Printing Proofer is able to handle any flexible substrate including films, boards, aluminium foils, etc., which may be printed or laminated. Featuring electronically engraved plates and offering variable printing speeds of up to 40 metres per minute, high quality proofs or customer presentation samples using gravure, gravure-offset or flexo inks are obtainable via interchangeable print heads.
Wet or dry laminated samples can also be obtained using the gravure head with RK’s own K Lam laminating accessories, which include a rubber covered bed and wired K-lam bars that are fitted in place of the doctor blade assembly to control adhesive coat weight.
This colour communication device also enables a user to print two or more inks simultaneously for comparison purposes and registration is included for overprinting.
www.convertermag.com
November 2021
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