REVOLUTION IN LABELING MANUFACTURE INDUSTRY FROM PAST YEARS

Labeling changed with the industrial revolution that changed the way and needs for packaging. Starting from cylinder seals, it came to screen, offset, and screen printing.

Labels do more than identifying the products. They play a vital role in creating the brand image, promote products, and distinguish brands. The material used for labeling is mainly metalized, clear or white polyester, vinyl, polypropylene, fluorescent, foil paper, and glossy paper. They vary in reinforcement, strength, heat resistance, and electrical properties.

Besides, protection and containment, packaging has other essential functions that cannot be ignored. It helps in the promotion of the product, creating a positive brand image, marketing of the company, and gaining customer’s attention.

Labeling

Labeling is used in the packaging of the products to impart knowledge of the products. It varies from one product to another according to the type of the product and the need. As food labels must include the ingredients of the product, cosmetic labels must mention the used and life of a product, whereas gadgets are labeled with the information of how to use along with company name, logo in complementing colors and designs.

Types of labeling

There are different types of labels in packaging that are used for different products and purposes as;

Dry peel labels  

The names and types of these labels you hear these days were not even though of in the past. Packaging and labeling have gone through a lot of twists and turns during all this time.

It used to look like this at the start of the days.

Ancient Mesopotamia

Yes! Packaging goes really back in time.

People in 3500 BC used cylinder seals that allowed their material to be printed when rolled across the clay. It was like a wonder for ordinary people.

First ink printing

Chinese were the first people to use ink to print their text on the clothes. The method used was called woodblock printing. Txt or the material that needs to be printed used to be carved in the woodblocks, dipped in ink, and then on the cloth.

Movable printing

With the advancement first transferable printing method was developed, which enabled paper printing. It was a prolonged process and required a lot of laborers to operate.

Printing press

The printing press was one of the most significant events that happened in the second millennium. A printing press is a device that applies pressure to inked surface that rests on the printing medium. The primary purpose of this method was to print text.

Lithography

This method was invented in 1796 by German author and actor Alois Senefelder as a cheaper method for publishing his theatrical work.

Lithography used an image made of polymer coating that is applied to a flexible plastic or metal plate that can directly be printed on the surface of the material that is to be printed. With the advancement in printing techniques packaging labels design also changed where only the text was used on the labels, the printing of images started, which gave birth to establishing a brand identity.

Rotatory press

In rotatory press, as the name suggests images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. This method was used on different materials like paper, cardboard, and plastic. Material printed through this method can further be modified by varnishing, die-cutting, and embossing. Innovations in technology raised the standard and types of labeling in the market. Companies started using images and colors to create distinction among the brands and beat competition.

Inkjet printing

It was not so long ago in the 20th century when printing took a new turn. Computer printing created a sensation in the market. Inkjet printing recreates a digital image by propelling ink droplets onto the printing material like paper or plastic. These printers range from small, inexpensive consumer models to highly professional and expensive machinery.

Offset printing

Label printing system did not stop, but the improvement and innovation kept on going to get the best results, and it gave rise to offset printing. In this technique, image is transferred to from a plate to rubber blanket and then finally to the printing surface. It became famous for commercial printing and significantly increased the use of color printing possible, easy, and less expensive. Innovations here and there increased the process speed and durability of printing.

Screen printing 

This method uses a mesh to transfer ink to the surface of the material that is to be printed by blocking the areas that do not need to be printed. In this method size of the image can be scaled upward and downward as needed. This method is popular than the others because;

It is cheaper as compared to others 

Obviously, like every other previous method, it also had some flaws like it was not possible to get small intricate details.

Laser printing

This electrostatic digital printing produces high-quality text and graphics. It uses a laser beam that repeated moves back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder to define differentially charged ink. The advantages of laser printers are;

Cost-effective Printing and packaging evolved side by side with the passage of time. Innovation in printing techniques escalated the needs of packaging and purposes it used to play are not the same. No brand can evolve without a packaging that connects to the customers on an emotional level. Branding, packaging, and labeling in