Product branding and decoration

One of the most crucial investments a company can make is in product branding and decoration. This is especially crucial for a new product that is entering a brand-new market. A successful product packaging strategy is a way to brand a product. Customers find a well-packaged product to be visually appealing. Customers frequently relate a product's packaging with how they remember and perceive it. The term "packaging" encompasses not only the container carrying the goods but also any embellishments that have been printed on it. These decorations can be in form of an image or writings that give simple information about the content of the package.
Our product will be produced in a small town in china and then shipped and sold in the United States. It will be sold in small runs at first and the packaging is specifically folding carton. The main task is to devise a printing method that is suitable for this product. The print is in a three colour format. Since the product will be sold in a foreign country it is vital to appreciate the culture and norms of that country. The printing method chosen will be influenced by the customs, language and the colour. The printing method should also ensure that it does not affect the quality of the product and that it does not contravene any environmental laws.
Many printing methods exist; however, the printing method that is selected should have adequate resistance against rubbing when filling and sealing the package on the packaging line. The ink used on the carton should be high drying ink and it should be water resistant. (Sola Somada, Tunji Adegboye, 2009)
There are several methods of printing that can be considered. These are:
Offset lithography printing
Letterpress printing
Flexography printing
Gravure printing
Digital printing
Screen printing (Geoff. A. Giles, 2000)
These printing methods have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is imperative to consider them one by one in order to gauge their suitability for our product.
Offset lithography is one of the most common methods that can be used to print the cartons. It applies the principle that water and ink cannot mix. It involves the use of a photographic metal plate that is chemically treated. This metal plate makes contact with a blanket cylinder to produce an image that is then transferred to a substrate (paper or carton) by exploiting the repellent properties of water and ink. This method is economical and it can be used for medium and large run printing. (Geoff. A. Giles, 2000) . Although this method produces quality work and it is efficient, it will not be economical for use in our start up project since our products will be introduced initially on short runs.
Letterpress printing, on the other hand, is suitable for short, medium and long runs. This is, therefore, one of the most suitable printing methods for the product. The basic principle is that letters or images are raised on blanket or cylinders that capture ink and then transfers it onto the material. The material can be a carton for this case or a plastic material. There are four types of letterpress: platen press, flatbed press, rotary press and belt press. The distinctive feature of letterpress printing is that it is possible to see a heavier edge of ink around each printed letter. (Geoff. A. Giles, 2000). The disadvantage of this method is that since a lot of pressure is used to print the work, the print material may be damaged by this force.
Meanwhile, Flexography printing is an improvement to letterpress printing. Flexography printing uses flexible rubber plates and an ink that is both highly volatile and highly drying, to print on a number of substrates. The cost of producing the plates is very low and therefore this method is suitable for short-run printing. It is also fast since it can be carried out with a number of printing stations arranged in sequence. (Gordon L. Robertson, 2012)
Gravure printing can be used on a variety of substrates. In this method, the image is etched on the surface of a metal cylinder. This metal cylinder is then rotated inside an ink fountain. The ink will collect on the surface of the etched image and excess ink that falls on the non-image parts is scraped off by the doctor blade. The substrate is then passed between the gravure cylinder and ink is compressed on it due to the high pressure of the roller and the cylinder. Gravure produces high- quality images. It has an advantage in that ink dry very fast and therefore one ink can be printed directly over another thus eliminating colour mix. Gravure printing is used in packaging of certain films, high-quality carton and labels. (Geoff. A. Giles, 2000)
Rotary screen method is a relatively new method. Screen printing is suitable for high production and where speed is required. It is the most suitable method for use where the substrate (paper) is highly porous and where opacity is required. The distinguishing property of this print method is that the image has a very fine texture. (Geoff. A. Giles, 2000)
Digital printing, on the other hand, is a modern method of printing. Digital printing uses several technologies. These technologies are electrographic ions, magnetographic, ion or electron charge deposition, thermal transfer and ink jet technologies. Ion or electron charge deposition technologies uses an electron cartridge to transfer digital information. Negative charges are generated that then helps to transfer a charged image onto a heated dielectric cylinder. An image that is visible to the eye is then created using a magnetic toner and it is transferred to the substrate for printing. Magnetography uses the same principle apart from the fact that, the image is produced from the charges, magnetic drum and toner. Meanwhile, inkjet technology uses droplets of ink that are guided by digital signals to create an image on the paper.
After considering these methods of printing it would be economical to choose flexography printing for the initial roll out. This method is economical, efficient and it can be used to produce high-quality work over a short period of time.
Meanwhile, if the business expands and the demand is high it will be recommendable to switch to a new and different method of printing. The methods that are suitable for medium and long run printing are gravure, letterpress and lithography. However, gravure method is economical and produces high-quality images. Therefore, it would be advisable for the company to select and implement gravure printing method. This will ensure that attractive and clear decorations are printed on the package hence the customers will easily identify with the branded product.


Works Cited
Geoff. A. Giles. (2000). Design and Technology of Packaging decoration for the consumer market. Sheffield England: Sheffield Academy Press Ltd.
Gordon L. Robertson. (2012). Food Packaging: Principles and Practice, Third edition. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Sola Somada, Tunji Adegboye. (2009). 111 Questions and answers in packaging technology. New York Bloomington: universe, Inc.