Packaging presents unique quirks to the world of graphic design. The constant need to innovate – whilst also avoiding major fails – is part and parcel of the quicksand of both pre-press and retro-graphics. Today’s software can offer a range of benefits that can ensure quality whilst guarding against problems. Here are some of the benefits that our partner Packz is able to add to your Focus press.
Taking The Effort Out Of Pre-Press
Pre-press used to be a major headache in the world of flexography. Starting with vague drafts and sketches, the process would then pass through a brigade of typesetters and Linotype specialists.
When images were involved, so were photographic specialists and a team of people who were paid to glue pictures with great accuracy. Requiring the coming together of high levels of technical expertise in a wide variety of disciplines, pre-press has always been a rather mysterious and unpredictable world.
With the advent of digital technology, it is also an obsolete one. Today’s packaging software takes care of the awkward quirks, such as image alignment and colouring. Doing everything on screen increases accuracy whilst decreasing effort.
Seeing The Full Picture
Packaging gets crumpled. It’s part of the lifecycle, and something that we all expect. However, moving the packaging can lead to unfortunate results, as Thomas Cook recently discovered. Today’s software means that designers can see their graphics from multiple angles, and in multiple conditions.
This means that if you are printing onto a carton, you can see that image during every phase of its lifecycle. It’s one of many software features that can help place full control in the hands of the producer.
Cheaper, Faster, & More Reliable
As businesses jostle for market share, small print-runs, last-minute print-runs, and bespoke orders are becoming the norm. This introduces several areas of risk. Risk includes problems completing the order – such as poor quality – as well as issues for machines. The latter can include damage caused by frequent stopping and starting, adjustments, and interruptions.
Pre-press software aims to respond to these demands in several ways. It combines high levels of operator control with machines that are designed to respond at the glance of a finger. Most now use touchscreens, and at Focus we are partnered with Packz software, whose formidable team have led that revolution.
A hybrid software company, Packz combines a universal interface (PDF) with advanced visualisation capabilities to ensure that packaging is produced with vivid accuracy. This software can be incorporated into most of our models.
Get In Touch
For further information on pre-press software packaging, give the Focus Label team a call on +44 1949 836223 or via email admin@focuslabel.com.
