According to the Health & Safety Executive, the printing industry has a relatively high incidence of machinery-related accidents. The majority of printing machine accidents occurs while preparing, or making ready, or cleaning the machinery, while freeing blockages also accounts for a significant percentage. However, by choosing the right machine for the job, training employees to safeguard themselves and taking basic safety precautions, common hazards can be avoided.
Jams and blockages are an occupational hazard of the label printing industry and, although you can take steps to avoid them happening on a regular basis, it is also helpful to know what to do in the event that they occur. Every printing press is different in terms of its setup, but jams and blockages can usually be attributed to one of a small number of common causes. None of them should disrupt the productivity of your printing works for long, but can easily do so if handled improperly.
Flexographic printing imprints a crystal-clear image onto a substrate from flexible print plates wrapped around rapidly rotating rollers, enabling the fast printing of long-run orders with no loss of quality. You’ll be familiar with the method if you’ve seen film of newspapers being churned out at incredible speed on long sheets of paper, but flexographic printing is also used to produce food packaging, gift wrap, wallpaper and self-adhesive labels. As modern technology has improved the ease with which the print plates can be created and customised, flexo has cemented its position as a leader in high-volume label and packaging printing.
When you’re deciding how to print an image onto a garment or textile product, you need a technique that is efficient, cost-effective and produces the standard of finish that your customers expect. Silk screen printing and heat transfer are two popular methods, but to select the most appropriate technique, it’s important to have a thorough understanding of both.
Unexpected noises from a label printing machine are an obvious cause for concern, especially if the machine does not report a fault code or any other indication of where the problem lies. However, certain noises are characteristic of specific issues and if you can recognise tell-tale clicking, grinding and screeching noises, you may have a better chance of diagnosing and rectifying such issues.
For many products on the shelves of the nation’s retailers, competition is fierce. Not only is the market saturated for many commodities, but tech-savvy, social media-friendly consumers are increasingly thirsty for a unique shopping experience. Craftily designed packaging can make an instant impact on the consumer, determining whether the product remains on the shelf or ends up in the basket. More packaging printing businesses are now turning to digital printing, with greater consumer approval and loyalty, more flexible business models and easier compliance to changing legislation. With 90% of businesses in research identifying effective packaging a key factor in their success, it’s certain that digital printing will continue to play an increasingly influential role. What are the implications of this trend for the printing sector?
