CREATING SHELF SUPERSTARS WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS

Technology takes sales to the next level

Dazzling Decoration For Beverage Cans

Metal packaging decoration is evolving. While color is one of the first things consumers notice about packaging, and nearly 85 percent of their purchasing decisions are based on color, it’s not always enough. Packaging designers and aluminum can producers use specialty inks and coatings with personality and pizzaz to keep pace with the times, engage consumers, enhance brand awareness and increase value. There are several inkbased special effects used today in two-piece aluminum can decoration that heighten brand awareness and differentiate products.

“Metal is one of the hardest substrates on which to print,” notes Jack Knight, Global Business Development Director for Rigid Packaging, at INX. Ink is considered by some as the magical part of what brings printing to life on metal. But it’s becoming easier to produce special effects using technologies developed by INX.

For more information on INX Color Perfection, visit inxcolorperfection.com or call 800-631-7956.

Several Options

Package designers may do so with subtle special effects that wake up the senses, attract and engage customers with a shimmer, spice things up with an intricate look, or even to protect a brand’s authenticity. Special effects that pop and “speak for the product” also help brands differentiate themselves from their competitors on the shelf.

Using special-effect ink technologies and the standard, two-piece aluminum can as a “canvas,” designers, converters, and brand managers can produce astounding looks with benefits that transcend simple decoration.

Show-through effects for example allow spaces on the shiny, metallic container finish to show through, providing a metallic look without the need for metallic inks. Similarly, opaque inks block the container's metallic finish, and in some cases mimic the look of an elaborate decal. Alexander Folloso, Director, Metal Decorating Technology for INX, notes that while these effects can be produced using standard dry offset inks formulated for aluminum cans, achieving a highly opaque underbase may require a “double hit” of white ink.

Spot Effects

Cans can be covered with matte and glossy overvarnishes to create spot effects, including the matte look of non-reflective “flat” paint as well as the reflective, color-popping glossy effects that heighten the perceived value of a product. Wine producers Dark Horse Winery and Underwood use glossy and/or matte finishes in their canned products.

Temperature Tactics

Since 2009, the Coors Light beer brand adopted thermochromic inks, (those that change color with a change in temperature), to indicate their products are at or below the optimum drinking temperature of 46 degrees F. The can is coated with a special temperature-sensitive ink that appears blue when the can is cold, but gradually changes to white as the can warms up. INX, through an ongoing partnership with Chromatic Technologies, a producer of thermochromic, photochromic and reveal inks, serves package producers with an ink solution that provides thermochromic effects. The color-changing can idea helped propel Coors Light to become the No. 2 bestselling beer in America. The two-piece aluminum can is a favorite for cold beverages such as soft drinks, seltzers, and a myriad of beers, it’s also used for dairy-based products that must be retorted or sterilized at a temperature of 230 to 275 degrees F for a specified time. Retort II inks from INX are specially formulated to withstand these retort production temperatures, allowing producers to undertake required sanitary procedures for products while maintaining brand integrity on the package.

Texture Adds Brand Value

While printing stimulates the visual sense, specialty ink systems that create textures and tactile effects can add value by simulating embossing. Tactile effects have been used by energy drink producer Monster Energy to heighten the look of its products and add value to the consumer’s brand experience. Tactile Plus inks from INX are formulated explicitly for two-piece metal decoration. AP Tactile inks are high-strength, thermoset and low-misting. Formulated to be BPA-free, they print well on plain, clear, and white base-coated, drawn-andironed aluminum and steel cans, resulting in a textured feel.

Protecting And Authenticating Brands

A variety of printed effects can help authenticate products. They can be as simple as using a difficultto-match specialty substrate or as complex as adding “hidden markers” that show only when the product is exposed to specific wavelengths of light. This is particularly useful with luxury products applied using an ink-jet process.

A special range of inorganic luminescent pigments (some of them based on rare earth elements and some having quite complex crystal structures) that has been specially surface treated for ease of printing, has been developed for security printing needs. INX’s covert security ink and VerifyMe provide brand owners with time-sensitive logistics, authentication, supply chain monitoring, and data-rich consumer engagement features using unique smartphone-readable codes on their products. [See our article in Color Perfection Magazine’s sixth issue on Can Labels Getting Smart: protecting packaging with security inks].

Found In The Dark

Fluorescent inks include colors that can be startingly “bright” and fluoresce when exposed to black light. The reflectance of an object determines the color. These inks will help brands “glow” within the confines of bars, nightclubs, and other spaces. Enterprising designers and package producers use INX LoVOC Black Light fluorescent inks to identify brands within dark settings. Phosphorescent effects create inks that glow in the dark after they’ve been exposed to natural or simulated light sources. Like fluorescent inks, phosphorescent inks can provide a secondary look or reveal hidden details displayed when the ambient environment is dark. The glowing effect will fade over time but can be reactivated by re-exposing the can to light.

More Technologies To Come

Technology and special effects for dry offset aluminum can printing continue to evolve to take packaging in exciting new directions. It’s all a matter of chemistry. As a leader in innovative inks for aluminum can decoration, INX stays at the forefront of new technologies, expanding what is possible.

To learn more about special effect inks and how they can provide additional opportunities for your metal decorating operation, contact INX at info@ inxintl.com or visit

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When it comes to Chad Butler, Vice President of Sales, Metal and Rigid Packaging at INX, team-building strengths, consistency, and drive are key. He has spent almost all of his career at INX.

After joining the company in January 1994, Chad has held various positions, ranging from laboratory technician to technical service representative, account management and sales, to managing national accounts for the metal division.

Today, Chad says digital printing is becoming a strong focus in metal decorating and rigid packaging.

Developing Digital Technologies

“Throughout the last few years, digital has grown and I anticipate that will only continue. INX has had a presence in this market for a number of years, with our various digital printing applications with the CP100 and CP800 printing systems,” he says.

“We continue to dedicate research and development specifically for the evolving digital technologies in the metal decorating industry, particularly in ink formulation.” As equipment manufacturers introduce more digital printing machinery, Chad expects these technologies to continue to evolve with quicker production speeds, more opportunities for short runs, and more customization in metal decorating.

“We expect continued growth in 2023 for metal decorating, and the addition of more can manufacturers entering the U.S. market and globally with new plants,” he adds. “We are still navigating supply chain restraints as ongoing supply chain issues impact us as an ink supplier, in the U.S. and globally. But the supply chain challenges seem to be trending in a more favorable direction. We also deal with price changes for raw materials and changes in regulatory requirements for certain materials, so we face having to reformulate and/or adjust our products to meet the requirements. A lot of research and development goes into those areas.”

Working Cohesively

Chad manages INX’s various sales groups within the division, overseeing all customer activities and national accounts. “There is not a typical day in this industry,” he mentions. “A large portion of my role is actively engaging with our technical groups to ensure we are all working together as a company to service the needs of our customers and keep up with the trends as they evolve.”

Chad’s 20-plus years of experience building and nurturing many customer and supplier relationships comes in handy every day. “After the pandemic, I’m excited about getting back in front of our customers and continuously strengthening our relationships. I like to continue strengthening our strong ties with industry suppliers and vendors so that we can together provide innovations in equipment and ink technologies.”

The last few years of the pandemic created additional hurdles for INX and the overall ink industry, but Chad is quite pleased with INX’s resilience. “I’m proud of the way our company and our team in the metal and rigid packaging division have handled whatever was thrown our way. Our team has a strong foundation that allows us to work successfully together.”