Carefully crafted packaging of luxury goods is designed to deliver a high level of on-shelf ‘wow factor’ to the consumer. Items such as premium foods, cosmetics, and perfumes rely on beautifully created packaging. Quality is integral, and within the luxury category, more than others, minimal design is preferred over confusing branding and messaging.
The challenging part is that online coding systems often have to contend with the unusual shapes and embellishments found on such items, not to mention the differing styles of packaging designs. Often, this makes it harder to reliably overprint barcodes, expiry date information, and batch numbers.
At Griffin-Rutgers, we can provide to you a coding and markingsystem with high-precision thermal inkjet (TIJ) printing and offline coding that offers reliable solutions meeting the demands of packaging luxury goods.
Since luxury items are often manufactured for a limited time, there’s usually a short production run associated with their exclusive packaging designs. This is a major reason for manufacturers to consider adopting offline coding. Instead of installing a printer for each line, using a single, offline system can work with various packaging types and product ranges.
Because of solvent-based technology, TIJ printers are able to handle applying codes directly to glossy surfaces that are used extensively in the luxury brand market. They often offer greater clarity than continuous inkjet (CIJ) printing.
TIJ systems can print at a resolution of up to 600dpi, the font used for any overprint information can easily be adapted to carefully match the specific design used on the branded packaging. As in the cosmetic market, this is especially beneficial. This is important in cases like identifying differing shades of lip colors on small packaging. The package can stay ‘on-brand’ and still offer legibility with small words.
Similarly, if the brand owner prefers the coded information to be clear, yet not stand out, TIJ print density can be lightened to still be visible, but not glaring.
TIJ can help strengthen anti-counterfeiting measures. While the main coding information can be printed as normal, UV-fluorescent inks can also be used to add security information to the pack that only shows up under UV lights. What’s more, the systems used to feed packs through the printer can also be used to add a security label.
As a matter of fact, in June of 2017, the European Union Intellectual Property office reported that legitimate brands lost about EUR 5 million – close to 6 billion US dollars – annually because of counterfeiting efforts. That is almost 8% of the sector’s sales, and also equals roughly 80,000 jobs lost as a result.
With over fifty years in the packaging industry, Griffin-Rutgers can work with you to make sure that the packaging of luxury goods leaving your facility meets the high-demands of todays’ market. Contact us to discuss the solutions that are right for you.
