Finat and Labels & Labelling to establish printability testing group

Finat, the worldwide self-adhesive label manufacturer association, has joined with industry publication Labels and Labelling to establish a testing group to establish new standards for digital printing of consumer and industrial labels and packaging.

End-users of printed material, unsurprisingly, often specify test procedures and performance standards as a key part of their procurement and purchase operations. As with any business they wish to know whether the system they're buying will, for example, be able to reliably produce customised labels that will meet testing standards for factors such as pick, gloss, rub resistance, scuff, print penetration, etc.

However the existing testing equipment, procedures and industrial standards are almost entirely based upon conventional label printing by methods such as offset, letterpress or flexo printing. With over 1,300 digital label presses now installed in the global industry and with an estimated 250-300 new presses added each year, the need for a new set of standards for digitally printed labels is apparent in the industry.

With this in mind IGT systems - an independent manufacturer of printability testers based in the Netherlands - has expressed an interest in working with groups within the packaging and labelling industries to establish a new program of digital printability testing assessment, equipment feasibility and development, test guidelines and best practise recommendations.

In response Finat and Labels and Labelling have announced that they are working together to establish a technical digital label printability testing group. So far 20 companies have expressed an interest in participating, with representatives expected from suppliers of paper and filmic face materials, toner and inkjet supplies and converters.

The first meeting of the group will be held at the end of August in the Netherlands, with the aim of establishing a steering group, assessing the initial steps needed, to agree an initial action plan and timescale and to allocate tasks to those deemed relevant.

"It already looks as if this will be a key initiative for those label industry suppliers and converters wishing to establish digital printing as a quality, reproducible, consistent technology," says Labels and Labelling.

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