Ink + Coating Insights

In a world surrounded by printed materials, from the pages of your favorite magazine to the intricate consumer products packaging, one printing method stands out for its exceptional quality and precision—sheetfed offset printing. What makes sheetfed offset printing even more remarkable is its ability to adapt to a wide range of substrates.

Lightfastness is the ability of printing inks to resist fading or discoloration when exposed to artificial or natural light. It is a critical characteristic, particularly in applications where the final product will likely be displayed, stored, or used in well-lit environments, such as retail shelves or outdoor settings.

Check out at this educational infographic outlining the benefits of lightfast ink products from Zeller+Gmelin.

The quest for sustainable plastics stands at the forefront of our environmental challenges. While plastics offer versatility, durability, and convenience in everyday life, their recyclability has become a growing concern for an entire generation. Though we are far from a circular system, the issue of plastic pollution has hastened the drive for innovative,  sustainable solutions, especially in the packaging sector.

Often found on the bottom of plastic containers, bottles, and packaging, plastic recycling symbols are on nearly every plastic product, but what do they mean? These numbered symbols, also known as resin identification codes, categorize types of plastics for consistent manufacturing and recycling. We’ve created a printable guide to understand what each symbol means, where they’re typically found, and how to best recycle them!

From your morning cup of coffee to the millions of packages delivered daily, flexographic printing has found its place all around us. Flexographic printing is a versatile and widely used production process that caters to many industries. Also known as “flexo printing,” this technique combines letterpress and rotogravure elements to create high-quality prints on a wide variety of substrates.

With years of experience in this sought after application, we have witnessed printers’ success in this application due to the extensive testing and control of three major print categories. In this blog we will discuss the key printing components needed to achieve perfectly shrunk package print. Additionally, we will debunk common myths and share our best practice to help you achieve successful shrink sleeve printing. Enjoy!

It’s no illusion, the offset printing blanket is one of the stars of the rigid plastics printing show. However, not every blanket was built for the challenges of dry offset print. There are multiple issues that can arise due to poor printing blankets that can stop the act, causing you to lose in waste and downtime. Are your blankets the source of poor profit margins?

As more offset printers take advantage of specialty effects, like cold foil, choosing the right adhesive is imperative to maintaining press performance and print quality. After extensive development and testing in the field for over 2 years, Zeller+Gmelin has released a new cold foil adhesive specifically designed for dual-cure sheetfed offset applications.

Browse through this educational infographic on EarthPrint dry offset inks to discover the features and benefits of the newest ink innovation from Zeller+Gmelin.

As a global leader in printing inks and coatings, Zeller+Gmelin developed EarthPrint™ as a sustainable ink innovation for today’s eco-conscious printers. In this blog, we’ll discuss the ink and de-ink properties of EarthPrint dry offset inks and the impact they can make in sustainable rigid plastics printing and production.

At Zeller+Gmelin, we still have many UV coatings, adhesives, varnishes and overprint products in stock and available. However, like everyone in the industry we are also experiencing the brunt of a restricted supply chain. In this blog, we offer tips and tricks for stretching your UV coating supply during this time of limited resources.

At Zeller+Gmelin, we still have many UV coatings, adhesives, varnishes and overprint products in stock and available. However, like everyone in the industry we are also experiencing the brunt of a restricted supply chain. In this blog, we offer tips and tricks for stretching your UV coating supply during this time of limited resources.

Ink—that magical, mystical fluid—delights designers, annoys accountants, inspires inkies and P-O’s press operators! We use it in flexo presses every day, all day, across the country and around the world, yet so many people don’t understand how ink really works, what it can and can’t do, and how to use it best to maximize productivity in the pressroom.