Package Design - November 2012 - 8

FRONT PANEL

Equipped for Creatives
Pack Expo International proves it’s about more than machines by spotlighting innovative materials and services.
ith more than 1.1 million sq. ft. of exhibit space, Pack Expo International 2012 was the largest Pack Expo in history. More than 1,800 exhibitors showcased wares both big and small. Joining the bevy of large packing and filling machines was the HP Indigo 20000 printing press. The 30-in. digital web press represents a breakthrough size in web width for high-productivity, digital color printing on film. Epson brought its table-top size, ColorWorks C831 Wide Label Printer and DuraBrite Ultra Pigment inks. The inks can be used for a variety of applications, including health and beauty, because it binds firmly to media fibers for outstanding resistance to chemicals, water, fading and smudges. But some of the show-stoppers weren’t machines at all. In addition to its resin additives, Milliken showcased its K-Pak packaging system. The paper-based package has a tetrahedral shape that provides differentiation from other beverage containers while being highly compactable. This flexible approach to sustainable packaging could also be seen at Clear Lam’s booth, which spotlighted its PrimaPak—a flexible, stackable, recloseable package designed to replace cans, bottles and jars. PrimaPaks can be made from roll stock ondemand by CPGs using vertical form/fill/seal machines. Because the packages are made from clear plastic, they can be designed with multiple product viewing windows and purchase indicators. Artists only need to include non-print areas in their designs. Resealable, window packages were also a hot topic at Zip-Pak, where the company’s global marketing director Robert Hogan announced a new window option for Zipbox. The combined folding carton and resealable pouch was developed by Zip-Pak in conjunction with T.H.E.M. Zipbox’s first commercial application was for Plantation Raw Sugar; Hogan envisions the window option opening up applications for items such as pasta.

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Clear Lam’s chief marketing officers Roman Forowycz shows off PrimaPak’s easy peel and reseal feature. The flexible package is made from clear plastic, which gives package designers multiple opportunities to create product-viewing windows and buy-more indicators.

Hate it when the ketchup is stuck at the bottom of the bottle? This spouted pouch, shown off by Printpack corporate marketing manager Sarah Blackmon, enables consumers to easily squeeze nearly all the product out of the package.

Sugar inspired sweet innovation at Evergreen Packaging, which announced the winners of its carton design competition held at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). More than 24 package design students designed cartons for milk, juice and milk-substitute. But the application that especially struck Package Design’s editors was in the “other” category. FIT student Vanessa Magbanna used the carton structure to create a resealable sugar package that easily pours. Printpack broke with convention for its ketchup packaging specifically designed for dollar stores. Unlike a glass bottle, the low-cost and lightweight spouted pouch is capable of near-zero product evacuation. Smart design went beyond structure to include active packaging. Clariant showed its integrated desiccant technologies that remove the need for a separate moisture-removing sachet. These technologies can be

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november 2012
Package Design - November 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Package Design - November 2012
