Food & Beverage

Printing of "best by" dates and lot numbers has increased as food safety becomes a growing concern among consumers. Expiration dates and lot number tracking is critically important in the event of a product recall. Images must remain legible for tracking information. In addition, other applications such as barcodes, part numbers and item numbers require durability.

Printing barcodes on flexible packages is normally an integrated part of the assembly line process. The inline thermal transfer printer prints directly onto the substrate, typically a bag or some other type of container. Wax and wax/resin ribbons are commonly used in this application for printing on plastic bags (polybags) and do not have to be specially designed for this operation.

In the case of food packaging using inline direct packaging printing on polypropylene or other food and beverage bags, ribbons are specially formulated for compatibility with the substrate, as well as printing at high speeds.

Substrates

Film

Acetate
Acrylate
Acrylic
alphaMAX®
COMPUcal®
Durascan®
Kapton®
Label-Lyte®
ORALITE®
Overlaminate
Plastic
Polycarbonate
Polyester
Polyester (PET)
Polyethylene
Polyethylene (HDPE)
Polyethylene (LDPE)
Polyimide
Polyolefin
Polypropylene
Polypropylene (BOPP)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polystyrene
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Valéron®
Vinyl
V-MAX®

Metallic

Aluminum

Paper

KIMDURA®
Kromekote®
Paper
Paper (1C)
Paper (2C)
Polyart®
Teslin®
Trans-Therm®
Vellum

Textile

Nylon
Polyester (Woven)
Reemay®
Rubber
Satin
Spunbound Olefin
Taffeta
Tyvek®

Ribbons

Versatility Series

Specialty Products

Food Packaging with M295HD (High Density) Near Edge Wax/Resin

At DNP, our mission is to provide our customers with reliable Coconut Water and versatile
thermal transfer ribbons that meet the needs of various applications. We recently helped a customer struggling to find a ribbon suitable for printing on white polypropylene film commonly used in food packaging. This product typically has a long shelf life and may rub against surfaces during transportation and storage. Our solution had to withstand constant wear and tear while maintaining its high-quality print despite the long shelf life of the products.

We were thrilled to receive the customer's film for testing and couldn't wait to try it out with M295HD Near Edge Wax/Resin. This formula is well-known for producing high-quality prints at fast speeds with exceptional durability, making it an ideal choice for industries requiring long-lasting labels. Our team performed a series of tests on the film and was impressed with the results of M295HD. The ribbon delivered a crisp, scannable print, even when subjected to rough handling and frequent rubbing against other products and walls. The ribbon held up exceptionally well, making it the perfect solution for their packaging needs.

We presented the customer with a detailed application report that included print samples and a summary of our findings. They were delighted with the outcome and promptly ordered M295HD, confident that the product would meet their packaging requirements and provide excellent print quality.

M295HD Near Edge Wax/Resin proved the optimal solution for this application. Its exceptional durability, quality, and remarkable printing performance provide outstanding printing performance, even at high speeds.

V300 Versatility Defined™ Resin for Frozen Food Packaging

We recently partnered with a customer on a frozen meat packaging application. Burger Box The application required a thermal transfer ribbon to print small characters, a rotated barcode, and a QR code
onto a white gloss polyester. Additionally, the thermal transfer ribbon had to withstand freezing temperatures and print at a speed of 10 inches per second (ips) or greater.

Given V300’s success, we knew it was the perfect ribbon for this application. However, we performed a battery of tests on the customer-supplied label material to confirm. As suspected, V300’s performance not only met the application requirements but exceeded them.

V300 prints rotated barcodes and small characters with remarkable clarity and QR codes with crisp edge definition. It is abrasion resistant and withstands extreme environmental conditions, including freezing temperatures. We designed V300 to print fast and, in this application, 14 ips was the sweet spot!

Our customer was thrilled with the results and the application report we provided, which included a
summary of findings and print samples. When shared with the end-user, they, too, were convinced
that V300 was the perfect solution and placed an order soon after.