The Status and Development of Label Printing(1)

Since the Americans invented the self-adhesive material in the 1930s, the industrial and military needs have increased the market demand for such composite materials, and the application range of adhesive labels has also been extremely fast. Self-adhesive label printing belongs to special printing in the printing industry. In recent years, with the development of new materials, new technologies and new equipment, this type of printing has developed into an independent printing method. At present, printing enterprises engaged in professional label printing at home and abroad are very common.
First, the basic situation of the world of self-adhesive label printing It is understood that the world of adhesive label printing is basically divided into three situations:
1. Printing methods based on flexographic printing The North American region represented by the United States and Canada is typical of the use of flexographic printing stickers. The equipment is a unit-type printing unit, mainly based on water-based ink, using circular pressure die cutting. The material processing method is web printing and web take-up.
After visiting the Chicago Printing Exhibition in 1997, the author was invited to visit the Weber Company, a self-adhesive printing company located near Chicago, which owns 27 sets of MARK Aney flexo presses (from 7). Inches to 25 inches), mainly engaged in a variety of self-adhesive label printing, the company's 400 people, two classes of annual sales of 100 million US dollars (including a self-adhesive paper production line).
2. Printing methods in which the letterpress and flexo plates each account for approximately 50%. This processing method is represented by Europe. The situation of flexographic printing labels is the same as in the United States, but letterpress printing occupies a considerable proportion. All of the letterpress printing uses UV ink, and the devices are mostly stacked or satellite. The material processing method is the same as web printing and web take-up.
3. Printing methods based on relief printing This processing method is represented by the Asia-Pacific region. Most of the developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region are relatively backward in label printing. There are only a few devices that use UV inks in letterpress printing, and most label devices still use traditional resin inks. The material processing methods are web, sheet cutting, and web take-up. In addition, sheetfed offset printing labels are also characteristic of the region. In the die-cutting mode, it is basically flat die-cut die cutting.
Second, the basic situation of China's self-adhesive label printing China's self-adhesive label printing began in the late 1970s, the main technology, processes, materials are from Japan. With the coastal cities of Tianjin, Qingdao and Guangzhou, this new technology will be absorbed and promoted to the whole country.
The domestic adhesive label printing market has maintained a sustained rapid growth in recent years, with an average annual growth rate of over 20%, which is unmatched by other packaging and printing industries. The label printing market is already quite large. As an emerging industry, self-adhesive label printing is becoming a new bright spot in the packaging and printing industry, attracting more and more people in the industry.
After more than 20 years of hard work, sticker printing has achieved great development in China. From the introduction of raw material production, printing processing technology and equipment, localization and production capacity have a certain scale. See Table 1 to Table 3 for relevant conditions.
Table 1 Basic Conditions of Self-adhesive Materials Market share of enterprise nature % Price Remarks Foreign-funded enterprises 30-35 High-quality and good-service state-owned enterprises 10 Medium-quality unstable townships and individual enterprises 50 Low quality and poor quality Others 2-5 Low imports Garbled paper quality is not guaranteed

Table 2 Self-adhesive printing process printing method Material form ratio % Remarks Ordinary offset printing sheet 30 Chinese-style label printing method Normal embossing web 50 With VIP label as the main UV embossing web 10 Printing high-grade color Labels Other reels or leaflets 10 Screen printing, flexographic printing, die-cutting white labels Table 3 Adhesive printing equipment types of equipment Imprinting ratio % Remarks Sheet offset circle press 30 Only suitable for hand-labelled reels Embossed satellite type round press 5 printing medium and high grade label layer base round press circle 1 very few round flattened 7 number gradually reduced flat flattened 45 main VIP label main web flexographic printing machine round press round 2 Gradually increase the number of other 10 product types indefinitely from these three tables can understand the basic situation of domestic sticker printing. In recent years, as some foreign label printing companies have entered China, new equipment, new processes, and new technologies have also entered the printing industry. Nowadays, ordinary high-grade labels can be processed in China, and the quality is basically the same as that of foreign products. Some labels previously printed abroad have now been converted to domestic processing. This is one of the main reasons for the rapid development of domestic label printing.