There are many different ways of decorating the wide range and variety of products found on supermarket shelves and in other types of retail outlets, from sports goods to garden centers or pharmaceutical chains. The aim in each case is to attract shoppers with the, often, highly colorful graphics and provide them with all the necessary information about the product, its contents and its use.

No one product decoration solution however, can meet all the different packaging requirements. In some instances, a carton, pouch or sachet itself will be printed with visual information; in other cases, a separate label or sleeve is the main carrier of information. In many instances, it can often be unclear as to how a product has been decorated, or even by what process.

This Label Academy book has set out to look below the surface and explore the wide variety of product decoration technologies in use today, highlighting their unique characteristics and help in their identification. As the chapters unfold the reader will gain a comprehensive insight into the whole decorative process as it relates to consumer packaging - from material selection, print and finishing technology, and finally to the application onto/or integration into the pack itself.

The pros and cons of each decoration system are identified, but more importantly, the cost implications underpinning the selection of a particular decoration system are examined. The book provides a valuable and convenient reference source for label converters and package printers, industry suppliers, packaging buyers and many brands.

Chapters include:

Market overview Conventional direct printing Direct digital printing Pressure-sensitive labels Glue applied labels In-mold labels Sleeving Flexible packaging Total applied costs