Education is key

At the recent IMDA conference in Chicago I had a very interesting conversation with a metal decorating expert… A metal decorating expert with an axe to grind!

Why, he said to me, don’t people realise that you simply cannot print on bare aluminium in the same way as you can on paper?

By all accounts, many people who are used to printing their logos and designs onto labels are getting very confused as to why they can’t have the same complex designs printed directly onto a can.

Now, common sense should begin to tell you the reasons why. As you all know, paper is white and dry when you print onto it, allowing a blank canvas for myriad colours.

Bare aluminium is not white, it is generally grey, therefore when printed up upon it can be difficult to match colours in the same way as you can with paper.

So why not paint the can white? The uninitiated will no doubt ask this question.

Have they heard of wet on wet printing? Probably not.

My friend tells me that, yes, you can paint a can white if you like, but because the white is not going to be cured and dried before the next layers of ink are applied, you are going to end up with a ‘hot mess’.

Put red ink onto wet white ink – you’re going to get pink aren’t you?

This is a topic I’m interested to delve into a little deeper, so keep your eyes open for a fuller piece in the near future.

In the meantime, I would very much like to hear your comments on the subject.

Best regards,

Richard