New converting technology makes holiday snack-pack shine

Demonstrated for the first time on a holiday-themed potato-chip bag for Herr's® brand Crisp 'N Tasty All Natural Potato Chips, new IMPRESS™ embossing and laminating technology from Printpack, Inc. (www.printpack.com) brought a festive shimmer to snackfood shelves this past holiday season. According to Printpack, family-owned Herr Foods, Nottingham, PA, employed the new technology to bring unique shelf appeal to its holiday-themed promotion.

In development for approximately five years, the proprietary IMPRESS technology involves printed graphics that are laminated in-register to images embossed into a separate layer. The reflective properties of the relief-detail layer work with the inks to further enhance the color, creating a shimmering effect with light, Printpack explains.

While information on the equipment and materials used to create the gleaming, metallized snack bag is proprietary, Printpack says that the flexible film was reverse-flexo-printed in eight colors. According to the converter, challenges with the debut of this technology included issues with artwork setup and process control systems, "as with any 'new-to-the-world' innovation."

Advantages to IMPRESS include a unique, tactile shelf appeal. Herr's Crisp 'N Tasty Potato Chips bag was released last November in stores in the Northeast U.S.