Responding to the growth in shrink packaging applications and the knowledge gap that can exist for printers entering this market, premedia company CSW, Inc. announces WrapIt, a counter-distortion and visualization service. CSW has found that some label and overwrap printer/converters are certainly able to produce shrink packaging, but may be lacking the tools to adjust graphics for shrink converting. “It can be a sizable investment in software and training,” observes Marek Skrzynski, CSW Technical Director.
Without a digital counter-distortion workflow, printers and designers must calculate distortion rates manually, using printed grid trials and sometimes multiple test runs. WrapIt uses 3-D container geometry and production film specs to identify areas of high distortion and other potential issues before the project gets to the pressroom. “Because we have already developed workflows for both shrink sleeve labels and multipack overwraps, we can save printers quite a bit of time and lower their costs,” says Skrzynski.
CSW’s WrapIt service also adjusts die-lines, alters copy placement and compensates for distortion effects. This means brands can take full advantage of shrink packaging benefits such as 360º brand coverage and protection from handling or cold-case condensation. Designers and brand owners can test and preview graphics long before press and tunnel testing. CSW delivers WrapIt proofs as interactive 3-D PDF files, and can also provide packaging mockups of counter-distorted shrink labels and overwraps.
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