Standardize Brand Packaging Process Control

Why do we need to establish print color standards?

We have once accompanied our client for packaging factory visit to have an understanding on the production environment. When we were at the factory, we noticed that the press operator was very seriously working on the printing press, and left a very good impression on our client.
By the afternoon, when the press operator was working on the job from our client, we were at the press side to view our printed job. The same operator we saw in the morning finished the job in a very short time and the numbers of pulls from the delivery were fewer than the job we saw in the morning. We asked the operator why the printing time for this job was much faster than the job in the morning. The reply we got from the operator was the job in the morning had to be printed according to print specifications; therefore we need to be more meticulous. This job was simpler as we only need to get close to the proof.
When our client left the factory, he was thinking about what the operator said about “only need to get close”. What did the operator mean for that? The more our client think about it, the more concern he had on his packaging.

What this example told us is "close to the proof " is a very subjective term. The appearance of the printed piece is determined by the experience of the press operator and his preference, therefore the result of the printed piece is often tied directly to the current state of mind of the press operator. There is always the issue of job acceptance from the print buyers. If the print buyers are in good mood, he might just take the whole lot without much questions, however if he is not a foul mood, any color deviation may cause the whole job to be reprinted. There is no assurance of the packaging quality to the print buyers.

What is the solution? We say,

“The must be a Printing Standards.”

Why do we have to provide Printing Standards? The Printing Standards are our target, printing specifications and tolerance we provide to packaging supplier for them to print accordingly. The Printing Standards will become the packaging supplier’s guideline and they are no longer be printing according to own preference. In our 20 years experience, we find that packaging suppliers do like to have job with Printing Standards cause they are able to print to specifications and not individual preferences, and therefore the quality of the printed piece is assured.

The importance of Reasonable Standards

"Only reasonable standards allow print buyers and packaging suppliers to have win-win situation.”

If the standards demanded from the brand owners are too high for packaging suppliers to achieve, this will cause the packaging suppliers to increase price to offset the additional cost incurred; this is not the phenomenon that we desired. If the standards are to loose, it wasted the chance to get the right packaging.
PSA has over 20 years of combined China experience in packaging; we understand the capability of the domestic packaging industry. We analyzed the regional paperboard and ink characteristics in China. We are able to help you to define the reasonable color standards, increase the acceptance of your brand standards.
We will develop the brands’ standards in paperboards, color and process control standards according to the brand owners’ requirements into an easy understand Packaging Process Control Guidelines. We have a dedicated service team to answer the questions raised by your packaging suppliers so that all your packaging suppliers are able to print your packaging in your brand standards.