Plastics Printing — Handle with Care

On the educational theme, Kendall of Jackson Press cautions to consider the source when receiving input as to what inks and substrates can be married successfully. When he first got into plastics printing, people who were selling (or trying to sell) him inks, coatings and plastics all had their own opinion as to what would work, some unfortunately motivated by self interest, which led Kendall down a proverbial blind alley.

“I believed some of the wrong people in the beginning and got myself in trouble,” he remarks. “Eventually, I learned how to test the material and move forward safely in projects by doing some research before putting materials or inks on the press.”

Kendall recommends first-time printers bring aboard someone who has a substantial background in working with plastics, someone who has “lived through the learning curve” and can mitigate the most common mistakes.

Sales Favorites

Selling the plastic products has been an utter joy for some members of the Jackson Press sales force. Kendall, who also has some accounts, noted that one representative in particular has been on a tear, cranking out jobs for a number of accounts due to the vast amount of applications available. The durability of the product is another tool in their sales belt.

“Someone who sells plastics packaging told me, ‘People may look at the price point of something on paper or cardboard versus plastic. But if they really like (plastic), they’ll find the money for it,’ ” Kendall remarks.

LaForest notes that sales reps who have sold POP and packaging in the past have a better concept of selling plastics than those whose background is pushing primarily general commercial work. Salespeople, almost as much as production personnel, need to become as familiarized as possible with the process.

Though a great profit center, material costs are not insignificant. “The costs are quite a bit more than paper, so when a job starts to go sour, it can be very expensive,” LaForest cautions.