Wines & Vines

44 Wines&Vines March 2015 PACKAGING bottle printing and—due to higher environ- mental regulations in Europe—the introduc- tion of UV curable inks for glass," he said. Screen-printed bottles are still a small com- ponent of the wine packaging industry. "Many years ago," Howerth said, he'd seen a 1% mar- ket share. Although he couldn't cite more cur- rent figures, he believes the market has probably doubled. "The process is not strictly for high price- point wines. I've seen screen-printed wine labels on bottles priced as low as $7.99 for the Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon, on sale at the local Oliver's market. There's also 'I Thee Red' for an everyday price of $7.99 at Trader Joe's," he said. "We've always used organic inks, so we cannot make a fair comparison to ceramics in regards to printability. Organic inks do require approximately 25% of the temperature range of ceramics, so one's power costs, carbon footprint and space requirements are lower. "In regard to graphical qualities, the primary advantages of using low-fire organic or UV inks are brighter colors (higher pigment loading), smoother and glossier appearance and the abil- ity to hold higher detail. We're in the business of making packaging prettier, which is why Bottleprint has always used organic inks," Howerth said. "Another reason we have always used organics is our goal of keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible while providing a sufficiently durable print to our clients," he said. "Until recently, we have stayed away from UV inks due to durability concerns. However, we have recently allocated a large portion of time and money into learning what is required to produce a durable UV ink print. We utilized our UV ink knowledge and tech- niques to pass a high-speed bottling line test (400 bpm) using UV-curable inks." UV-curable inks demand walking a fine line, according to Howerth. "Many wineries would prefer to reduce their carbon footprint, but not at the expense of damaging their brand by having a high percentage of scratched labels on store shelves," he said. Numerical control for metallic inks is an increasingly popular way to draw con- sumer eyes. "The brightest effects avail- able are through the use of hot-stamp or cold-stamp foil applied directly to the bottle," Howerth said. "Either of these technologies compares favorably in ap- pearance to precious-metals printing." While Bottleprint has not done an ink-cost comparison between ceramic and organic inks, Howerth said, organic ink vs. UV ink costs are comparable. "Using UV inks does not increase our production costs, whatsoever." "The basic printing process doesn't change between organic, UV or ceramic ink printing, although there are some slightly dif- ferent specifications for the screen parameters for UV ink printing," he said. Consulting with an experienced wine pack- age designer who's familiar with the most up- to-date options for ink and printing is an important first step for any winery considering a new or updated look for its brand. Every aspect of the packaging process requires plan- ning ahead and close coordination among cli- ent, designer and suppliers to ensure the most cost-effective and best-looking packaging. Dearly Beloved's I Thee Red package from Bottleprint demonstrates that a single-color screenprinted bottle can convey a high-end look at minimal cost. "The brightest effects are available through the use of hot-stamp or cold-stamp foil applied directly on the bottle." —Robert Howerth, Bottleprint

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