Special effects
Today, the competition observed on the FMCG product market is so high that the main task pursued by any manufacturer is not only to demonstrate its product to best advantage, but to draw distinctions from other manufacturers. The consumer's choice depends to a large extent on the uniqueness and originality of packages.
The product exclusivity is greatly promoted by various printing-art special effects. Thanks to our ample experience, we are in possession of practically all special effects that can be found on the market. During the whole period of its activities Mikkogroup has materialized the existing potentialities and, apart from it, continues to work steadily on the development of new concepts and approaches.
Thus, for example, we have been one of the first companies in Europe to apply the "high gloss" effect resulting in more intensive paint gloss in the course of white-paper printing, which is attained by adding different metallized pigments to faces. In a nutshell, the transient "high gloss" effect was followed by the extensive use of metallized label paper and is still applicable in labels of well-known brands (for example, Stella Artois).
The "high gloss" process was extended to cover the field of application on materials of varnishes and paints, having additives of various pigments. The effect of inclusion of "spangles" (metal particles) in paint or varnish is produced.
Since the time the "high gloss" process was implemented, Mikkogroup has developed and applied extensively a range of other interesting special effects being in high demand on the market.
Twin Spot : also known as the "orange peel" effects. By using this special effect, surfaces of any materials (paper, plastics, film, etc.) can be roughened (i.e. made non-typical for the base material) to attain extraordinary properties of the package or label. This effect can also be applied randomly in a combination with different mat varnishes. We have learned to attain such an effect in the course of one-pass printing to reduce materially the prime cost of the end product.
Hot and cold foil embossing: the effect being in common use now. It has become recently especially popular with confectioners and tea producers. Foil is applied onto sealed surfaces by the hot or cold method to increase considerably glitter of foil-coated surfaces. The foil relief embossing method is also very popular. In this case, letters or item being embossed become raised in the foil application points. The relief embossing technique can also be applied without foil to put items into three-dimensional shapes. Blind embossing is a special embossing subtype. When using this method, items are sort of pressed inside the material. We apply foil by cold technique on roll machines in one run. 2 hot and 8 cold foil types can be applied in line.
UV- printing and UV-varnishing. Today, a premium-class package or glossy magazine folder would seem inconceivable with no UV-varnish being applied thereon. It is by no means a surprise now, since this particular technique is not only in use but develops rapidly. Odorless UV-inks certificated for use in the food sector were presented at the last world-largest graphic-art exhibition DRUPA (Dusseldorf), which allow to extend application of the UV-processes to a considerable degree. We bring forward the UV-varnishing technique and, besides, propose that it should be applied either randomly or as a combination of glossy and mat varnishes, in one pass of a printer's sheet. Should the UV-ink printing method be not used, it would be impossible to produce many above-mentioned effects as applied to paper, cardboard or plastic. Therefore, Mikkogroup has steadily pursued the task of implementation of the UV-printing methods and attained by now the maximum effect of the process. Today, we apply all known UV-effects in the mass production sphere.
Printing on metallized surfaces and plastics. It has to be admitted that the beer brand market is fully dominated by the label printed on metallized paper. Apart from being fashionable, this printing method is essential for the goods to be marketable. Mikkogroup is among the companies who were the first to adopt the metallized-paper printing method and, today, possesses outstanding experience in this sphere. Owing to the need to apply sophisticated processes and a great number of specific problems, there only exist few printing enterprises being ready to deliver large quantities of adequate-quality metallized labels in due time. We are one of such companies! The next step in the development of metallized-surface printing processes is implementation of the metallized-cardboard printing technique. Although this printing method has come into being only recently, one can admit that it is going to become not just a fashion but a necessity soon. Today, packages made of metallized cardboard are not a common feature of shopboards. Not that manufacturers are reluctant to use them. The reason is that very few enterprises are capable of producing such packages steadily. Our company has been applying this method for two years. We can state with confidence now that all specifics have become known to us. In parallel with metallized-cardboard printing, Mikkogroup applies plastic-printing processes, since the basics of both processes are similar.
Special effects for action products. The long-term experience possessed by Mikkogroup and the number of actions that have already been taken by our customers have left nothing new to us in this field. We offer you a range of interesting effects for special product packages or labels to be used during a variety of actions. These are such effects as "scratch off" (inks and foils that can be scratched off), general-circulation numbering and personification (application of numbers or other graphic objects, either successively or randomly), "peel off" (easy-to-remove labels, which involves the use of special varnishes), perforation (notching to tear off a part of labels), provision of holes in labels, saturated white color for metallized paper, fluorescent labels, thermochromic marks, lamination (dull or glossy lamination), silk-screen printing. different inserts (poster, subscription coupon, discount card, etc.) in magazines, journals and advertising booklets, as well as many other effects, which, while being less significant, can be produced by our enterprise.
All special effects are applicable both to the processes of sheet printing, and those with the use of roll machines and subsequent cutting into sheets. At the same time, Mikkogroup is ready to offer a number of effects applicable to roll labels, such as "sandwich" multilayer labels, perforated sheets for prizes, opening labels for large-volume hidden texts, foil printing, sleeve labels ("wrap around"), lamination as method of protection against scratches, relief shaping of laminated labels as means of protection against smoothing, manufacture of sheet labels of roll labels, transparent labels, lamination windows, and many others.
