Printed Foamed Film Packaging

Abstract

A method of constructing a package having printed indicia of acceptable quality includes providing at least one layer of foamed thin film and printing the indicia on the printed surface by applying ink to a printer surface and contacting the printed surface with the inked printer surface to coat the printed surface with ink. The layer of foamed thin film comprises a bio-based content of between about 10% and about 100%, a caliper of between 10 and 250 microns, and between 5% to 50% density reduction as compared to a non-foamed thin film of substantially the same caliper and composition, wherein a first surface of the at least one layer of foamed thin film is the printed surface of the package.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to the field of packages comprising a foamed film layer, and more specifically, to the field of packages that comprise a printed foamed film layer made at least in part of renewable, recyclable and / or biodegradable materials.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Polyolefin plastic film is used to construct a wide variety of packages such as bags, pouches, labels and wraps that hold consumer goods. For example, bags holding stacks of disposable diapers or hygiene articles, pouches for wet wipes, and bags containing granular laundry detergent are often made from plastic film. The plastic film that forms a package may be a single layer of film (called a monofilm), a combination of layers that are co-extruded, or a laminate of separately produced layers that are adhered to one another, or an extrusion lamination whereas one layer is extruded onto another previously formed layer(s). In virtually all packages, some sort of indicia is printed o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]In one aspect, a method of constructing a package having printed indicia of acceptable quality includes providing at least one layer of foamed thin film and printing the indicia on the printed surface by applying ink to a printer surface and contacting the printed surface with the inked printer surface to coat the printed surface with ink. The layer of foamed thin film comprises a bio-based content of between about 10% and about 100%, a caliper of between 10 and 250 microns, and between 5% to 50% density reduction as compared to a non-foamed thin film of substantially the same caliper and composition, wherein a first surface of the at least one layer of foamed thin film is the printed surface of the package. The printer surface comprises a plurality of raised dots, the raised dots having top surfaces configured to contact the printed surface to imprint the indicia on the printed surface, and wherein the raised dots have a dot percentage of no greater than approximately 70%.

[0009]In another aspect, a method of constructing a package having printed indicia of acceptable quality includes providing at least one layer of foamed thin film and printing the indicia on the printed surface by applying ink to a printer surface and contacting the printed surface with the inked printer surface to coat the printed surface with ink. The layer of foamed thin film comprises a bio-based content of between about 10% and about 100%, a caliper of between 10 and 250 microns, and between 5% to 50% density reduction as compared to a non-foamed thin film of substantially the same caliper and composition, wherein a first surface of the at least one layer of foamed thin film is the printed surface of the package. The printer surface comprises a half tone rotogravure print cylinder configured to contact the printed surface to imprint the indicia on the printed surface, the print cylinder having a dot percentage of no greater than approximately 70%.

[0010]In yet another aspect, a package includes at least one layer of foamed thin film and printed indicia of acceptable quality that is printed on a printed surface of the package, wherein a first surface of the at least one layer of foamed thin film is the printed surface of the package. The layer of foamed thin film includes a bio-based content of between about 10% and about 100%, a caliper of between 10 and 250 microns, and between 5% to 50% density reduction as compared to a non-foamed thin film of substantially the same caliper and composition, wherein a first surface of the at least one layer of foamed thin film is the printed surface of the package.

Problems solved by technology

Much of the cost associated with plastic film packages is the cost of the plastic resin that is used to make the film.

The rough texture, caused by the presence of the voids in the film, makes it difficult to print directly on the foamed thin film using flexographic or rotogravure printing.

The rough texture tends to cause voids in ink coverage due to the recesses in the surface not contacting the print plate.

In addition to detracting from the appearance of a package and its graphics and text, these voids in ink coverage may degrade an image of a bar code to such a degree that a bar code reader could not decode the bar code.

Other consumers may have adverse perceptions about products derived from petrochemicals being “unnatural” or not environmentally friendly.

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