Columns

  • The innovative leader

    Build the team, then let it run.
    Jack Kenny 10.11.19

  • Invasive plants and animals

    “For my people are foolish…they are stupid children, they have no understanding. I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains and they have quaking, and all th…
    Calvin Frost 10.11.19

  • Countering contraband

    Readers of this column may remember that in conformity with European legislation, France recently introduced measures to combat cigarette smuggling by using security labels. The Imprimerie Nationale (now renamed IN Groupe to make it sound a little le…
    John Penhallow 10.11.19
  • BlindSpotz keeps consumers safe

    BlindSpotz keeps consumers safe

    As high pressure processing (HPP) grows to provide consumers foods with natural flavors and free of preservatives, the most important job of HPP is to keep consumers safe from harmful bacteria such as salmonella and listeria. The gap in that pro…
    10.11.19

  • Make your ethical framework simple and memorable

    If your company is like most, your employees are winging it when it comes to integrity and ethics. We may think our people are internally equipped to handle ethical issues at work, but they should not have to guess what to do. It is the responsibi…
    Rock LaManna 10.11.19

  • Labels can meet many customer service needs

    From education to safeguarding consumers, labels provide a first line of customer service. One need look no further than two emergent industries, CBD and vape, to see critical roles labels play. Regulation, verification, education and consumer fea…
    Mark Lusky 10.11.19

  • Tiny type labels do not serve customer interests

    Labels with tiny type are a customer disservice—one that can be avoided by getting thoughtful and proactive about how labels can be developed. There are a variety of ways to refer consumers to more extended sources of information off-label via…
    Mark Lusky 09.06.19
  • HP gives Nosco a packaging boost

    HP gives Nosco a packaging boost

    Nosco, Inc., a subsidiary of Holden Industries, Inc., has announced its entrance into the printed flexible packaging space using HP Indigo technologies. As it deepens its digital footprint in the US, Nosco will utilize the HP Indigo 20000 digital pre…
    09.06.19

  • All the little lies

    If you are trying to improve your marriage, do you think the marriage counselor says, “Be sure to tell lots of little lies.” Do you know what I mean by a little lie? “Traffic was bad. It took longer to get home.” It&r…
    Rock LaManna 09.06.19

  • Is it first?

    An effective safety program reaches into all areas of a business.
    Jack Kenny 09.06.19

  • French leave

    With Labelexpo Europe on the horizon, you could expect Europe’s label sector to be in a white heat of frenzied activity. Except that it isn’t, or at least not in August in France. The minimum length of annual paid leave here is five weeks…
    John Penhallow 09.06.19

  • Palm oil

    Several issues ago I wrote about synthetics, manmade chemistries, if you will. I had numerous e-mails about that one, some positive and some not so positive. Such is life! But I have a post script to that column. I just read a wonderful opinion piece…
    Calvin Frost 09.04.19

  • Emulate showcases why label design,print quality are so important

    Donnelly, ID-based Emulate Natural Care, Inc. attests to the power and profitability of having well-designed, professionally printed custom labels. A woman-owned business founded in 2003, Emulate is a major contributor to the local economy, has recei…
    Mark Lusky 07.10.19
  • IML makes hummus packaging sustainable

    IML makes hummus packaging sustainable

    Lilly’s Foods, an Oregon-based company leading the hummus and salsa categories with its non-GMO, small batch recipes, touts 100% recyclable packaging, including tub and label. The brand has made efforts to commit to increasing sustainability ov…
    07.10.19

  • Your brand promise can last a lifetime

    Can you imagine being at the negotiating table to sell your graphic arts business and having a luxury brand name like Ferrari, Tiffany, or Rolex? How incredible would it be to command the top selling price because your company name is so synonymou…
    Rock LaManna 07.10.19

  • The patch: an intimate look

    A converting challenge, transdermal patches continue to evolve.
    Jack Kenny 07.10.19

  • Evian spelled backward

    I was going to discuss the ROI on EPR in this column.  Some of you would say, “What’s he talking about?” Very simply, the return on investment on extended producer responsibility. But, right now we’re sitting on a powder…
    Calvin Frost 07.10.19

  • Weapons of mass instruction

    In the old days, all you needed to run a press was a high-school education and a set of spanners. Nowadays, at places where label gurus meet, you cannot throw a spanner without hitting a lecturer in one or other of the arcane specialties of the label…
    John Penhallow 07.10.19

  • Hiring Grandma: Altering workforce assumptions to consider different solutions

    These days you can’t attend an association meeting or industry event that doesn’t have some kind of presentation, workshop or breakout session associated with workforce development. Ask any owner or senior executive at a label manufacture…
    Jennifer Dochstader 06.03.19

  • Food labels often hype instead of help

    Products claiming “natural,” “farm fresh” and “keto” properties often do a disservice to their customers, who latch on to the hype without drilling down into the food label ingredients to assess nutritional benefit…
    Mark Lusky 05.31.19