Originally Published PMPN May 2002
PHARMACEUTICAL
The Fine Print on Tubes
When printing on tubes, package characteristics are as important as design and printing.
by Erik
Swain, Senior Editor
Printing
may appear to be one of the more elementary steps of the tube-production process,
but it is trickier than it seems. Whether the tube is plastic, metal, or laminate,
printing may occur before the tube is fully assembled. Therefore, those involved
in the printing process must take into account the shape of the final package,
even though that shape may not be evident during printing.
In addition, the usual quality issues involved in any form of printing, from verifying copy to ensuring the ink is applied at the proper pressure, must be strictly observed.
Therefore, tube suppliers say, it is crucial for a drug company to constantly communicate with its vendor throughout the artwork design and printing processes. It is also important for the operators of the printing equipment, whether the print job is being done at the drug company, tube supplier, or a third party, to take preventive measures to ensure print quality and accuracy are maintained throughout an entire run.
"You can save problems by getting the print staff involved with art development up front," says James Cooper, vice president of sales and marketing for CCL Plastic Packaging (Los Angeles). "Make sure the graphics and layout agree with the tolerances and capabilities of the printing process."
PREPRESS
If the drug company is producing a design in-house that will go on a tube, its art department should make sure that the design fits within the parameters of the tube shape and the tube-filling process. Many vendors will verify that nothing from the design—especially the text, which cannot under any circumstances be missing on pharmaceutical labels—will get cut off when it is printed on a material which is made into a tube. But the process will go more smoothly if everyone understands all parameters involved.
"One of the most common errors we see is putting live copy in the crimp, which means it won't be seen," says Alex Siejk, national sales representative, Peerless Tube Co. (Bloomfield, NJ). "I often get back to our customers on how to adjust for that before they send their designs to the art studio. One thing to keep in mind is that there are different folds. If you set up the design for a 3/4-in. fold and fill to a 1-in. fold, you will have copy folded up in the crimp. So I will call customers back when we get the artwork to ask them what type of filling equipment will be used, and from there I can find out what the crimp space should be."
Even something as simple as setting up a system to transmit the artwork can save time and aggravation when it comes time to get the printing process rolling.
"We ask for the disk to be sent to us, avoiding transmission errors through e-mail," says Steve Penuel, graphics manager, Cebal Americas (Norwalk, CT). "We also ask to see a hard proof. Usually what we see is what we get, but not always. We compare what we see on the screen to the hard-copy proof. Then we print it out. We also make sure to get the printer fonts as well as the screen fonts from the customer. It is critical to have both for viewing on the screen monitor and for outputting proofs."
Some vendors will provide tools for their customers to help them understand the shapes and surface areas involved, which can help in the artwork design.
"We'll send a template to a customer, using the diameter and length of the tube," says Jennifer Hackett, marketing manager for Amcor Plastube North America (Granby, QC, Canada). "From there, they can know where they should be putting the artwork and what point sizes to use. Then our artwork committee checks the artwork when it comes in to make sure it respects our standards."
"Getting the right color in the right places is crucial, so you need to become familiar with their product line and should have their product code specifications in writing," adds Mark Truehart, graphics supervisor, Tubed Products Inc. (Easthampton, MA). "It is always easier to get all the information up front at once, instead of different pieces at different times. That can become difficult to keep track of."
Other vendors may advise their customers of the potential consequences during the printing process of using special fonts, complex lettering, or unconventional coloring.
"A lot depends on how complex the artwork is and how many color presses the supplier has," Cooper says. "The more process work and features, like vignettes, the more difficult the tolerances involved in laying it out."
"The biggest mistakes often have to do with cost drivers," notes Douglas Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing for Montebello Packaging (Oak Park, IL). "Often that means grabbing colors that run into production difficulties or slow down the operation in some way. Not getting our graphics personnel involved early on can be a mistake, as they can make recommendations about what particular color choices will mean for the operation."
For example, says Renelle Godbout, graphics supervisor for Montebello, the use of metallic inks can create problems on the printer if specified for certain designs.
"They tend to be runnier than regular inks, and if you put them in small type, they will often fill in very thin," she says. "It depends on the font. So, if you are using metallic inks, you should make it at least one type size bigger than you would for regular inks."
Screens, she notes, are another design issue that can have unintended consequences for production. "Some pharmaceutical companies have drawings that they want to screen onto the design, but these can be hard to produce on a tube," she says. "We use 85 lines, and these drawings may be done on 133, so they may look nice there but lose some detail when printed. So in some cases, we need the drawings to be bigger or less detailed."
The more complex the design, the more plates might be needed, and the more plates involved, the more chances of printing errors.
"Before the design is determined, you need to determine how many plates it will require," Godbout says. "If you have a screening with text inside it, you could be using three different plates just for that because different parts of it will need different pressures."
Design complexity can even have implications for the correct selection of equipment for the job, Cooper says. "Newer equipment has more controls on it, so a lot of companies use older, simpler machines to do one- or two-color jobs," he says. "But the more difficult the artwork, the more critical all the placement issues become, and so you need more-accurate equipment."
ON THE LINE
When it comes time for the actual printing process, there are certain steps that can be taken before and during the run to minimize the chance of error.
"When we do color separation, we create a film and check the film back to the hard copy. Then we get the plates and check those to film," Penuel says. "We create a color key, show color breaks, and do plate-to-plate separation. Then it goes to the printer, who does a plate-to-plate check. The operators have a checklist where they mark that they have received the plates, inks, web stock, and so on. All of that is checked against the artwork. Once it's verified that the colors and print match, off they go."
It is important that the line operators verify that the color being produced matches the color intended in the design.
"A color key should be on-press, and operators should be verifying it as the run goes along," says Hackett. "Companies usually have ink standards so the operator has something to match."
It is also important to pay attention to the ink blankets, which affect the rollers, which affect the application of colors, says Cooper. "You have to maintain color standards throughout the run. As ink blankets get worn down, the roller pressures can vary, so you can end up with a lighter or darker shade of that color." If ink blanket wear is detected, the pressure must be changed.
Many printers use some sort of screening device to ensure quality is being maintained throughout the run. "It can blow up what's on the line onto a TV monitor for the operators to see and make sure that all critical aspects are there, especially the copy for pharmaceutical products," Penuel says. "The operators are also responsible for making sure the ink flows and plate pressures are good throughout the run."
CONCLUSION
Choosing a vendor whose operators are well trained to detect potential printing errors is important for a pharmaceutical company that wants to use tubes. But even a supplier with a spotless quality record must be in constant communication with their client before the printing process even begins.
"Both sides need to know what is going on, and there should be conferences on the structure and artwork," Truehart says. "The best thing to prevent any error is good communication."
Photo of tubes courtesy of Cebal Americas
Copyright ©2002 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
