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Diagraphs Blog covers the latest in coding and labeling products


Making the Perfect Mark with a Laser

Crisp, detailed markings on package


By Eric Janes, Laser Product Manager

 

You went to the trouble to build a factory, develop a product, built the production line, worked out operations, purchased all the raw materials, toiled hours longer than you should have on the perfect package design, and then do what at the end of it?  Smear some code on the corner that’s supposed to stand out to the customer?  Good news – you don’t have to deal with smudged codes anymore.

 

To avoid smeared, smudged and illegible date and lot codes, turn to the high print quality made possible from today’s scribing lasers.  Yes, there is a past where lasers were producing a “dot matrix” type of code too, but thanks to better controllers and development, we’re past all that history.  Today’s lasers fire a single beam that is digitally controlled and “writes” across the surface being marked with smooth fonts, high quality graphics and bar codes when needed.

 

A lot of end user packaging is coated paper and, when coupled with scribing lasers, produces exceptional print quality.  No, lasers won’t print in color – that’s a technology off in the future. We achieve the high contrast by ablating away the top layer of print exposing the lower bleached or kraft paper color. 

 

Simple messages are a slam dunk in this type of application, but complex messages such as those with bar codes or graphics are not too difficult either.  They do require some design, and a good software package to drive the laser.  Most likely you will want to control separately the different elements of the message.  This allows setting different mark delays and times to correctly image those elements on the package.

 

Using the Linx Laser Systems, Diagraph can help you produce great marks on your products.  We have the latest in lasers and software to produce the best mark without overpowering, or overselling, the application.




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