Seven print professionals attended a two-day MetalFX Academy in Leeds, UK at the beginning of June. The team, led by Insight Communication’s Vince Clark, were given a detailed presentation of the MetalFX technology.
Andrew Ainge, Managing Director and Richard Ainge, Technical Director of MetalFX Technology Ltd led the Maltese group through an advanced training programme on the application of the MetalFX process printing solution, from initial concept and design to print. "The core of the MetalFX process is in the design and pre-press stages," Mr Ainge told the group. "Once that is done correctly, the actual printing is a simple five colour process."
Metallic ink can enhance any printed material. Used on packaging, it helps product packages stand out from the mass of competing brands on a supermarket shelf. It can give a magazine cover a spark of life, and on print advertising it definitely attracts attention. The MetalFX technology means that metallics are no longer a high-end luxury, they are a process colour like any other, fully integrated throughout the production process. MetalFX is inspiring to designers, economical to the end user and easy for printers.
In the past, use of metallic ink was difficult and expensive. It could only be printed as a spot colour, which meant that the range of colours was limited and each metallic colour needed a separate plate, putting up the cost. The ink dried slowly, and often needed a sealing varnish to fix it. This meant that few brand owners could afford the cost or the time required.
MetalFX changes all that. Once the decision has been taken to use metallic colour, all that is needed is a layer of reflective silver ink under the metallic areas. The ink dries quickly, allowing the colours to be built up in standard CMYK. No seal is needed: the standard inks manage that function with ease. All that is needed is one extra plate, so on a five-colour printer only one run will be needed. This keeps the cost down.
MetalFX can be applied to single or two colour jobs if the full range of CMYK colours is not required, making this a very flexible technology.
All this means is that metallic colour is now well within the reach of any brand owner. Printers, designers and end users around the world are finding that the only limitation now is their imagination, not cost. Metallics are going mainstream!
By transforming metallics into process colours, the MetalFX technology means that almost any hue can be built up. In fact, over 100 million colours and shades are possible, and all with no special equipment requirements, either in material to be printed upon of in machinery. In fact, all major print methods can use MetalFX, from offset machines to letterpress.
Through SpecialFX, the MetalFX technology can be used to produce a whole range of eye-catcing effects. LiteFX makes a selected area of the printed surface appear to change colour as the angle of the light falling on it changes. HoloFX can make words or images appear or disappear. Both SpecialFX are simple to use, and are built in to the MetalFX design kit.
SecurityFX combines LiteFX and HoloFX to create printed material that is almost impossible to reproduce without the original artwork. While not a full-blown security printing technique, it is very useful for items like vouchers, security labels, credit cards and tickets.
The range of applications to which MetalFX has been applied is endless. The only limit is the imagination. Juice cartons, car brochures, posters, magazines, concert tickets and even store credit cards have been designed and printed in MetalFX. It is particularly effective on product packaging, where the use of metallic colour can really make a product stand out from the competition, and by using SpecialFX to create a package that changes and even flashes messages as people walk by can only help to ensure that a product gets the attention it deserves. Posters can also benefit from MetalFX’s attention-grabbing potential. And imagine an advert printed with MetalFX technology in a magazine!
The technology can also be used to substantially reduce costs. Foil and metallised paper are expensive. Yet with the use of MetalFX technology, normal coated paper can be given a metallic surface in any colour through a simple, cost effective printing process.
The MetalFX technology is in continuous development, offering its users worldwide an ever-expanding range of possibilities. Among the developments, MetalFX will this year be introducing a gold base ink, extending the range of colours and hues that can be printed.
The MetalFX technology is licensed to printers after a successful print trial, which demonstrates that the printer is able to achieve an accurate and consistent output. Licensed printers and designers are listed on the MetalFX website, making it easy for brand owners and other end users to find the people they need to make the most of the MetalFX technology. Licensed printers can also use the MetalFX logo.
