INK-EEZE is a tattoo product lifestyle brand. According to company founder, Sean Hoy, “Our goal is to make your tattoos as painless and pristine as possible so you can enjoy them for life.” By collaborating with tattoo artists, collectors and skin care professionals who are passionate about tattoos, INK-EEZE is on course to accomplish their goal.
INK-EEZE manufactures numerous products that are packaged in different containers including squeezable tubes, rigid plastic jars, and flexible packets. Their objective was to maintain brand consistency over multiple package types. And, somewhat unique to their brand, the labeling re-design project had to be highly appealing given their audience of world class artists and body art collectors.
To accomplish this task they turned to Adcraft Labels for both the creative approach and the technical solution.
There were a number of obstacles that had to be overcome in order to help INK-EEZE meet their objective. Their products required different labeling materials based on the function of the container. Some of their products are available in squeezable tubes. The pressure sensitive labels on the tubes were printed with specialty metallic inks, matte varnishes, textured varnishes, and cold foil. Other products require a packet with barrier properties and these, too, must be printed with specialty metallic inks, matte varnishes, textured varnishes, and cold foil. So, these products required different substrates to accommodate their different functionality. One substrate will not work with all products. For example, using the wrong substrate on a squeezable tube may cause fractures and creases.
To further add to the complexity of this project, different substrates inherently have different colors. Substrates that have barrier properties are metalized and have a grayish surface. Others have a bright white surface and still others have a dull white surface. And, all of the shades of white differ from substrate to substrate, whether they have smooth, shinny or dull flat surfaces.
Adcraft Labels is uniquely qualified to meet the objectives laid out by INK-EEZE. This is due in part to their in-house ink lab that goes way beyond just mixing inks. The ink lab staff formulated a unique ink solution for each of the products. In addition to the ink, Adcraft profiled their presses and the label materials in order to determine the proper values and densities needed to make the labels match over a variety of different substrates and containers. And, without revealing any trade secrets, Adcraft was also able to print the tactile inks found on the ridged containers onto a squeezable surface.
The results were impressive. In a resent printing competition Adcraft entered five different premium INK-EEZE labels that had been applied onto three different types of containers and they won five different awards for their effort. Two of the five awards were Best of Category. The first was in the Specialty Inks or Coatings, Fragrances, or “Invisible” Printing Inks category. The second Best of Category award was in the Labels and Wraps – Rolled Products/Pressure Sensitive category.
The complex nature of the labels was not lost on the judges. They were impressed with the custom metallic purple ink, the two black inks, the two-part varnish, both matte and tactile, and foil overprint that were all produced in-line, and in one pass.
The award winning partnership between INK-EEZE and Adcraft Labels has lead to the creations of beautiful labels that maintain brand consistency over multiple package types.
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