Rollstock film is a popular flexible packaging option with multiple applications. Roll stock is a manufacturing and printing term to describe an engineered film that is used on “form, fill & seal” packaging machines. There are a variety of films that are engineered in regard to the specific properties of the content it will contain and if it is sensitive to light, moisture, air, and fragility. Typically you will find roll stock film used in granola and trail bars, nutrition bars, cookies, and potato or other kinds of chips.
This type of application involves flexographic printing which allows vibrant color and design details. The plates are made onsite cutting down wait times for proofs and getting to production as soon as possible. The film is blown from resin into film and then converted to blank film to printed roll stock. The printer is able to work their magic creating a finished bag that meets or exceeds the customer’s specific graphic, design, and layout content.
Roll stock film has many benefits. It can be food safe. It lowers production costs by producing less waste as the bags are made in line. The film provides producers vibrant colors and distinct clarity through flexographic printing enhancing end-user appeal and increasing brand awareness by standing out from the competition. Depending on the film usage context it can provide an oxygen barrier and the manufacturer can inject an air mix to prolong the life of the product ensuring freshness at the point of sale. It also speeds up the producer’s manufacturing process using the “form-fill & seal” machine.
Low Country Kettle (pictured here) is a good example of a pressure-sealed application. The bags are form-fill & seal. There is a barrier layer and the film side is printed with a laminate that is heat sealable so when the manufacturer creates the finished product bag and seals it, it heats to the right temperature and seals the bag. When filling the bags with product Low Country Kettle introduces an air mix that is food grade rated and helps preserve the chips so they stay fresh longer. This prevents the product from going stale before the end-user purchases the product.
There are certain requirements for food printed film with various grades of thickness and barriers depending on the customers manufacturing requirements and specifications.
Century Printing & Packaging is experienced in roll stock printing in diverse product contexts. We can print in quantities ranging from 5,000 to 1M ft. We use content-specific and diverse materials.
Ben Waldrop
President
Century Printing & Packaging
800.344.7509
Today’s packaging and printing material is as diverse and creative as ever. It continues to grow through ingenuity and innovation.