Ball Packaging Europe decorates cans in photo quality

This summer, beverage cans with designs of photo quality made their market debut in Spain and Belgium. A new type of printing process developed by Ball Packaging Europe led to this innovation which significantly extends the design spectrum.

This summer, beverage cans with designs of photo quality made their market debut in Spain and Belgium. A new type of printing process developed by Ball Packaging Europe led to this innovation which significantly extends the design spectrum. It is now possible to decorate cans superbly with complicated colour gradients or high resolution photos. Using so-called waterless printing, Ball Packaging Europe has produced 330 ml steel cans for Jupiler beer, which Interbrew brewery introduced on to the market in Belgium in July. The Jupiler collector's can in a limited edition shows three complex motifs in excellent quality which reflect the sportive and dynamic image of the brand. In August, Heineken brewery launched Cruzcampo in beverage cans on the Spanish market to mark the centenary of the beer brand. Produced as a limited edition, the 330 ml steel container was also designed using the new printing technology. The cans show four different historic motifs in pin sharp quality. “Ball Packaging Europe is currently the only supplier on the market able to produce beverage cans using the innovative waterless printing technique”, says Rob Miles, Vice President Marketing at Ball Packaging Europe. Waterless printing is an offset process which, in contrast to conventional printing methods, does not require water and humidity. The major benefit of waterless printing is the improved quality of the printing as a result of the high resolution. The details of the design are reproduced much more distinctly. Another advantage of this process is the quadrichrome technique which permits the generation of more colour variations. Thanks to waterless printing it is possible to achieve excellent quality even for very sophisticated can decorations. This gives customers greater creative scope. An excellent packaging design is essential for promotional campaigns and also to successfully position new products on the market. Currently we can only supply our customers with limited quantities of beverage cans designed using the waterless printing process, for example for special editions. As we are continuously advancing this technology, it will be possible to also supply larger quantities in the near future.