Customizing Aluminum Beverage Can Texture With Digital Printing
How are beverage cans textured?
Adding tactile embellishments on drink cans can create a unique look and sensory experience, allowing brands to differentiate and elevate their products. But how do digital printers add texture to their soda, beer or other beverage cans? Expert printers like Aluminate use a multi-step process in order to ensure that textured cans will hold up through the packaging, shipping, shopping, and consumption without sacrificing tactile quality.
Prepping the Cans
Quality results begin with a well prepared surface. During the preparation phase, the base layer of the cans are cleaned, a base layer (often of white ink) is applied, and the cans are UV cured to create a smooth foundation for printing. Careful, thorough prep can make the difference between finely detailed, high-quality results, and indistinguishable raised areas that don’t enhance the brand or can design.
Setting Up Digital Artwork
Proper setup is generally the same as for other digitally printed cans, using standard CMYK graphics, as well as designated areas where white ink should be left uncolored or where the aluminum itself should be used as part of the design. In addition, textured cans require a tactile layer of the artwork that defines where on the can embellishments should be printed.
Base Graphics
This step is, again, very similar to standard digital can printing. Here, the base graphics are added to the can as the first layer of the design. Once this base is applied, the cans go through a UV curing process to prevent ink spread and keep color bleeding to a minimum.
Layering
The layering process is what builds up the textured look and feel of the design. Using innovative, state-of-the-art technology, layers can be highly detailed and incredibly defined to create a multilayered effect. Between each layer, the UV curing process is used to help maintain sharp textural features and stop ink spread and bleed.
Once the entire layering process is completed, there is an optional step of applying a protective clear topcoat to finalize printing.
Final Cure
After layering, cans go through a final cure process in order to solidify the ink. This is also the step where a thorough quality assessment is performed. Crucial details like texture height, adhesion, text legibility and design alignment are all checked.
Considerations Before Customizing Drink Can Texture
Before setting designers to work on creating a knock-out design with intricate textures and details, it’s important to keep a few factors in mind.
- Does a custom texture reinforce the brand? — If the design doesn’t elevate or match your brand goals, the choice could be confusing or stand out as a new direction for a brand that doesn’t need one.
- Will the details I want translate onto the can? — Keep in mind that there are minimum sizes and raised height standards to follow, meaning that very small elements or changes in texture height may not register. Reach out to one of our experts for more detailed information about minimum height and size requirements.
- Increased cost per can — In-depth, detailed textured designs cost more to produce on a per can basis. Make sure you have accounted for this extra cost before committing to textured cans.
- Packaging compatibility — Textured cans occasionally cause issues with label legibility, depending on the design. They can also increase filling and operational risk on high-speed lines, so be sure to talk through the feasibility of textured cans with your co-packer before finalizing your decision. Need a co-packer you can trust? We’ve got you covered.
How We Achieve Detailed Tactile Embellishment
At Aluminate, we bring our years of expertise, best-in-class equipment and proprietary ink technology to produce textured aluminum drink cans with exceptional levels of detail and precision. We also use Ardagh cans with BPANI Gen II liners to make sure our cans are tough enough to handle the packaging cycle, while also allowing for combinations of finishes — including tactile, matte, glass and metallic — on the same can. Our digital printing process does not require the use of dies or plates, which makes the process faster and more efficient.
Feel Your Brand Come To Life With Aluminate Digital Can Printing
For unmatched texture quality, detail, durability and precision, choose Aluminate. We’re ready to help you create the perfect cans to help your brand stand out on the shelf and truly show off the quality of your products.
Ready to Aluminate your beverage?
