Spot color printing applications for modern cigarette packaging

As of August 2003, 97 cigarette brands have been sold by the Japan Tobacco Industry (JT). Along with the diversified needs of smokers' preferences, such as the difference in the flavor and taste of cigarette smoke and the shape of cigarettes, the development of new products and the expansion of brands have resulted in a variety of cigarette varieties. The printing method of cigarette packaging can be divided into two types, offset printing and gravure printing. Although the use of printing methods depends on the design features, the cost, and the matching with the cigarette production, any type of printing method uses spot color printing.

1 Modern cigarette packaging and printing

Informational and identity. Today's cigarette packaging has become common sense with spot color printing. Commodity cigarettes are made from tobacco leaves that are used as agricultural products, and they are scented by the re-bake process to become a pure commodity. However, the taste of various products is of course unique, and in order to provide the product value with the above-mentioned taste characteristics, Cigarettes corresponding to the brand's emotional value are conveyed by information or images through some kind of interpretation of the packaging design. The role played by color is great.

In this way, the expansion of brand series products supported by many smokers is a common method today, and from the viewpoint of maintaining the identity of images, color is one of important basis. Therefore, the colors used here are not necessarily simple objects that are suitable for the purpose. For example, the approximate colors obtained by mixing four colors have to be said to be very unsuitable.

However, in fact, in addition to the above reasons, there are certainly other reasons, that is, after the Second World War, the supermarkets that appeared in the United States, making the original way of circulation has undergone great changes. The method of changing the name of a previously purchased product (acquired by a salesperson) into a new shopping method that is taken directly on the shelf naturally changes the design method. Cigarettes are one of the most influential products. In order to have competitive images and identity, the design centered on "shape and color" has become the mainstream.

Many of these designs use 1 to 3 spot colors plus a golden fixed design pattern, which can be seen as a design pattern that takes into account low costs while having a vivid color image.

Such a design method certainly has a great influence on the design of cigarettes in Japan, and the direction of spot color printing has been further established.

The following uses the MILD SEVEN brand cigarette packaging as an example.

2 Printing of MILD SEVEN

1) Use of blue.

Many people still remember MILD SEVEN's previous small star designs. In order to attract more consumers to choose MILD SEVEN in the previous years, the popularity and image of the most popular Seven Stars were used.

Since its launch in 1977, MILD SEVEN has risen to the status of the No. 1 brand in less than a year, gaining overwhelming support. At its peak, it produced the world's highest output, and actually gained 50% of the smokers' favorite. . Although the original design has been updated, the MILD SEVEN series is still the first brand in Japan today.

If the products are sold well, then it is only natural that the production system should be set up. Not only will the production plant of MILD SEVEN be increased, but also the printing plant must be expanded. As a result, the number of expansions will increase. As the readers know, the main business ink manufacturers of different printing companies are different. As a result, the used inks have slight differences in color and brightness (for example, silver ink), so that the images of the printing products of various printing companies can be achieved. Consistent color, it is necessary to make adjustments.

2) spot color blue

MILD SEVEN's success has also affected other kinds of products. The trend toward the pursuit of lighter cigarettes has been further expanded. MILD SEVEN Lights was launched in 1985.

Lights' design intent is to link the image with a series of advertisements made up of the theme of blue sky and white, and the color palette introduces blue.

Since then, the MILD SEVEN series must have been blue, and all color samples have been studied in order to represent the blue skies while having a correspondingly elegant blue in the taste. There are arguments that a nation’s preference for color is influenced by the country’s climate and local customs from a large perspective. The Japanese are one of the few people in the world who love blue. Comparing the Japanese color samples of four seasons with the hue of the color samples of other countries, the colors on the Japanese color samples will leave a slightly “wet” impression. In order to make the ideal blue of MILD SEVEN, it is necessary to repeatedly mix colors.

The blue cigarette packaging on the market is now flooded. As lighter cigarettes are further admired, targeting the top brand MILD SEVEN series, foreign competitors constantly launch new products in this area without introducing new products. In this respect, what is 100% green, and if it is a mixture of blue and blue packaging, what would happen? Isn't the result of leaving people with the impression of reduced chroma and poor color?

Source: "Printing World"