In the food industry, lot and date coding your packages efficiently and correctly is a must. Inkjet coding includes pertinent information regarding the products, such as the tracking codes, expiration dates, lot codes, and barcodes for each product. Because this information is so vital, the ability to read and scan this information is a priority. Here are some tips for avoiding ink migration on food packaging products to help keep your information scannable.
Consider Your Surface and Material
The material or surface you are printing on will determine your approach to ink migration. Some surfaces take ink better than others. You should always account for this when picking out your product's packaging and the inkjet coder you will use. Plastic and paper pose the largest ink migration threat. With that said, make sure you do your research to ensure ink migration doesn’t occur on your packaging.
Use the Right Ink
Luckily, you can prevent ink migration, especially if you do your research to find out exactly what you can do to keep it from happening. For example, you need to choose an ink that is specifically designed for use on your packaging material or substrate. You will also want to make sure your inkjet coding equipment is designed to permanently print directly onto your surface, or else ink migration will occur. When picking out your ink, you should also always consider temperature, moisture, and ventilation in the area your product will be located as well.
Always Have a Plan B
Even if you have the right ink for the surface you are printing on, ink migration might still occur. Having elements in your packaging production to identify ink migration errors will help you greatly. Identifying these errors and any ink migration will allow you to fix these problems promptly, so you still have time to apply the information to the products packaging correctly.
One example of a good Plan B is to have a handheld portable printer available to reprint any low-quality or ink migrated barcodes or tracking codes. Having this will allow anybody to access the information when they need to.
Following these tips for avoiding migration on food packaging will help you #Keepcodingsimple, plus it will save you money in the process. If you are in need of a printer for your coding needs, take a look at our inventory. We have everything from industrial-sized printers to the portable handheld printer we mentioned above. Take a look and consider making a purchase today!
