Manufacturer of hot stamping and cold transfer products API Transfer Technologies has collaborated with A B Graphic International (ABG), Tomlinson, Berkshire Labels and creative agency Studio Parr on a joint initiative known as Mythos.
The project brings together five companies from across the label and packaging sector to produce a series of six sample labels that demonstrate contemporary approaches to print, embellishment and finishing.
The initiative was led by Tomlinson, a UK-based die-making specialist established in the 1920s. With more than a decade of previous collaboration among the companies, Mythos was developed to show what can be achieved through combined expertise in design, materials, tooling, foiling, printing and finishing processes. Each company contributed its own specialist capabilities to the project.
Studio Parr created the visual concept for the label series, producing designs inspired by themes from Greek mythology. Berkshire Labels printed the labels using an HP Indigo WS6800 digital press, applying a mix of digital and traditional production methods. The printed material was then finished on ABG’s Digicon Series 3 system, configured for the project with an unwind and corona unit, a Big Foot foil and emboss unit, two rotary flexo units, turn bars, over-lamination, a flat-bed screen module and die-cutting, stripping and twin-rewind stations. This range of modules enabled the project team to apply multiple types of foiling, embossing and varnish textures with a high level of control.
Tomlinson supplied a selection of brass dies for the series, including micro-textured, sculptured, flat, bevelled, fluted, embossed, debossed and multi-level designs. API Transfer Technologies provided the stamping and transfer materials used throughout the collection, including satin, matt, gloss, pearl and holographic foils.
According to the companies involved, the project was intended to demonstrate how different production processes can be combined for premium label applications. Matt Burton, global sales director at ABG, said the Mythos project reflects the collaborative nature of the industry and highlights the role of technical precision in label manufacturing.
