Drupa countdown

6 October 2003


Print with a living message

Electronic circuits printed on film are a pretty dry subject, but conductive inks certainly liven the place up, making promotional packs a highlight in any child's room. The little darlings' hunger is satisfied first of all and then they are left with a fascinating toy. And this is how it works: the offset printed folding carton packs for ready meals also contain small game figures. They are put in specific places on a surface appropriately designed for children. Then specified structures are scratched free, a small amount of current flows, the figures move and the child is delighted.

While this is going on, Mum and Dad are sitting in front of their computer; the children are distracted, after all. Their internet surfing exercise is not accompanied by music from separate loudspeakers. On the contrary: the screen itself is a loudspeaker. A thin, functionally optimized, printed film can take over the job of producing the treble and bass of a loudspeaker.

Talking packs, talking instruction leaflets or musical photographs - there has been nothing magical about any of these for a long time now. Printing always plays a prominent role in them. With up to 20s of talking. Kennedy says: "Ich bin ein Berliner" at normal speed. It is, however, also possible to store the data content of a picture the size of a postcard.

Labels printed with voice information in the form of dots up to 40 micron are another state-of-the-art print issue. The same thing is being tried out in laser printing with a resolution of 1,200dpi (8kB). A handy scanning device is all that is needed so that the elderly, for example, can read or - to be more exact - hear the instructions on their medicine leaflet without any help. It is, however, also conceivable that people with poor sight could "read" a TV guide in this way.

The choice of substrates is extensive: materials finished in this way can be a bar code, a piece of paper, board or film, or a complete pack. The material can be stuck to credit cards, ID cards or other products and give them the ability to speak. Thanks to printed information, a refrigerator then knows how long the milk is fit for drinking - and re-orders automatically via the internet.



Contact

Messe Düsseldorf Tel: +49 (0)211 45 60 240




External weblinks
Converting Today is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Messe Düsseldorf



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.